How to Increase Self-Awareness Without Meditation

The Three Components of Self-Awareness “Self-awareness means the ability to monitor our inner world — our thoughts and feelings. Mindfulness is one method for enhancing this essential capacity — it trains our attention to notice subtle, but important signals, and to see thoughts as they arise rather than just being swept away by them.” — Daniel Goleman Daniel Goleman calls self-awareness the “ keystone” of emotional intelligence . Without self-awareness, we cannot know what’s happening to ourselves, let alone manage relationships with others. In the quote above, Goleman doesn’t mention mindfulness by accident. The qualities of mindfulness — such as equanimity and non-judgment — are inherent in self-awareness, too. It’s not enough to simply notice what’s happening in your inner world. What you do with the thoughts and feelings after you notice them also matters a great deal. The moment you start judging your experience, you go from awareness to a story about how things should be . You start fighting reality instead of being aware of it. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at what self-awareness is and what purposes it serves. Goleman proposes that, on one hand, it is one of the four components comprising emotional intelligence. On the other, self-awareness itself is a conglomerate of these three competencies : Emotional awareness — recognizing your emotions and the effect they have on you and others. Accurate self-assessment — recognizing your strengths and limits in an objective way (rather than viewing them through the lens of excessive self-doubt, for example). Self-Confidence — to have a sense of self-worth and competency that’s not easily shaken by the circumstances. When you look at self-awareness as a composition of those three, it becomes obvious that you can’t live a fully satisfying life without it. In my experience, I […]

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