Self-Awareness: Am I who I think I am?

I am the result of where we I was planted. My up brining has influenced how I am today. For some, this is great. For others it’s much harder. Unfortunately, many of us live not realising the impact that past has had in shaping and affecting our present and future. 

Think about two small trees, one that has been planted out in barren land, without protection and exposed to the elements, no support, protection or intentional nurturing. The other tree has been placed in the best environment for its species, it has been nurtured feed and protected. It’s not hard to determine which tree will have a better chance of reaching its potential quicker. There is a direct correlation from our past experiences to our present and how we perceive our future.

Ralph Pife, former Retired Professor of Psychology and Social Science (1981-2011) writes:

“The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. Consider how hard habits are to break. Change can and does occur. All of us will have life experiences that shake us and change us. Some may be major. Some may be minor—but through all this our essence generally remains unchanged. Ask your parents how much you have changed in your behaviour—and how much you have remained the same. Hard work can accomplish a lot. If your primary and secondary school experiences were less than optimal, you may arrive at college with a variety of deficits. Remedial courses, tutoring, good teachers may all help you fill in these gaps. You may also find yourself in college, clarifying who you are and where you want to go in life—but at the base, you are still you in many ways.”

The beauty is that, regardless of where you have been planted if you desire to step into different opportunities or to change who or where you are, you can.

It begins with a choice to make a change.

Below are 5 steps to help you to do this:

1.      Be self-aware of who you are now. Understand your strengths, values, and beliefs and how they align

2.      Define your purpose or your why. This will help you get direction toward pursuing things that excite you and that you are passionate about. Things like, helping others, solving problems, creating something new and achieving aspirational dreams

3.      Grow personally, form new habits, set new daily disciplines

4.      Connect with people that will inspire, encourage, and believe in you

5.      Remain true to yourself and what you are amazing at

It is important to look at your past with the perspective that there are good solid foundational principles you can build upon. Take time to seek out the good, regardless of where you have come from. Consider that, “A tree planted in a barren environment will be resilient and strong”

My 5 Learnings:

·       Not to look at my past as good or bad, rather than identify what I can use from my past as a foundation to build from

·       Do what I am good at more often and get better at doing it

·       Form new habits that align with my purpose

·       Establish a personal growth plan and don’t stop growing

·       Connect with more people that will inspire, challenge, and believe in me

Be encouraged through your growth journey and take others with you. You might like to invest in a coach or mentor to help keep you on track. It can be useful to have an independent source that you can use as a sounding board and adviser.  

My 3 Questions for you:

·       What are you tolerating that’s not you?

·       What are your dreams and passions?

·       Who will you connect with that inspires you?

“I like to use the hard times in the past to motivate me today.”

Dwayne Johnson

If you have something you have learnt from this blog, or if there is something you have questions about, please talk to me. I would be happy to chat with you.

 Remember daily to, “Find value in your influence”