In this journey of deeper, more meaningful and impacting self-awareness, we have looked at a lot of the components of the real us. We have examined motives, influencers in our lives, patterns of behavior, projections and emotional composition.  Not the run of the mill, “look at yourself” kind of self-awareness.  This dive has been deep and hopefully, meaningful in seeing a truer you and seeing how the world sees you as well.

To round out our view of self, there are just a few more to examine.

Your Identifiers

The labels you attach when someone asks what you do or who you are can be quite telling. Do you self-identify with work? Do you have to add a title to the answer? Take a close look at how you respond and what that might say about yourself and project to others. Some of the most common self-identifiers include the need to use title or the brand name of the workplace because they add artificial prestige. The healthier choice is to focus your identification on either life role or your purpose.

Your Judgements

Judgements are a complex set of thoughts that become labels for others and ourselves. They can be as simple as a passing thought about a fellow driver’s ability to navigate traffic or as complex as a near-medical diagnosis. Examining how we judge others gives us some great perspective on how we judge ourselves as well. Are we overly harsh or critical of our performance and life? Do we create false expectations for based on our internal judgements?  Do we use judgments of others to make ourselves feel good?

Authenticity

The buzz word of  2016 and 2017 is authenticity. Unfortunately, many people use the label of authentic to be an ass. Authenticity is not about living outside the boundaries of society and human respect as some people will use it for, but rather a congruence with personal core values and beliefs. Does being authentic give you permission to curse inappropriately, treat others poorly and be harsh when delivering feedback (think about telling your wife how a dress looks)? Of course, it should not. Being authentic means keeping your behavior consistent with your true beliefs and values. If you speak love, you should project love. If you profess forgiveness, that is what your behaviors should reveal to others. Authentic means consistent and means not running away from the filters and rules of a decent humanity.

Conclusion

Not every piece of self-awareness is pleasant to examine. Sometimes it can be downright painful to reflect and know yourself on a deeper level. This deeper, and authentic view of yourself can now lead to the significant and lasting changes that you desire. Quite simply, you can’t fix or move the dial until you know the starting point.

And now you have a much clearer understanding of the real you.

Tim Schneider is the founder of Aegis Learning and has been working with teams and leaders for 25 years.   He generates results, impact and his sole focus is your success.

He is the author of The Ten Competencies of Outstanding Leadership and Beyond Engagement and a widely sought speaker, training facilitator and individual development coach.