A few weeks ago, a friend, after checking if she could share what might be difficult or challenging observations (I said “go ahead”), told me that my business name does not line up with my work, and I should consider changing it. And I ‘knew’ instantly that she was right even though I hadn’t thought it myself.
Later, thinking about my reaction, I was surprised that I hadn’t reflexively defended the business name. I could have said, ‘I like it’ or ‘I think it’s great.’ But I didn’t. And right away, I started the process of determining a new name, mission, and logo. That’s a story for the future.
And thinking further about my initial reaction, I realized that my efforts to become more self-aware are bearing fruit. (I suppose that if I were even more self-aware, I would have already changed that business name, but, like everyone, I’m a work in progress.)
Increasing my self-awareness has been a goal of mine for a while. So many things that we want to do, to change, to grow, require a foundational step that comes before the commitment or perseverance to achieve specific goals. That is, self-awareness, to know what you know, or want, or perceive. For this reason, I want to further develop this foundational skill.
Of course, I looked up steps to take to become more self-aware. I found several. These stood out to me, keeping a thought journal, meditating regularly, practicing gratitude, and doing new things.
I have also developed some ways that work for me. I regularly check in with my body. Where am I carrying stress? What reactions is my gut registering? I enjoy walks in nature. Sometimes I will stop and pay attention to all the sounds I hear. How many? How close or far? From what direction? I also see the colors around me, and instead of thinking green or blue, I attempt to refine the color I see, pure blue or blue-grey? How intense? These exercises help me ‘see’ what’s around me at a greater depth. One more, when I sense a difficult feeling or thought, I try to use an inventory of questions to understand where those feelings or thoughts began and why they are uncomfortable.
I keep learning. Along with working on my rebranding, I like the idea of keeping a thought journal. What do you do to keep growing?
