Why we should all care more about being self-aware
The power of understanding oneself and a new way to practice self-awareness every day
Learn more on our website: meetevery.com and say hello on Instagram (@meet_every)
What is self-awareness?
There are nearly eight billion distinct people on earth ranging in height, weight, color, temperament, interests, intelligence and more. But what makes each of us truly unique are our beliefs about who we are and the world we live in. These viewpoints shape our everyday lives — from our thoughts and experiences, to how we connect with ourselves and others.
Beliefs are the bedrock of the human experience. We have held opinions about ourselves and our world since the beginning of our time, ranging from how to avoid danger and stay alive, to the supernatural and divine. As the modern world has grown in complexity, our perspectives have expanded — we are now surrounded by various points of view on self-worth, purpose, race, authority, truth, justice, the economy, the environment, education, science, medicine, consciousness, technology, the future and so much more.
Each person has a unique set of beliefs and their own way of thinking about those views. Our perspectives are shaped by our experiences, where we live, who we surround ourselves with, our health and circumstances and even our genes. We all have different ways of understanding and feeling about our opinions.
Our beliefs drive our thoughts, emotions and behavior, shaping our day-to-day reality. We maintain a personal narrative of who we are, what we are capable of, what we deserve, what we fear and what we control. We hold a worldview about what really exists, how we connect to it, what is true or knowable, what is fair or just, what is possible and what is sacred or divine. Self-awareness is the understanding of what those beliefs are and their implications on how we behave. We often assume we don’t need to reflect and get to know ourselves better, but self-awareness is actually a rare quality. Despite its importance, proper reflection has become a lost art. Today, we have so much information at our fingertips that, in many cases, we assume we know the answers even before we have considered the questions. Guided contemplation, or the meditative examination of oneself, spurs deep introspection and consideration of alternative perspectives. This builds a deeper connection with our beliefs and ourselves.
So, how can self-awareness impact us?
Our beliefs shape our life experiences, and yet they are ripe for error and distortion. With digital connectivity, we are exposed to more viewpoints than ever before. It can be hard to know which beliefs are our own and which have been influenced by others. Many things, like miscommunication, misunderstanding and biases can affect our opinions without us realizing it. Sometimes, people are intentionally misled or manipulated through misinformation or by playing into fears. As a result, people can form and hold destructive beliefs, such as feeling unworthy or believing that the world is against them.
Despite this, recent research has shown that we can change our mindset to be more constructive. We can do this by being aware of our beliefs and making changes to our surroundings and relationships. Constructive beliefs lead to more motivation, meaning, connection and inner peace. When we have constructive beliefs and connect with others from a place of common ground, society benefits from greater understanding, respect and cooperation. When we truly recognize that our beliefs shape our reality — and that we control our beliefs — we hold the key to freedom and fulfillment.
8 Proven Benefits of Self-Awareness:
- Improved Emotional Intelligence: Self-awareness is fundamental to emotional intelligence. It enables individuals to understand their own emotions, leading to better self-regulation and empathy towards others.
- Enhanced Decision Making: Being self-aware helps in recognizing personal biases and thought patterns. This awareness can lead to more objective and informed decisions.
- Better Stress Management: Understanding one’s emotional triggers and responses aids in managing stress more effectively. Self-aware individuals can identify stressors early and employ coping strategies more efficiently.
- Improved Relationships: By understanding oneself better, one can communicate more effectively and build stronger relationships, both personally and professionally.
- Enhanced Leadership Skills: Leaders who are self-aware are often more effective, as they are cognizant of their strengths and weaknesses and can adapt their leadership style accordingly.
- Greater Self-Acceptance: Regular practice of self-awareness can lead to a deeper understanding and acceptance of oneself, including recognizing and valuing personal strengths and weaknesses.
- Personal Growth and Development: Continuous self-awareness fosters ongoing personal development, as individuals are more likely to pursue growth opportunities and learn from their experiences.
- Enhanced Mental Health: Practicing self-awareness can contribute to better mental health, as it helps in recognizing and addressing negative thought patterns and emotions.
At Every, it is our mission to facilitate this awareness and connection. We believe that humans’ diversity of thought and experience is one of our greatest strengths, so long as we learn from each other and focus on the common ground that exists amidst our differences.
How can I become more self-aware and understand others better?
Download Every! We’ve created a free iPhone app that you can download in the app store today. The app offers a daily game every 24 hours that focuses on a particular theme (problem-solving, philosophy, family, career, etc). After you play a game, your map is built out (a visual representation of your top values, mindsets, and perspectives) and resources (podcasts, articles, books) are recommended to them based on your gameplay. By posing thoughtful questions backed by research to encourage reflection and diversity of thought, we step outside of our day-to-day and consider ourselves and our surroundings at a deeper level. You can make it your new daily practice to hop on to Every, reflect on a part of your life and how it connects to your values and then easily practice those traits and who you are by clicking on one of the resources.
Additionally, you can use Every to learn more about others. If you add connections (we highly suggest you do!), we show you who had the same answers as you and who you share the most common ground with. This allows you to find commonality in places it may not be obvious — by revealing that your uncle who you’ve always struggled to understand or connect with shares your dry sense of humor, or that your common ground with your engineering colleagues is through your shared growth mindset. You could send it to your friend group or family group chat and see who you share the most in common with when it comes to the topic of the day (my favorite was learning who I had the most in common with when it came to traveling!). Surfacing this commonality bridges divides and deepens relationships, bringing us one step closer to a productive collective dialogue.
Once our beliefs are clarified and we’ve started to find common ground with others, we can use modern technologies such as data science and artificial intelligence to deepen relationships. People are complex, and AI can help us sort through that complexity. At Every, we use data science to refine prompts that best utilize the power of AI to write advice for effective communication, ways to support each other, conflict resolution and much more. This provides truly personalized guidance for deepening relationships based on the unique dynamics of how two different people relate. In doing so, we not only gain deeper connection with others through mutual understanding, respect and empathy, but also with ourselves.
Team Every
We are a team of social and technology entrepreneurs using artificial intelligence to facilitate human connection. Founded on the idea that there is something to learn from every perspective, we leverage AI to generate thought-provoking conversation-style games, offering people a curious new way to reflect, see how others think and deepen relationships from a place of common ground. In doing so, we promote our mission of uniting, inspiring and empowering people to positively impact the world, one day and one person at a time. Learn more about us on our website: meetevery.com and say hello on Instagram (@meet_every)
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