The Self-Awareness Issue: Understanding People #017

🎙️ Using Therapy to Become More Self-Aware 🎙️

Are you ever in a difficult time and know what you've been doing isn't working, but aren't sure what would work better?

There is a ton of great advice out there for how to take care of ourselves and navigate through challenges.

The problem happens when it may not be great advice for yourself, for whatever reason.

Inside this episode, you'll learn how therapy (and the Enneagram) can help you better understand yourself and what you actually need in a difficult time.

Our guest and guide through this conversation is, Christie Rocha, Type 3, mother of two, former corporate employee, now running a family business, and keeping up with a successful podcast, Sass Says, the therapy sessions you didn't know you needed.

🪞 What Does Being Self-Aware Actually Mean?🤔

 You've heard the term hundreds of times at this point - self-awareness.

It sounds great, absolutely something we could all use more of.

Research even shows when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively.

But, what exactly are we looking for in ourselves? What exactly are we becoming more aware of? What is self-awareness?

🚫Why We're Not as Self-Aware as We Think

According to Tasha Eurich, author of Insight: Why We're Not as Self-Aware as We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life, even though most people believe they are self-aware, only 10%—15% of the people she studied actually fit the criteria.

She shared that sometimes power and experience can get in the way.

Here's how...

Contrary to popular belief, we don't always learn from our experience, but may go through life thinking we're "highly experienced" without putting in the time to really do our self-study homework.

With power, those with less of it, may not be willing to give the necessary feedback to the person in power, resulting in a less than accurate perception.

Research that Tasha shared also shows that the typical attempts at greater self-awareness using only introspection - questioning why we think, feel, or behave the way we do — not only doesn't work, but can make us less self-aware. 

🔑 7 Key Pieces of Self-Awareness

So, what should we be doing to make sure we don't fall into a limited or inaccurate view of ourselves?

Step One is to understand what self-awareness is. According to research and thousands of interviews, Tasha and her team found 7 key pieces:

• Values - are the fundamentals we use to choose how to live.
• Passions - or identifying what we enjoy doing.
• Aspirations - which are defined by our goals.
• Fit - is how happy our surroundings make us.
• Patterns - are the habits we constantly follow that make up our personality.
• Reactions - or our emotional and physical responses to the events in our lives.
• Impact - which is knowing the effect of our behavior on others.

🍁NEW FALL OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK TOGETHER 🍂

🔨 Bring the Enneagram to a team retreat or company holiday party with a Dream Team or Selling with Personality workshop here.

📖 Dedicate time to study yourself and learn how to leverage your personality to make a change in your life or at work inside Next Chapter sessions here.

🎤 Host an Enneagram topic at your fall conference or 2023 event with topics like The Ways We Lead here.

🎁 Give a gift with personality. Share an "Enn Focus" Enneagram session gift card with a co-worker, friend, or family member here.

🪜Step Two

Once you know what you're looking for, then the how of uncovering it comes in.

Throughout the book, 360 reviews are mentioned as an effective tool for getting helpful feedback from loving critics - people who have your best interests in mind and are willing to tell them the truth.

Over on the Enneagram MBA Podcast, we recently wrapped up a whole series on building a tool kit for self and others awareness. You'll find each of those resources below to add to your bag as you like:

• 360 Reviews, feat. Tara Nesser, Type 7
• Kolbe, feat. Elizabeth Cook, Type 6
• Clifton Strengths, feat.Melissa Moore, Type 3
• DiSC, feat. Nancy Marmolejo, Type 7
• How to Fascinate, Madelyn Ridgeway, Type 6
• Using Assessments in Real Life, feat. Heidi Dexter, Type 7
• Enneagram for Managers and Leaders

 
Is there a tool not on here you'd recommend that's been helping in increasing your own self-awareness? Connect with me over on Instagram or Linkedin and let me know! I'd love to include it in a future issue. 

If you're new to Understanding People - Welcome! I'm glad to have you and be connected over here. You can catch up on past issues here.

If you're a returning Ennsider - I'm glad you're back! Thanks for being here.

If you know of anyone else that would be helped by this week's issue, please share this one with them.

Have a great weekend,

Sarah - Enneagram MBA

P.S. Yesterday I added a new "This or That" video over on YouTube, and spiced it up a little with a fun detective theme. If you happen to be struggling to narrow it down between these two Type 3 and Type 8 suspects, this will give you some fun clues to help crack the case.