Self awareness

This post came out from The Straits Times (13 June 2015)
Title - It all starts with you

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. What is self-awareness?
2. Always check your mood
3. Understand your own temperament
4. Put first things first

On What is self-awareness?

• Self awareness is something that makes us who we are and who we want to be. It is a matter of choice and it is also the crux of what makes us an individual in the presence of others. 
• For you to have a better sense of self-awareness you have to become more in tune with your gut instinct that acts as a kind of radar that gives a perspective of what you are doing, and why you are doing it. This is important as sometimes our emotions get the better of us and we end up doing or saying things that we regret profoundly. 
• Work-wise, as an employer or employee, your sense of self-awareness will influence the way in which you either build up or tear down the trust others have in you and you have of them. Ancient Chinese war strategist Sun Tzu postulated: "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles."

On Always check your mood

• Your mood can influence the way you think and the way you respond to a situation. It goes without saying that when we are in a bad mood there is a tendency for us to dwell on the negative rather than the positive.
• When this happens, you will inevitably start to affect the mood of the other people in your life. To become emotionally self-aware you need to constantly check on your mood and become conscious of how you are feeling, and ask yourself why you are feeling that way. 
• The bottom line is - having a bad mood is not going to alleviate the situation. You have to take charge of your mood, and to do this, you need to focus on your temperament. 

On Understand your own temperament

• Your temperament is your individual personality. What makes you different from others is how you use your unique personality to influence your behavior and thoughts. However, your personality is not carved in stone and when you consciously become aware of how you think and thus behave, you can transform your temperament. 
• There are four types of temperaments: sanguine (optimistic), choleric (bad-tempered), melancholic (analytical and quiet), and phlegmatic (relaxed and peaceful).
• Being self-aware means that you understand your temperament and consciously gravitate your thoughts into another state - perhaps phlegmatic or sanguine. When you do this you start to experience the transformation benefits not only with your inner self - but this focused behavior of yours will have a positive impact on the people around you. 

On Put first things first

• It is one thing to know about emotional intelligence, but quite another to know how you can achieve this state of being. Firstly, you have to work hard at your sense of self-awareness. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big