A Journey Towards Self Discovery - Research Paper Example

A Journey Towards Self Discovery Table of Contents 1: Aims of this Report 2 2: Prologue 2 3: Why is Self Awareness Important? 3 4: Who is the CONNOISSEUR? 3 5: Self Awareness Skills Literature Overview 4 6: How to Develop Self Awareness 5 7: The Johari Window 6 8: Personal Assessment 7 9: Strengths and Areas of Improvement 8 9.1 Strengths 8 9.2 Weaknesses 8 9.3 Situation 9 9.4 Task 9 9.5 Action and Results 9 9.6 Learning 10 10: Conclusion 10 11: References 11 SELF AWARENESS 1. AIM OF THIS REPORT This report provides an analysis of development of self awareness. The information contained within this report is intended to provide me with information about the self-awareness skills I can use to achieve personal and professional change. It also shows how I currently perceive myself on a number of other characteristics. 2. PROLOGUE Self awareness is more often described as a way to recognize your inner self, to explore your personality, values both social and moral, your goals and your abilities. Self-awareness includes identification of our individuality, our strengths and weaknesses, our likes and dislikes, our way of behaving with others and observing other’s behavior and their way of thinking. “Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.”(Tao Tzu) Have you ever asked yourself who I really am? What I believe? What people think about me? What fields I reap in consequence of the seeds I sow? If I ask yourself these questions, I will better understand why I feel the way I feel, why I think a certain way, why I behave as I behave and this understanding will give me the opportunity to change those attributes which I would like to change and recreate a life I want for myself. Life is not something that gives us opportunities every day. But changing ourselves can really make a difference. Without knowing who I am, self acceptance and change cannot be done. 3. WHY IS SELF AWARENESS IMPORTANT? If I have a better understanding of myself, then I would be able to set my goals in the right direction and implement them properly, and then I am empowered to change things around me and mould them according to my likes and dislikes. Developing self-awareness can help me to distinguish when I am stressed or under pressure. It is also often a precondition for effectual communication and interpersonal relations, as well as for developing understanding for others. This personal profile is designed to improve my personal development. By this I get more control over my feelings and emotions. I can control unwanted thoughts from getting in my way without my permission. I become more confident in my approach and flexible in considering things that I ought to do. My interaction ability becomes more effective and communication skills get better. Having knowing me inside out can make anything possible. Otherwise I will be caught in the internal fight which will influence my thoughts, beliefs, allowing unknown thoughts to determine my actions and feelings. To fully understand other’s actions I first have to observe my own actions. I have understood that one cannot change something without changing one self. 4. WHO IS THE CONNOISSEUR? When we want solid information or good advice we turn to experts. But who is the expert in my case? Nobody can tell me more about me other then myself. I live in my own skin and mind twenty four hours a day. All the answers I want are within me. Self recognition and self discipline is the first step towards self awareness. To handle others, to become a great leader I first have to become my own leader and win the conflict from within. 5. SELF AWARENESS SKILLS LITERATURE SYNOPSIS Many authors have emphasized on the importance of self awareness and many have elaborated by giving experiences from their own daily life. It is important for truly appreciating one’s own fundamental “values and beliefs” (Sparrow, 2005, p.419). Access to understanding one’s own preferences, in terms of intelligences, emotions, and behavioral responses can be done through self awareness. It is these inner influences that provide the “[self-] direction and [self-] motivation needed to maximize personal potential” (Goldsby et al., 2006, p. 24). The true meaning and need of self awareness is identified by Stephen R.Covey in his book “Everyday Greatness” 2007, who describes self awareness as an adventure and a journey of self discovery. In his section of “Discipline” he explains that taking charge of your life requires discipline, and tons of it. But discipline is neither readily attained nor easily maintained. It demands the mental stamina to overcome empty passions and faulty habits. It also requires the fortitude to resist the pull of so many temptations that otherwise might lure us toward meaningless side shows. But more than anything it demands a relentless focus on what matters the most. The individuals all had identities they wanted to attain. And by far the most daunting obstacle they faced were internal in the form of opposing choices. (Robert Frost, pg 101) Then he has given an example of a man who refused 1 million dollars after he discovered his true self, his happiness and satisfaction which made himself aware of his personality. He realized that money is not everything; the thing that really matters is what makes you happy and gives you satisfaction. His happiness was staying with his family and the professional he was doing at that time. (Joe Paterno with Bernard Asbell, 2007. Pg 102) Louis L’Amour shows his preference of self awareness in one of his works “The walking drum” by saying “Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirk of fate. Everyone has it within his power to say, This I am today; that I will be tomorrow” (Louis L’Amour, pg. 77). 6. HOW TO DEVELOP SELF AWARENESS? Awareness of our thoughts and feelings open new paths of success. My life became different when I became the one leading my thoughts, feelings and actions instead of letting it lead me. It is the key to change lasting happiness. I realized that I cannot change unless I understand myself. Criticizing someone else is easy but criticizing me needs a lot of patience, tolerance and control on emotions. It’s a kind of self leadership that needs proper inside knowledge of your own behavior. The most important thing is to stop the voices in my head and get a hold of them. There are certain ways that I will adopt to develop this technique of self awareness in me, such as: 1. I will observe myself that what am I doing, what are my actions and reaction. Are my actions having a positive impact on others? By December Jan, 2010, I will observe myself and will find my weak points to improve them. 2. After observing yourself, explain the reason for your actions. Throughout first term of 2010, I will participate in at least one regular study group. This will strengthen my current weaknesses in group leadership dynamics and will further develop my strengths in investigation, collaboration and teamwork. 3. I will get feedback on my actions, on my leadership and communication strengths and clear identification of any areas needing improvement. 4. I will interact with people of different nature as much as I can. This will give vast opportunity to understand my own nature. At the end of 2010 I will conduct a self-awareness analysis that will include the assessment instruments described in the paper. 5. By the time I have completed one year in full time employment, I will have researched 12 communication, leadership and self awareness books. 7. THE JOHARI WINDOW There is a well known Johari window originated by Joe Luft and Harry Ingham which can be useful for implementing self awareness in you. The Johari Window model is a simple and useful tool for illustrating and improving self-awareness. It is sometimes referred to as feedback model of self awareness and it is also used by groups to improve communication skills in public affairs. There are four regions of Johari window known as open/free or self area which refers to information known to one’s self or a group like feelings, emotions, behavior. The second region is called blind self/blind spot or blind area which indicates what is known about the person by the group but is hidden by the person. The third one is called hidden self or avoided area which includes anything that is known to the person but is kept hidden from others and the last called unknown self or area of unknown activity contains information, aptitude, abilities that are unknown to a person and also hidden from the group. 8. PERSONAL ASSESSMENT I would like to refer to one of my own experiences here. I always wanted to do a job, to be independent working lady instead of being just a house wife. My husband never objected on my doing a job instead he encouraged me. The thing I was lacking was self confidence, optimism, observant attitude. I was afraid of facing people, afraid that what if I won’t be able to answer their questions or speak correctly in front of them. The day before I was going for an interview I decided to overcome my fears by facing my inner conflicts with courage. I asked myself what I was afraid of, for assistance I went to my husband and asked him to tell me what lacks in me, he gave me courage by giving constructive criticism. To work on my weak points I went to the mirror and started practicing in front of it as if I am making a speech in front of public. I observed myself and practiced my skills. In the interview I gave my best without fearing the results, while keeping positive attitude. The very next day I got a call for the conformation of the job. I realized after this incident that a person can achieve anything with even a little bit of real concentration. With a little feedback from my husband, by observing myself, working on weak points and thinking positively I realized my true potentials. I perceive self-efficacy is my belief in my ability to produce desired outcomes through my own actions, that is, what I believe I am capable of achieving with my skills and abilities. My self-efficacy beliefs are important because research has suggested that my perceived self-efficacy influences how positive or negative I think and feel; The behaviors I intentionally engage in; My willingness (or motivation) to change my behavior; and How much I persevere in achieving my goals and dreams. 9. STRENGTHS AND AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT Keeping into view the various kinds of assessment tests that I gave, I came to know about my various weaknesses and strengths. There are also various areas of weaknesses that can also be highlighted to work on them for making progress in both personal and professional fields. 9.1 Strengths After a thorough study of my strengths I came to know that by keeping a positive attitude, I can overcome any obstacle in life. I took Personal Style Inventory test and got the result E-S-T-J which revealed the areas of my strengths that I am a very practical and analytical student, I like to live in present and I don’t like ambiguity, I value logic and disregard emotional attachments in situations. My commitments are intellectual and that I am very organized and prefer truth to tact. I am decisive, self regimented. I try to avoid unexpected. I am sociable and outgoing. I express emotions where needed and avoid over emotional situations. I find my own favorite ways to get things done. My perceived level of self-efficacy also affects my performance on a task. People who have high self-efficacy are more likely to try new tasks, attempt difficult situations and persist when faced with obstacles. Consequently, they end up performing at a higher level. 9.2 Weaknesses The weaknesses associated with a team work environment suggested that I need to build my communication, interaction and conflict management skills. These will assist me to put forward my ideas while maintaining a culture of collaboration. Secondly, I need to learn to be stronger in participation and less passive in a learning environment and specifically in the initial stages of team dynamics. This will also assist me to take a place of authority in management decisions. My leadership Questionnaire results showed that I am a very pessimistic person. In psychological resource test of self efficacy I realized I have a negative attitude towards different aspects of life and needs to have an optimistic view. I think that many of the unhappy things in people’s lives are partly due to bad luck and in my case I think I am not a lucky person which further shows my negativism. I blame myself for every mishap and thinks what happens to me is my own doing. 9.3 Situation I recently studied a management subject at QUT. In this unit I was required to complete a project. This project required me to work in a team. My team had a couple of mature students. 9.4 Task The criteria of the team activity included establishing goals, assigning individual roles, collaboration, documentation, and an oral presentation. 9.5 Action and Results There was a clash between the values of young students and the mature ones. I had to find a middle ground between my team mates. I decided to call a team meeting and when the project was over we received a credit. Whereas my leadership questionnaire results became my weaknesses evidenced by my willingness to be more of an agreeable accommodator than an extrovert controller, which is what was needed at a time. However, once the storming stage was dealt with and the group worked through the norming stage success became evident. 9.6 Learning These tests opened my eyes to my strengths and weaknesses in team management and in process modeling. From this I learned the need to be more extrovert without losing my ability for collaborating. 11. CONCLUSION To conclude, self awareness is a journey towards self discovery by observing your strengths and weaknesses, by setting your goals and implementing on them with positive thinking. This analysis reports depicts how important self awareness is in recognizing your true self and potentials and how you can achieve personal and professional change by adopting self awareness. From the analyses conducted I was able to recognize personal strengths in cognitive, emotional and value skills, as well as personal weaknesses in team work leadership. From this recognition, appropriate short, medium and long-term strategies were set in place to maximize my management potential. References Jennifer, 02-03-05, It All Begins with Awareness, SelfCreation.com, http://www.selfcreation.com/awareness/index.htm (Retrieved: Jan 29,2010) Tao Tzu, 02-03-05, It All Begins with Awareness, SelfCreation.com, http://www.selfcreation.com/awareness/index.htm (Retrieved: Jan 29,2010) Self Awareness, Lifeskills web, 2003 http://www.vtaide.com/lifeskills/self_awareness.htm (Retrieved: Jan 29, 2010) Charlotte Joseph, 2009, Identifying Strengths, University of Wolverhampton, http://asp.wlv.ac.uk/Level4.asp?UserType=11&level4=3950 (Retrieved: Jan 29,2010 ) Self Awareness, The Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, 18, Jan 2010 06:19, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-awareness (Retrieved: Jan 29,2010) College Success Tip#13 Self Awareness, College of the Canyon, 2010, http://www.canyons.edu/committees/LEAP/Team1/15tips/tip13.asp (Retrieved: 29-01-2010) Robert Frost, R.F. 2006, Discipline, in: DR Stephen R.Covey , R. Everyday Greatness, 2007, India: Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd. Gary van Warmerdam, Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:28:14, Pathway to Happiness, Happiness Home, http://www.pathwaytohappiness.com/ (Retrieved: Jan 29,2010) Joe Luft and Harry Ingham, Johari. 2009, Johari Window, Businessballs.com, http://www.businessballs.com/johariwindowmodel.html (Retrieved: Jan 31,2010) American Heritage Dictionary, 2007, Self-awareness. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Houghton Mifflin Company. Joe Paterno with Bernard Asbell, 2007, Everyday Greatness, 2007, India: Dorling kindersley Pvt Ltd. Stephen R.Covey and David K.Hatch, R,K. 2007, Everyday Greatness, 2007, India: Dorling kindersley Pvt Ltd. Will Rogers, W.R. 2006, Taking Charge, in: DR Stephen R.Covey , R. Everyday Greatness, 2007, India: Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd. Karl Perera, K.P. 2006, Self Esteem, More-Selfesteem.com, 2006, http://www.more-selfesteem.com/self_awareness.htm (Retrieved: Jan 31, 2010) Belbin Associates, 2001. Belbin Team-Role Summary Sheet: Team Role Descriptions http://www.belbin.com/content/page/1950/Belbin_Team_Role_Descriptions.pdf (Retrieved Jan 31, 2010) Harrison, M. n.d. Self-Awareness - The Vital Factor: Questions that define leadership success. http://strategies.com.au/docs/SelfAwareness.pdf (Retrieved Jan 30, 2010) Honey, P. 1996. Learning Styles Questionnaire. http://www.business.ulster.ac.uk/businst/pub_service_mgt/bmg341/04%20H&M%20Learning%20Styles%20questionnaire.DOC (Retrieved Jan 30, 2010) Joe S. Anderson, 1997, Journals of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Saga Journals Online, http://jlo.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/4/2/119 (Retrieved Feb 1, 2010) Louis L’ Amour, L. 2006, Responsibility, in: DR Stephen R.Covey , R. Everyday Greatness, 2007, India: Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd. David Campbell, 2006, Discipline, in: DR Stephen R.Covey , R. Everyday Greatness, 2007, India: Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd. Goldsby, M., D. Kuratko, J. Hornsby, J. Houghton, C. Neck . 2006. Social Cognition and Corporate Entrepreneurship: A Framework for Enhancing the Role of Middle-Level Managers. International Journal of Leadership Studies, Vol. 2 Iss. 1, 2006, pp. 17-35 http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/ijls/new/vol2iss1/goldsby/goetal.pdf (Retrieved Jan 30, 2010) Shakespeare William, Discipline, in: DR Stephen R.Covey , R. Everyday Greatness, 2007, India: Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd. Read More