In week two of this series, let’s look at the first of the 7 C’s, “consciousness of self.”
This is simply paying attention to your talents, interests and dreams, as well as the beliefs, values, attitudes and emotions that motivate your actions. As one of the individual values in the social change model, developing this trait can help you prepare yourself to work more effectively with others.
Exploring and understanding your strengths and weaknesses helps you find your place in a team by knowing how you fit into the big picture. If we go back to the music metaphor from the first week, this is your part in the band, and you need to work on perfecting your form before you can play well with others. Having self-awareness can also help you acknowledge other people’s strengths and determine how you can best work together.
If you understand yourself and how your strongest qualities can help you provide effective leadership, this strengthens your ability to collaborate and build trust with other people, work toward a common purpose and resolve conflict in a civil manner.
How do you work to develop consciousness of self? Some strategies include mindfulness/meditation, introspection or personal reflection. You can try a yoga class, use a mindful breathing app on your phone, or simply journal to help you reflect on your strengths and values.
If you followed my articles on happiness, you may see some similarities here—using your strengths and practicing mindfulness can also increase your happiness, so you might as well do double duty!
Tip of the Week
Take an online strengths finder survey. Gallup is the most well-known one, but the VIA Institute on Character offers a good free version. What individual strengths can you contribute to improving your community?