Are you self-aware or self-critical?

Are you self-aware, or self-critical? One can open the door to growth, improvement, and understanding, while the other can weigh you down with an endless loop of negative thoughts.

As this article describes it, honest self-awareness is key to growing and improving.

Take full stock of ourselves, our beliefs, our gifts, our talents, our challenges, our flaws, everything.  By really looking at ourselves, we can then decide what we do and do not like about ourselves.  From a place of self-awareness, we can determine what is helping us to accomplish our goals and what is limiting us.  That’s being self-aware. 

Self-criticism, on the other hand, has the opposite effect.

Self-criticism looks very similar.  We are taking inventory of ourselves and assigning positive and negative labels to those traits we find within.  The difference comes in the form of the attitude we use while doing so.  If we are judging the various attributes, especially from a harsh light, then we are being critical rather than simply being aware.

Self-criticism isn't about looking at reality and looking for ways to positively grow, it's looking at yourself, finding the flaws, and reinforcing the message, "You're not good enough."

And so often, we mistake self-criticism for self-awareness.

Next time you catch yourself picking apart what you did wrong, what you could have done better, what you need to do differently next time, etc., ask yourself, "Is this coming from a perspective of awareness or criticism? Growth or self-loathing? What is my attitude as I take a look at these things?"

--

Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst (sm)

Launch your career change with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

Comments

[Mark]

Your analysis of self-criticism and self-awareness is, in my opinion, somewhat simplistic. It is not a case of self-awareness good, self-criticism bad; that distinction is too artificial.

The way I see it, self-critique depends on self-awareness and self-awareness is of little use on its own without knowing what to do with it. But what? Unless you critique yourself how would you know? What should you change, what should you increase or reduce?

There is nothing bad about self-critique. Avoiding it often the refuge of those who lack the courage to admit when they are wrong. Those who practice it can grow a lot faster than those who don't. What we DO need is to ensure that our critique is accuate and not prejudiced by poor self-image or low self-esteem.

[Srinivas]

Please chant this mantra:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

You will not be self-critical and you will get ALL the answers you are looking for.

Hare Krishna!!