Imagine you are going to appear for an interview. But this will be an interview with a difference. The interviewer is going to be…..YOUR CLONE! Yes, you are going to be both interviewer and interviewee. Don’t you think you will come away from that room with a better sense of self-awareness?
This role-play makes us understand that there is an intangible “person” within us that we need to meet and understand — sort of like shaking hands with oneself.
“What’s so difficult about it?” one may think. “I know who I am, I’ve always known.” Actually, that may not be true. Very few of us really know ourselves well, or are aware of how our thought processes and emotions work. Very often we surprise ourselves by our own thoughts, words or actions. “Why did I think that?” or “I can’t believe I reacted that way.”
Why should we try to become self-aware? Because self-awareness:
Gives us poise and balance in our attitude to life. We gain control of our thoughts and feelings and can face ups and downs gracefully.
Makes us more empathetic towards others. People who understand themselves well understand the needs of others.
Makes us more emotionally secure and therefore more likely to have long and loving relationships with others.
Promotes self-confidence and therefore helps us reach our goals in life.
Helps us to handle praise and criticism gracefully, because we have an accurate idea of our own self-worth.
Promotes a feeling of inner harmony and peace, and this contributes to good health and overall happiness.
Helps us to adopt a good value system and have the self-discipline to live our lives accordingly.
Be yourself We can all recognise people who feel “comfortable in their own skin”. They are not constantly trying to impress others, they are not obsessed about their appearance, they are calm and yet purposeful, and they are good at making decisions. When there is no inner war raging, our energies can be channelled into productive activity. We can then be sure that our lives are worth-while, that we can make a difference for the better, and that the world would be a poorer place without us. This sense of self-worth is our friend in troubled times, when we have fared poorly in an examination, for instance, or when we are criticised or ridiculed by others. Emotional support can be drawn from within us. A self-aware person can never consider taking any action that is self-destructive, because he is valuable in his own eyes. It is important to distinguish between ‘self-awareness’ and ‘self-obsession.’ Self-awareness does not mean:
Self-obsession — Being an introvert who is so taken up by his or her own thoughts that there is no time for others.
Selfishness — Behaving as though no one else’s needs or opinions matter
Lack of humility — Behaving as though one has all the answers and there is no need to learn anything from anyone else.
Exploring ourselves is like exploring an unknown planet. We are constantly traveling in this inner planet of ours, reflecting a whole range of emotions, from the joy of a gurgling mountain stream to the despair of the barren dark desert. When we set out to seek self-awareness, we are trying to draw a map of this inner planet. Gradually its geography becomes familiar, and we can navigate. We can recognise the mountain-top and the desert dune. “Yes, this is familiar. I’ve been here before,” we can tell ourselves. But if we do not ever set out on the exploration of the self, we may wander into emotional quicksands and other dangers, and blame it all on someone else or on fate.
We make our own destiny. The first step in that journey is to know ourselves.
So get into that room and start the interview!
Malini Seshadri is a freelance writer. Email: >malini1seshadri@gmail.com
