The key to having meaningful work and a fulfilling life is to become more self aware. Know what you want - sounds simple doesn't it? But is it really? It takes time for self reflection to get in touch with yourself. If you are looking for meaningful work, gaining self awareness is the first step. Here are 10 questions to ponder to become more self aware.
1. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you to identify the type of work you will be good at (uses your strengths) and the work that will be more of a struggle (uses your weaknesses).
2. What is your vision for the future? What steps are you taking to move toward your vision? How do you see your life unfolding? A vision gives you something to work toward. It takes quiet time to really get clear about your vision
3. What are your values? Do others in your life share your values? Values are those qualities that are most important to you. Some will share your values. Others may have different values but respect yours. Meaningful work incorporates your values and must also be valued by your employer and/or your customer/client.
4. Do you see yourself as others see you? Friends sometimes see a skill in you that you do not see in yourself. People often think everyone can do the things they are naturally good at. Conversely others may see behavior that is getting in your way. The DISC behavioral assessment helps people understand what their observable behavior says about them.
5. What makes you happy? You are responsible for your own attitude and mood. Do you know what really makes you happy? Are you aware when your mood is dark and do you have strategies to change your mood? As your self awareness increases you realize that it is up to you to stay upbeat and positive.
6. What types of activities did you enjoy doing when you were a child? Sometimes we lose something important from our childhood. Are you doing the things that gave you pleasure as a child? Revisit your childhood and recall what activities you did for fun and pleasure. Are you still doing them?
7. What motivates you? Not everything we do at work or in our personal lives is fun or interesting. How do you get yourself moving on the tedious projects? Some people need help getting motivated on everything. What gets you going? The Workplace Motivators assessment can help you to understand what motivates you at work.
8. What do you fear most in your life? Knowing what you fear and how to overcome or live with the fear is important as you move forward toward your vision. If you become paralyzed by fear you will not be able to move forward in your work or in your life.
9. What stresses you? Some stress is necessary for growth. Too much stress can cause burnout. For some people stress can cause a change in behavior. How do others see you when you are under stress? The DISC behavioral assessment can help you to understand how stress affects your behavior.
10. How do you communicate with others? How do you like to be communicated with? Most people will communicate with others in the way that they like to be communicated with themselves. A person who is friendly and talkative may have a hard time with someone who is all business. The DISC behavioral assessment can help you to increase your awareness of communication styles of yourself and others.
Alvah Parker is a Practice Advisor (The Attorneys’ Coach) and a Career Changers’ Coach as well as publisher of "Parker’s Points", an email tip list and "Road to Success", an ezine. Subscribe now to these free monthly publications at her website http://www.asparker.com/samples.html and receive a values assessment as a gift. This assessment will identify your top 4 values. Working from your values makes the work more meaningful and fulfilling.