What do you think is the greatest barrier to self-awareness, and how can it be overcome?
This question comes to me at a very low point. I feel so far from self awareness that I’m almost afraid to answer. How can this be? After nearly 30 years of being me how could I not know myself? Or is it that I know myself all too well and what I know doesn’t match up with what I would like myself to be….ahhhh there it is.
The biggest barrier to self awareness is the disassociation between what we see for ourselves and what we know of ourselves. This causes an inability to actualize change by living in a grey area of knowing what needs to be done and simultaneously feeling as if it there isn’t that exact need.
Side note: If you haven’t already noticed, everything I state in these prompts are directed at myself. Not in a sad or mean way but rather as a way of “voicing” the issues of myself so that I can begin to work on them. Bringing these questions up for you is super helpful in my pursuit of self change and furthermore I believe they can be just as beneficial to you if you take the time to answer them intentionally and with deep thought.
Ok, back to the question at hand. How do we overcome an issue as perplexing as this? Knowing the issue is one thing but fixing it is a whole different task. In my opinion, every time you make the clear and intentional decision to realize issues of yourself you have already started the process of overcoming this barrier. But beyond that, our first mission should be to delineate the difference between self awareness and being perfect. Self awareness is just that, being aware of yourself, but that certainly does not mean you instantly become perfect as soon as you are aware. I think often times we disassociate self awareness and people with flaws but simply knowing you are wrong certainly does not mean you know how to be right.
Making this distinction will get you over the so called “barrier” of self awareness. Don’t feel pressured to know better just know that you can always be better and seek to be, and surely one day better will come.
With love, Miles Noah Lewis Paschall