What Self-Awareness Really Is (And How to Cultivate It)

Did you know (were you aware) that there are two types of self-awareness? A recent large-scale scientific study discovered that there are, in fact, two broad categories: internal self-awareness represents how clearly we see our own values, passions, aspirations, fit with our environment, reactions, and impact on others, and is associated with higher job and relationship satisfaction, personal and social control, and happiness; while external self-awareness means understanding how other people view us, in terms of those same factors listed above. Both have implications for your ability to be successful. In this piece in Harvard Business Review, Tasha Eurich describes the results from her study and strategies for how you can start to cultivate your self-awareness, which is a key component to developing emotional intelligence.