Facing the Real You

Published: Feb. 25, 2020, noon

When we hear the term 'self-aware," do we truly understand what it means? Do we consider that it is far more than knowing how smart you are and what degree you attained and which job you managed to land? I am certain that you are aware of that self. The one that is attached to worldly identification of who you are. How you are identified. But that's not the kind of self-awareness that really matters. The one that matters greatly is that which answers the question, how in touch with your feelings are you? Do you know how you get triggered emotionally and what your "auto-response" is to that trigger? Can you identify your triggers and manage yourself in the midst of being triggered? Do you understand that unless you acknowledge your emotions and their source, you are unable to manage your own emotion and likely not able to understand anyone else's? Finally, do you understand how critically important this all is?