A Beginner's Guide to Self-Awareness

After examined the traits that contribute to the effectiveness of successful leaders, researchers concluded that a high level of self-awareness was the strongest predictor of success: when leaders are self-aware, they know how to hire subordinates who are strong in the areas where they themselves are weak.

• personality
• values
• passions
• aspirations
• strengths
• weaknesses
• the environment most conducive to your well-being. 

When introspecting, it’s common for people to ask “why”. But the question ‘why’ sucks us into an unproductive, paralyzed state. It gets us into this victim mentality.” And no matter how confident we are about the answer to “why,” we’re almost always wrong.

You need to get feedback from people you trust, people who want you to be successful but are also going to tell you the truth, to ensure you aren’t only getting one view. Getting a second, or third, opinion can help. In the end, though, it’s on you to synthesize all those opinions into a cohesive self-portrait — and then get acquainted with the result.