On a scale of 1-10, how self-aware do you think you are? If you’re struggling to answer this question, you are certainly not alone. According to a recent study, only 10-15% of people are truly self-aware. The importance of self-awareness cannot be overstated. It is the foundation of personal growth and involves understanding your own needs, desires, failings, habits, and everything else that makes you tick. Self-awareness allows you to become more empathetic, improve decision-making skills, strengthen relationships, and enhance leadership capabilities, among other benefits.

But why do so many people struggle with self-awareness? A big reason is that we live in a world where we are conditioned to operate on autopilot. Our busy mindset leaves little room for self-reflection and introspection. By not taking the time to connect with ourselves, we stop paying attention to what is going on internally, which can lead to emotional havoc.

To become more self-aware, it first requires us to understand what it means. Self-awareness means getting intimate with yourself, knowing who you are and who you are not, and being able to accurately monitor your inner world while accepting who you are with an open heart. This last part is where many people get stuck. It takes courage to go deep with yourself and look at the messy emotions and feelings that you don’t necessarily want to acknowledge, let alone work on. Personal growth isn’t always pretty, and the climb can feel like an uphill one, but it is essential if you want to level up your life and become more of who you want to be.

The good news is that there are several signs that you may be more self-aware than you think. If you aren’t afraid to speak your truth for fear of not being accepted, you are unapologetically yourself, and live from a place of integrity. Self-aware people are a master of their emotions and have the ability to maintain a sense of clarity and peace of mind, no matter what is going on around them. They listen to themselves and trust their gut, knowing that their intuition rarely ever lies. And they establish strong boundaries with others, recognizing the need for a healthy separation between their thoughts and feelings and those of others.

So how can you become more self-aware? There are several steps you can take, including keeping a journal to connect with your inner world on a deeper level, practicing mindfulness to fully experience your emotions and increase your ability to think about your choices while reducing emotional reactivity, doing a body scan to connect with your body intelligence and feel more grounded, asking for feedback from others to discover your strengths and weaknesses, and challenging yourself to step outside of your comfort zone, taking risks and propelling you forward to fuel personal growth.

Becoming more self-aware requires time, effort, and dedication. It’s a personal commitment to yourself that you are ready and willing to upgrade your current reality. Once you are more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, you become empowered to make changes that serve your highest self. Self-awareness is the key to personal growth, enhanced relationships, improved decision-making skills, and greater overall well-being. So on a scale of 1-10, how self-aware are you? It’s never too late to start the journey towards greater self-awareness and personal growth.