Self-awareness is a key to happiness

The person in life who will always be with you always and all time, is yourself.
Even when you are with others, you are still with yourself, too!
When you are at the most beautiful or important place in the world - the most beautiful and important person is there as well.
When your are laying in bed at night you are with yourself.
When you wake up in the morning, you are with yourself.
When you are walking along a beautiful beach in the sunlight you are with yourself.
What kind of person do you want to walk along the beach with?
What kind of person do you want to wake up in the morning with?
What kind of person do you want to see dusk is falling, before you fall asleep?
Because that person is yourself, and it's your responsibility to be that person you want to be with.

It is up to us how and what we think about ourselves and how we can perceive ourselves. Every person is something unique in the world.

Self-awareness is important because our feelings are an expression of our needs. When you are hungry, you feel the need to eat. When you are lonely, it reflects your need for social contact. When you're angry, you need to let off steam and resolve a conflict. We can only meet our needs and take care of ourselves if we feel our needs. We have to take care of ourselves because no one can do it like we can. Why? Because nobody perceives our own needs like we do

By taking care of ourselves, we do it for ourselves and as well for others - the people we love and the people who we love, the people who matters to us - we can better care for others, our spouse and friends.It is a prerequisite for being able to be there for others. My experience is that overworked friends can't be there for others. Parents who deal with themselves are not really there for children. Bitter grandparents care less about their children and grandchildren. 

How can you strengthen this perception of yourself or the contact to yourself?

1. Pay attention to what bothers you about other people or situations
2. Meditate on your mind, emotions and feelings
3. Identify your emotional Kryptonite
4. Draw a timeline of your life and your days
5. Make time to clarify your values
6. Ask for feedback (and take it well)

I already wrote a few time about self-awareness - and  practices I can suggest to do so - suggestions which will boost and will have positively influence on your confidence, self-awareness, trust and acceptance and make you both happier. Check out my former articles