The Importance of Self-Awareness

"I like getting older," my friend Alex told me. We were at our friend Sean's wedding over the weekend and what prompted his comment was an observation made by his better half, Liz. "You grow to appreciate that you can't do everything. And that's okay."

I took her words to heart later that evening. She was right. There's power in giving over to what is just not in the cards. It's not a form of defeat, or complacency, but rather an understanding that we can't be great at everything. You can still dream big and work diligently towards those grand ambitions, while also grounding them with a sense of truth. It's up to you to discover what that means.

I know I'll never play mid-fielder for the Men's US Soccer Team and that's okay. Instead, I have more time to go all in on my strengths and focus on what I'm skilled at doing.

Sharpen Your Intent

The other day I caught myself asking someone how they were doing and failing to hear their response. Instead, I plowed through continuing to talk about whatever was on my agenda, however trivial.

I realized that true listening is the gateway to a heightened sense of self-awareness. Listening with intention informs virtually everything we do.

Today, make the effort to sharpen your intent when interacting with others and see how it affects your communication and cultivates stronger relationships.

You may be surprised by what you discover.