To begin with, self awareness is the ability to see ourselves clearly, and to understand well who we are, how others see us and how we fit into the world.
There are 2 types of self awareness:
Private or internal self awareness - This is the type of self awareness that is linked to the awareness of an aspect within yourself that you previously didn’t know about. For instance, how you behave when you see your parents after being a year or more away from each other or how you react when your crush finally acknowledges your existence.
Public or external self awareness - This is the type of self awareness that is linked to recognizing how other people view you or the mental image they have in their minds of you. When you go to speak in public, the picture that draws in the mind of the people you are talking is a form of private self awareness.
There are usually 6 levels of self awareness that almost everyone goes through from when they are born to when they become adults. These levels are:
Level 0 - Confusion
Level 1 - Differentiation
Level 2 - Situation
Level 3 - Identification
Level 4 - Performance
Level 5 - Meta self awareness or self consciousness
This post goes deep into each level of self awareness and explains well how we go from one level to other until we are fully self aware.
Self awareness is a key area in our lives that we should aim to work on. It helps us learn to appreciate ourselves as individuals, boosts our self esteem, helps us make better decisions in life and even boost our level of productivity.