Self Awareness is about the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, triggers,  strengths, weaknesses, and values. It is the foundation of emotional intelligence. It’s about being honest with yourself and acknowledging how your emotions affect your thoughts, behavior, and impact on others.

Summary from Goleman’s Work:

Self-awareness is “knowing what we are feeling and why we are feeling it.” 

It involves an accurate self-assessment and a strong sense of self-confidence.

Benefits & Importance:

• Builds clarity and confidence in decision-making.

• Helps avoid being blindsided by emotions.

• Supports personal authenticity and integrity.

Cost of EI Illiteracy (Low Self-Awareness):

• Reacting impulsively without understanding why.

• Misjudging situations due to emotional bias.

• Struggling with confidence, identity, or authenticity.

This practice develops Self-Awareness, the foundation of Emotional Intelligence. It helps you recognize which situations lift or drain your energy, what values are being challenged, and how emotions influence your decisions and relationships.

How to Practice:

1. At the end of each day, note one strong emotion you experienced.

2. Write down:

• What happened (the situation)

• What you felt (emotion)

• What triggered it

• How you responded

• What you might do differently next time

3. Review your entries weekly to spot recurring emotions or triggers.

Why it Matters:

• Builds emotional vocabulary and self-understanding.

• Helps break reactive habits by revealing emotional patterns.

• Increases clarity, calmness, and confidence in responding rather than reacting.