SELF AWARENESS: THE KEY

TO PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
LECTURE DELIVERED AT THE DEVELOPMENT
SEMINAR AT THE 2017 JINYA WEEK PROGRAMME
AT IKORODU MOSQUE ON SATURDAY,
FEBRUARY 18, 2017

OKUNNU GANIU
• For every nation there is a direction to which
they face. So hasten towards all that is good. 
 (Qur'an 2: 148)

• "know thyself." Socrates

• “I have to know me to grow me.” – John

Maxwell
 What is Self Awareness?
• Self-awareness (sometimes also referred to as
self-knowledge or introspection) is about
understanding your own needs, desires, failings,
habits, and everything else that makes you tick.

• The more you know about yourself, the better you

are at adapting life changes that suit your needs.
• Self Awareness is having a clear perception of
your personality, including strengths, weaknesses,
thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions.

• Self Awareness allows you to understand other

people, how they perceive you, your attitude and
your responses to them in the moment.
• Self awareness is the first step in creating what you
want and mastering your life. Where you focus your
attention, your emotions, reactions, personality and
behavior determine where you go in life.

• Having self awareness allows you to see where your

thoughts and emotions are taking you. It also allows
you to take control of your emotions, behavior, and
personality so you can make changes you want.
Why Self Awareness?
• EVERYBODY IS A GENIUS
• Every person has his own set of talents, abilities,
skills, and preferences.
• One aspect of the Prophet's character was his ability to
lead: he employed his Companions each in accordance
with his talent and expertise.
• Ali was both just and wise, so the Prophet (Blessings
and Peace be upon him) appointed him to be a judge.
• Mu'aadh for his knowledge;
• Khaalid for leadership in art of warfare;
• Qays ibn Thaabit for public speeches (may Allah be
pleased with them all).
 Why Self Awareness?
• Essentially, the more you pay attention to your
emotions and how you work, the better you'll
understand why you do the things you do. The more
you know about your own habits, the easier it is to
improve on those habits.

• People with a high degree of social intelligence know

themselves, have the ability to build and maintain
strong mutually beneficial relationships with others,
and are able to resolve conflict in a positive manner.
 Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

• Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I)

• Sensing (S) – Intuiting (N)

• Thinking (T) – Feeling (F)

• Judging (J) – Perceiving (P)

Self Awareness and Career Development

• Studies have shown that individuals who are

self-aware make more compatible career
choices, perform better and longer in their
employment positions, and derive more
satisfaction from work.

• Choosing a career that is compatible with your

interests and motivations helps you find greater
satisfaction in your work.
 Role of Self Awareness on our Career
Choice
• Knowing your strengths and weaknesses. 
Self-awareness helps you exploit your
strengths and cope with your weaknesses. 
Without self-awareness, you cannot
understand your strengths and weakness, your
“super powers” versus your “kryptonite.”
• Skill development.  Improvement projects
should normally begin with an assessment of
the gap between the current situation and the
desired future situation.  Having an accurate
sense of who you are helps you decide what
you should do to improve.  Often, self-
awareness will reveal a skills gap that you
want to work on.
• Needs and Emotional Gratification. Maslow
and other scholars have identified a variety of
psychological needs that drive our behaviors
such as needs for esteem, affection,
belongingness, achievement, self-
actualization, power and control.

• By applying our skills to our chosen career, we

derive gratification or happiness.
 Key Areas for Self-Awareness
•  Personality.  We don't normally change our personalities,
values and needs based on what we learn about ourselves. 
But, an understanding of our personalities can help us find
situations in which we will thrive, and help us avoid
situations in which we will experience too much stress. 

• For instance, if you are highly introverted, you should

either learn skills to cope with the demands of a sales
position that requires extravert-type behavior patterns, or
you should find a position that is more compatible with
your personality
 Key Areas for Self-Awareness
• Values.  It's important that we each know and
focus on our personal values.
• During the workday, so many problems and
opportunities arise that our lists of "things to
do" can easily exceed the time we have to do
them. 
•  When we focus on our values, we are more
likely to accomplish what we consider most
important.
 Key Areas for Self-Awareness
• Habits.  Our habits are the behaviors that we
repeat routinely and often automatically. 

• Although we would like to possess the habits

that help us interact effectively with and
manage others, we can probably all identify at
least one of our habits that decreases our
effectiveness. 
 Key Areas for Self-Awareness
• Needs.  One of the advantages of knowing
which needs exert the strongest influence on
our own behaviors is the ability to understand
how they affect our interpersonal
relationships. 
 Key Areas for Self-Awareness
• Emotions.  Emotional self-awareness has
become a hot topic of discussion recently
because it's one of the five facets of emotional
intelligence.  Understanding your own
feelings, what causes them, and how they
impact your thoughts and actions is emotional
self-awareness.
 Self Awareness Tips for Personal
Development
• Be Grateful & Recognize Your Worth. Focus on
what you already have. Think about how others
benefit from what you do. If you improve yourself,
those benefits will increase. Your personal
development is for others as well as for you.

• Give up comparing yourself to others. You are

unique, with your own special power, talents, and
gifts. There is no one else in the world just like
you!
 Self Awareness Tips for Personal
Development
• Get over your fear of failure. Whatever your desire
or need is, there is a market for it and people are
waiting for you.

• Who do you admire most? If you are struggling to

notice where your seeds of potential need to be sown,
just look around you for people you admire and
respect. If you admire someone who is compassionate
or incredibly kind for instance, it is likely that you see
something in them that is also in you.
 Self Awareness Tips for Personal
Development
• Admit your imperfections. Focus on your
strengths, and manage your weaknesses.

• You are worthy of success and happiness