How Self-Awareness is the Key to Thriving as a Young Leader

I have discovered that when it comes to building a successful and thriving career as a young leader, you are your own greatest threat. A great career, a great team, a great job, and a secure future is something you create yourself. The sooner you realize that, the better it is for you. Your ideas, your own thinking, your own values, and your own beliefs are responsible for where you are in your career.

You are where you are in your career because of the thoughts and ideas you have encouraged in your own mind. Your environment and how you grew up could have been part of that creative process, but it is you who has allowed that environment to determine how that process has evolved. No one creates your reality, but you.

This does not at all mean you are a dangerous person and that you should fear yourself. No. It does mean that only by becoming aware of your own danger to yourself (as a result of the thoughts you encourage in your mind) can you create an inner environment and a way of living that is more conscious of its weaknesses.

Becoming aware of yourself allows you to build on your great strengths. And with an awareness of your weaknesses comes the ability to turn them around and use those weaknesses to your advantage.

There is truth in this saying by Arthur Koestler “To dwell on the glories of man, and ignore the symptoms of his possible insanity is not a sign of optimism, but of ostrichism.”

I know this might be tough to hear. It certainly was the first time someone told me this, but it helped me face the reality I had created up to that point and begin the process of healing myself and my career. You are your own greatest threat or asset. You get to choose.

If you are ready for more in your career and want to learn how to win more opportunities and grow your influence the right way, consider joining one of our coaching programs at Becoming a Willing Student. You’ll know how it feels to build your career differently and pursue the right goals. You’ll stop wasting your time on people who don’t value you or people you can’t make a difference to.

Becoming a Willing Student coaching programs have been designed to help you get clear on who you really are as a young leader, be more confident about your unique brand voice, and empower you to expand the quality of your presence and influence in the global workplace and marketplace.