SELF-AWARENESS: GOALS AND INTERESTS

1.1. The Process of Self-awareness

We all know the world around us, but the most important object in this world is ourselves. We perceive ourselves as separate individuals, distinct from everything around us. This ability to perceive ourselves and our place in the world is called self-awareness.

Our self-awareness is not static; it splits into two parts:

1. The perceiving part: This is our "I," the part of us that knows and analyzes ourselves.

2. The perceived part: This is our "Me," what we know about ourselves—our body, thoughts, feelings, values, etc.

Our "I" is like the center of our personality, connecting all of our experiences and giving us the sense that we are a unified individual. Meanwhile, our "Me" can change depending on which aspect of ourselves we focus on at any given time.

The process of self-awareness is constantly ongoing, where an individual recognizes and understands themselves, as "I" encounters "Me." The result of this process is a unified sense of self-awareness—this is a system of beliefs, attitudes, and interpretations about oneself.

Self-awareness always influences how we perceive our abilities and how we behave. People think about themselves in different ways: some believe they can do anything, others believe they can do some things, while some believe they can do nothing and therefore do nothing. Therefore, self-awareness can either motivate or inhibit our actions. Our successes or failures also affect our self-awareness. For example, after accomplishing something we thought we couldn't do, we begin to trust ourselves more. Thus, self-awareness and our actions are closely connected and interdependent.

Self-awareness is also important because it allows a person not only to manage themselves but also to change themselves. When "I" perceives "Me," the opportunity arises to change or create certain aspects of the self. For example, if a person realizes they lack career goals and are not motivated to learn, they can change themselves to pursue goals and understand what needs to be done to achieve them. Therefore, self-awareness can take various forms.

Each person typically creates multiple images of themselves throughout their life.

In life, we often create several images of ourselves. It is essential to understand these images in order to make better career decisions.

How we perceive ourselves has a significant impact on our career. An overly high self-assessment can lead us to overestimate our abilities, while too low a self-assessment can cause a lack of confidence and cause us to miss great opportunities. A realistic self-assessment helps us choose the right career path and achieve better results.