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 “Self-knowledge is the first step to maturity” Jane Austen.

You come into the world alone and you spend every minute with yourself until you depart the world, yet you may not know yourself as well as you think you do.

Unfortunately, if you don’t know yourself, it’s hard to make progress. It’s like driving a car that doesn’t run well, but you refuse to look under the hood to optimize the engine. Unfortunately, those issues won’t repair themselves. They may well get worse and stop your car from running.

Adapted Image by Flixabout.com

When I think of self-awareness I’m always reminded of the Johari Window developed by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916-2014) and Harrington Ingham (1916-1995), which is a tool used to demonstrate four levels of self-awareness:

1. I know what I know about myself and you know it too (Open )
2. I don’t know that about me but you know it about me (Blind)
3. We don’t...

In my practice I get the privilege of working with smart people from a broad range of careers who mostly struggle with managing boundaries. I know growing up I was told ‘be polite’, ‘respect your elders’ and ‘don’t rock the boat,‘ and while they were well intended phrases from my parents, they became so ingrained that they became a hinderance to me in my career. 

I was one of the lucky ones. I learned it early on in my career thanks to a wonderful manager who was highly effective at managing her own boundaries. She had kid gloves when she said ‘No’ in her oh so many ways. What many people don’t realize is that when we say ‘yes’ to something we are also saying ‘no’ at the same time to something else. You may be guilty of this without even knowing it!

In order to be successful, others need to know who you are, and they can’t work it out if you are saying...

The drinking of alcohol is widespread within Australia and it is linked to many work, social and cultural activities. Perhaps surprisingly, 1 in 4 people have consumed alcohol at levels placing them at risk of harm on a single occasion, at least monthly, within the last year.

Myth 1: Alcohol makes it easier for people to socialise.