Self-Aware or Self-Righteous? 10 Tips to Transition and Be Transformed

By: Paul Davis
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:41:50
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What is your own inner evaluation of your self? Are you open to outside input? Are you self-aware or self-righteous?

There are four types of knowledge:
1.The knowledge of things
2.The knowledge of others
3.The knowledge of oneself
4.The knowledge of God

Surprisingly most people obtain the knowledge of oneself last, often directly after obtaining the knowledge of God. This is because the Creator often has an uncanny way about bringing us to an awareness of ourself. The Word of God in itself is like a divine mirror that supernaturally allows an individual to look into their own soul and make an inner assessment.

When we take time beyond the rat race of the day to look into our soul and evaluate what is there, many discoveries will be made. Insecurities that are often covered and hidden by pride, barracaded by walls of fear, and protected by an outward facade can often be painful to acknowledge.

When we have been bruised or wounded by past experiences, it is natural and relatively easy to be less trusting of people. This can turn into an angst against people as inwardly we truly crave love, but it seemingly tends to allude us. We sabotage relationships because of our tendency to distrust and propensity to have erroneous predispositions toward people. This is because we need to be healed of past hurts lest we perpetuate them into our future. Recycling past pain can be something we often don't even realize we are doing.

Some people tend to project self-righteousness or the "know-it-all" mentality because they were raised like that by their parents. Perhaps a particular parent who had significant influence over their life was a "know-it-all." The generational baggage and personage is often carried onward even unbeknownst to people many times. Others embrace such a disposition when they find that a bulldozing approach to life gets them what they want. What they don't realize is that by winning their miniscule battles and getting what they want they often are losing the war and losing meaningful relationships.

To go from being self-righteous to becoming self-aware, here are some safe and sure secrets to transition and be transformed.
1. Listen with sincerity.
2. Pause and refrain from the inclination to say "I know" even if you already know.
3. Meditate on what is being said to you. Evaluate and think how it applies to you.
4. Realize that mentally knowing something does not mean you experientially see how it fits into your life. Ask "What do you mean by that?" and wholeheartedly listen to the response.
5. Ask for more information, examples, and feedback.
6. Humbly acknowledge that people see things about us we often do not see or know.
7. Be open minded and committed to personal growth.
8. Be patient with yourself and others, realizing change and transformation takes time.
9. Celebrate yourself and others. We are all unique, which makes life exciting. Be yourself and allow others the same privilege.
10. Maintain a sense of humor when acknowledging your idiosyncrasies and peculiarities. We all have them.

Life as a self-aware person is far more exciting, fulfilling, and rewarding then living as a self-righteous individual. When you are self-absorbed and self-righteous there is not much room for personal growth to absorb outside stimuli and influence. Make room for becoming increasingly self-aware. Initially it may be a bit painful as you hear new things about yourself, but if you do you will grow immensely and be treasured by your friends relationally.

Article source: Expert Articles