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    Knowing Yourself...or Not
    Knowing Yourself...or Not
    Knowing Yourself...or Not
    Ebook180 pages1 hour

    Knowing Yourself...or Not

    By Marti Eicholz

    ()

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    About this ebook

    This book will help you find the secrets of your innermost self.

    Following a set of practical exercises you'll discover the actual traits that make you unique.

    Then you will evaluate those traits to decide if your profile represents your ideal self--the self you seek to be.

    Knowing Yourself...or Not explains;

    What makes you special.

    What makes you not so special.

    Why you act the way you do.

    How you like to be treated.

    What settings make you most comfortable.

    Personal traits that may be limiting your success.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublishereBookIt.com
    Release dateApr 26, 2016
    ISBN9781456625702
    Knowing Yourself...or Not

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      Knowing Yourself...or Not - Marti Eicholz

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      INTRODUCTION

      Know thyself.

      This simple admonition was inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi in Ancient Greece. Plato attributed these same words to the Seven Wise Men in Protagoras around 400 BC. Today, almost two-and-a-half millennia later, individuals still seek the key to understanding themselves.

      Why are we such mysteries to ourselves? How can we be so blind to our own failings, and yet so quick to see the faults of others? Why do we blunder into circumstances that many around us see as futile—yet we are convinced they are for our own highest good?

      It seems the quest for self knowledge is a part of the human condition. The psyche intrigues us, yet we know so little about it. We wonder why others react to life’s situations differently than we do.

      Have you ever heard someone say I need to be true to myself or I want to be the person I really am deep down inside?

      One of the most courageous actions you can take to create a happier, more fulfilling life is to become more familiar with the real—or inner—you. Identify your natural characteristics and strengths, your hopes and dreams, and the gifts you have to share with others.

      Most of us are very busy juggling all the day-to-day activities of modern living: work, family, and friends. Because we’re so busy, we never seem to get around to making the changes we believe will help us feel more fulfilled and happy.

      Take a moment to ask yourself a few thought-provoking questions about your life:

      • Are you happy in your job? Do you have dreams of making a career change that would lead you toward a more fulfilling direction?

      • How are your personal relationships? Have you been meaning to make time to work on your marriage or to build a better rapport with your kids? Maybe you know you need to end a relationship or want to start a new one, but the months fly by without anything happening.

      • What about your outside interests? Do you schedule time for hobbies, classes and activities that enrich your life; or do you find that there’s never enough time for that sort of thing?

      • Is your life headed in the general direction you want it to take, or does it seem as if you’re overdue for some major course adjustments?

      If your life isn’t exactly on track at the moment, you can look at how you’d like things to change and start taking small but steady steps toward a new beginning.

      What lies behind and what lies before you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you.— Ralph Waldo Emerson

      We find the four cornerstone behavioral traits — Dominance, Extroversion, Patience and Structure — useful in helping people identify the driving forces behind their behaviors. We all have these traits within ourselves to one degree or another. What’s more, they constantly work to determine how we act, or react, to life’s ongoing challenges.

      As we explore these traits, consider your predominant trait, as well as which of the other traits actively determine your reactions to life. Think about whether they contribute in a positive or negative manner to your life and how they might help or hinder your progress.

      Although a complex web of factors determines each person’s behavior, there are certain traits that create predictable constellations of feelings and behavioral patterns. To understand what makes us tick, learn what these traits are and how to recognize them.

      An important thing to remember about behavioral traits is that there’s nothing good or bad about any of them. Behavioral traits just are. Once we understand and accept ours without judgment, we can begin to make informed decisions about how we want them to influence our lives.

      We applaud you for embarking on your journey of self-awareness. It promises to be challenging and rewarding. So take a deep breath, relax, and leap in. You are about to discover the power of your personal potential!

      Part One

      TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF

      This work revolves around helping you achieve more self-awareness, happiness and fulfillment through the lens of behavioral science and the four behavioral traits: Dominance, Extroversion, Patience and Structure. Learning about these four behavioral traits will give you important insights into your behavior and the behavior of other people.

      Behaviors are the thoughts and actions that we engage in throughout our day: every idea, word, gesture, reaction, and emotion we experience. Behaviors represent the choices that we make each and every waking moment of our lives.

      Briefly, these traits are characterized as follows:

      •Dominance - the amount of control you like to exert over your environment.

      •Extroversion - the amount of social contact you require to feel comfortable.

      •Patience - the pace at which you prefer to live life.

      •Structure - the amount of order you seek in your life.

      EACH INDIVIDUAL HAS A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF TRAITS THAT INFLUENCE HIS OR HER ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS.

      As you learn more about the characteristics of these four behavioral traits, you may view both yourself and others differently. You begin by learning about your own behavioral traits. Then you combine an understanding of yourself with an ability to recognize various characteristics in other people’s behavior.

      As you will see, everyone possesses a certain amount of each of the four behavioral traits. The strength of each trait (its presence or absence) determines a great deal about your behavior: how you relate to others, what type of job best suits you, whether you are outgoing or shy, how well you tolerate rules, and whether you are comfortable with careful planning or spontaneity.

      Understand your primary behavioral traits. This provides the resources you will use when considering your personal growth aspects. This information helps you assess whether certain roles, careers, or relationships are a match for you and whether they will promote or inhibit your personal development.

      The Self-Analysis Survey (SAS)

      Many models have been created to explain behavioral differences.

      We use a four-cornerstone approach, where intensity is measured in each of four predominant traits that describe a person’s basic behavioral style. This assessment instrument is called the Self- Analysis Survey, or SAS.

      This survey is a useful tool for gaining a deeper sense of self-understanding.

      When you take the SAS to determine your behavioral style, you create a graph of your traits. This image illustrates your preferred or predominant style and how much you favor that style over the other three.

      Notice that your traits probably span more than one style. That is true for most people; a very small percentage have a pure style. Most are blends and combinations of traits that change from time to time depending on the situation we are in or the individuals we are with. However, most of us exhibit a predominant trait most of the time. Your profile is unique; it is much like a fingerprint.

      Your SAS results identify your predominant behavioral style to help you get a clear picture of who you really are. Pay close attention to your dominant style—this style is the most natural way for you to behave.

      Your predominant style has a real influence over your behavior. You are an expert in using this style. It has helped you excel and get where you are in life. But you want to avoid getting trapped in a behavioral rut that limits your potential. If this happens, your strengths become potential limitations. Behavior can be changed. You can learn to act in ways that make you more effective in certain situations.

      Believe in your ability to learn. Use your survey information to better understand who you are. First; accept and be happy with yourself, then look for opportunities to grow. Realize that true growth needs a balance of styles. If you wish you were more like someone else, you’ll miss the growth opportunities that are unique to you. Growth or change only comes from understanding your true self.

      Some goals you may want to set for yourself:

      • Be true to your inner self

      • Find how to be comfortable and at ease with who you are

      • Create less stress and tension in your life

      • Be more fulfilled

      • Minimize conflicts with others

      • Improve relationships at work and at home

      • Accomplish more—be more productive in everything you do

      • Maintain or improve energy levels

      Take SAS and Graph Your Results

      The Self-Analysis Survey (SAS) presented on the following pages is designed to help you map your behavioral traits. You will use the SAS information to construct a graph that provides you with a picture of your behavior. First, you select words or phrases from specific word groups. Then you use these selections to construct a graphical representation of your behavioral profile.

      SAS worksheets contain seven groups of words or phrases for each of the four behavioral traits (Dominance, Extroversion, Patience, and Structure). In each category, select the word group that best describes you. Make your selection quickly and spontaneously without giving your choice a second thought. Trust that your inner self knows which group fits best right away. Select characteristics that are true of what you are thinking or feeling inside. These may not be obvious to other people. Identify these primary behavioral traits. They will help you understand your thoughts and actions.

      When completing the SAS, try not to focus too heavily on any individual word or on whether every adjective in the set fits you totally. The objective is to determine where you fall along a continuum. Select only one box for each of the categories (e.g., one for D, another for E, and so on.)

      1. Select the word group that best describes your real self:

      2. Select the word group that best describes your real self:

      3. Select the word group that best describes your real self:

      4. Select the word group that best describes your real self:

      Your Graph

      Use the results of your word-group selections to complete your personal profile on the blank graph on the following page. Note that the first bar is labeled D. Use your selections from the Group 1 (D) boxes. Shade in the appropriate number of spaces (e.g., D1, shade in one

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