5 Simple Ways to Boost Your Self Awareness and CHANGE Your Life

Imagine standing at a crossroads, unsure of which path truly aligns with your values and purpose. That's exactly where I found myself before discovering the transformative power of self-awareness. In today's episode of the Revolutionary Man Podcast, I, Alain Dumonceaux, share my personal journey of self-reflection and how a simple yet profound question from my wife sparked a major life shift. Join me as we uncover why self-awareness is not just a tool but a compass that guides us towards a more meaningful and intentional existence.

Together, we'll explore insights from great leaders like Marcus Aurelius, illustrating how mastering our minds can lead to true inner strength. I'll reveal the practical steps you can take to enhance your self-awareness and align your actions with your authentic self. Whether you're steering a business, nurturing a family, or seeking personal fulfilment, you'll learn how to sharpen every edge of your life and move with purpose. If you find this conversation valuable, pass it along to a friend and help spread our mission of empowering men to live with conviction and strength.

Key  moments in this episode:
00:51 The Power of Self-Awareness 
02:21 Why Self-Awareness Matters
03:19 A Personal Story of Reflection
04:18 Wisdom from Marcus Aurelius
04:52 Practical Steps to Develop Self-Awareness
06:10 The Importance of Reflection
06:44 Free Resource: Setting the Compass

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

The average man today is sleepwalking through life, many never reaching their true potential, let alone ever crossing the finish line to living a purposeful life. Yet the hunger still exists, albeit buried amidst his cluttered mind, misguided beliefs and values that no longer serve him. It's time to align yourself for greatness. It's time to become a revolutionary man. Stay strong, my brother.

Speaker 2: 0:32

Welcome everyone to the Revolutionary man Podcast. It's a show that's dedicated to helping you define success and become the man you've been destined to be. I'm your host, alan DeMonso, and today we're going to dive into something every driven man needs, whether you're running a business or leading your family. What we need in our arsenal is self-awareness, and whether you consider that as reflecting or self-awareness these two ideas, these are not just concepts, they're actual tools. And these tools, they give us an edge an edge over complacency, an edge over competition and an edge over the man we were yesterday. But let's be real for a moment. How often do we, as men, take time to pause, to think deeply about our own thoughts and our own actions? So let me ask you, when was the last time that you stopped to evaluate the man staring back at you in the mirror? And if you did pause to do that, would you be proud of the answers that came forward? You know, gentlemen, today is not just talking about self-awareness. Today, we're talking about harnessing its power to sharpen every edge in all aspects of our life. And so here we are. We've got lots lined up for us. Today we're going to explore why self-awareness matters, share a powerful story and how a reflection changed my life and lean on the wisdom of men who've walked this path before us. And, as always, you know you'll be getting some practical tools to take this from theory into action. And don't forget, if you're finding value in these episodes, share the show with a friend. That's how we spread the mission of helping men live with intention. So let's get on with it. Let's start with why self-awareness is every man's edge. Think about it. Self-awareness is like having a compass you know, without it, you might be moving fast, you're working hard, you're making decisions, but you don't know if you're heading in the right direction. Man, that sounds a lot like my life, and a story from Cornell University found that self-aware leaders are not only more competent, but they also make better decisions. So why is that? Because they know their strengths, they know their blind spots and they have a clear sense of purpose. That is what this is all about, and it's not just in business. It applies to our marriage, it applies to our relationship with our kids and even our own personal happiness. So when you understand yourself, you can better align your actions with your values. And when your actions and values align, man, that's when things feel totally meaningful.

Speaker 2: 3:18

I'd like to share a personal story with you. About a few years back and I was running myself ragged and trying to balance work and family and everything in between, and I thought I was doing it all for my family. But truly deep down, I was chasing external validation. You know, it took one evening for my wife to ask me a really simple question. And she asked me Alan, are you happy? You know what? I didn't have an answer for that. I had to stop and think about it. It had been years since I thought about that question, and so for that night I spent hours and I asked myself hard questions what do I want? Why am I doing what I'm doing, and am I living in alignment with my purpose? You know it wasn't easy, but the moment of reflection was the turning point. I shifted my priorities and let me tell you when you are in alignment with your actions and your true self, everything in life changes.

Speaker 2: 4:18

So let's turn to the wisdom of one of the greatest leaders, a great mentor of mine, marcus Aurelius. You know, marcus was an old Roman emperor and a stoic philosopher, and he said you have the power over your mind. No outside events. And to realize this, you're going to find strength. So think about that. True strength comes from within, from knowing yourself and mastering your mind. That's what self-awareness is all about. It's not just a concept. It's the foundation of true masculinity and of leadership.

Speaker 2: 4:53

Okay, so here's some tips. So how do we develop self-awareness? And I'm going to give you three practical steps to start you off today. Start with a daily journal. You know, just spending five minutes every morning or every evening, writing down what went well, what didn't, and how you felt. You'd be amazed at the clarity that this brings to you.

Speaker 2: 5:14

Two, I like to use the Eisenhower matrix. This is a great tool that helps you prioritize your tasks based on what's truly urgent versus what's important, and you think about how quickly a week flies by and if you've been focusing on the wrong things, why your life can be challenged from one week to the next. And so, really, for me, it was a powerful way for me to see where I was spending my time and whether it aligns with what truly matters to me, and I think you'll find that'll happen for you as well. And then you've got to set weekly priorities based on these six integrity pillars that we talk about here, and so, each week, I pick one priority from one of these pillars and our pillars are emotional, financial, spiritual relationships, physical and business and focus our energy on that priority and you'll start to notice how much your intention intentional life changes To reflect.

Speaker 2: 6:11

Really reflecting is about looking back and to learn and looking forward to align our actions. Trust me, it's one of the most rewarding habits that you're ever going to build. So here's a big takeaway for you Reflection isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. It's a difference between drifting through life and steering your ship with purpose, whether you take time to reflect, sharpen your edge, strengthen your relationships and you line your life with your values. So, trust me, that's where fulfillment is going to lie.

Speaker 2: 6:44

Before we wrap up today, I've got a free resource for you. It's called Setting the Compass. It's an exercise. It's a free resource for you. It's called setting the compass. It's an exercise, is a free tool that helps you reflect on how the last 12 months have gone for you your wins, your struggles and your lessons, and it's going to challenge you to envision what the next 12 months will look like. It's simple and I tell you it's a game changer. You can download it right now to take a look in the in the show notes. And if today's episode resonated with you, don't keep it to yourself Again, share it with a friend, leave a review and let's keep building this community of revolutionary men together. Thanks for joining me today on the Revolutionary man Podcast. Remember the power to change your life starts with the first choice, so make it today. I'm going to see you in the next episode.

Speaker 1: 7:27

Live my brothers thank you for listening to the revolutionary man podcast. Are you ready to own your destiny, to become more the man you are destined to be? Join the brotherhood that is the Awakened man at theawakendmannet and start forging a new destiny today.