How well do you know yourself?
I mean really know yourself.
It can be relatively easy to recognize your key traits. To understand whether you’re shy or outgoing. Confident or tentative. The center of attention or the one in the shadows.
But that’s only part of the equation.
You see, for us to truly understand ourselves, we must delve deeper than our personality traits. We must layer in context.
We must consider our situational awareness.
This is one of the trickiest concepts to master. Yet, it’s one of the most critical.
For how we respond to the contextual cues around us impacts how others see us. And how they choose to interact with us.
This can open doors for us. Or shut them.
It all hinges on how we read and react to the situations we encounter in real time.
Get this right and others will speak of us glowingly. Get it wrong, and they’ll cringe at our indiscretion.
But how do we learn to read situations right? How do we prepare to have the right response at every turn?
Through trial and error.
There are simply no shortcuts. Reading the room happens in real time, and our reactions bubble to the surface in that exact moment.
It’s only by failing that we succeed. By being cringeworthy and learning from the experience.
This process requires introspection. It requires humility. And it requires a willingness to change.
This is a big ask. Many of us don’t like second-guessing ourselves. And we don’t like to embarrass ourselves.
But by taking the plunge, we set ourselves up for success. The lessons we learn can help us gain social capital. And the actions we take help us build character.
Take it from me.
Growing up, I was notoriously bad at situational awareness. I looked and felt out of place on more than one occasion. And my social life — or lack thereof — reflected my contextual blindness.
I wasn’t even tone-deaf. I was clueless.
Fortunately, as time went on, I was able to flip the script. I made friends who assessed me honestly and pointed out my situational awareness flaws. And I developed the courage to identify my mistakes and learn from them.
I’m far from perfect today. But I find myself out of place far less often. And my peers regard me a lot more highly than they did in my younger years.
This transformation started with the courage to look within. To understand my deficiencies and work to make them strengths.
The journey that ensued has helped define me.
It’s not too late for your journey to start.
Do what you can to maintain situational awareness.
Learn the cues. Have the humility to grow through your mistakes. And get to know yourself far better than you might ever have imagined.
Your social future is at stake. Make it a great one.