20 Questions to Improve Your Self-Awareness

Darius Foroux, blogger and author, invented a list of 20 questions to improve your self-awareness. In my ever-expanding journey of self-improvement, I found it refreshing and inspiring. It’s also a fantastic chance for me to slap this thing in a blog post and share it for the world to see!

There’s no going back. My vulnerabilities and self-awareness (or lack thereof) are lying here, on the table, for your viewing pleasure:

1. What am I good at?
   Writing. Making people laugh. Learning things quickly. Working hard. Loving fast and deeply. Criticizing myself. Eating Taco Bell and then whining about how I can’t lose wait.
   
2. What am I so-so at?
   Writing. Making people laugh. Working hard–wait… Knowing when it’s my turn to talk and not interrupt someone like a goblin. Being patient. Resisting the temptation to eat Taco Bell.
   
3. What am I bad at?
   Math. Not talking during a movie or TV show. Being empathetic toward strangers. Knowing when to quit. Writing garbage blog posts that I think pass as actual content.
   
4. What makes me tired?
   Socializing all day. I’m an extroverted introvert, but my God, I have my limits. Also, pushing myself physically, mentally, or emotionally. I don’t seem to have an extra reserve somewhere like others do. When I’ve hit the wall, I’ve hit it. Buh-bye.
   
5. What is the most important thing in my life?
   Of course, family, my boyfriend, those I care about. But beyond that, which I think is pretty universal, I’d say personal fulfillment and purpose. Through career or hobby or whatever, I need purpose.
   
6. Who are the most important people in my life?
   My boyfriend, Colby; my son, Alex; my family; my closest of friends (all 3 of them).
   
7. How much sleep do I need?
   Either less or more than I actually get. I rarely get the right amount. I’d say about 7 hours.
   
8. What stresses me out?
   Just like, general existence. Okay, Jessica. Stop writing for the audience. You know this is a pretty thin excuse for a blog post anyway. Alright, so, the expectations I’ve self-imposed to write this blog and become a successful blogger really are stressful. So maybe I shouldn’t take it so seriously.
   
9. What relaxes me?
   Nice-smelling candles. Writing in my journal with a nice pen. My 80s playlist. My 70s playlist. My Stranger Things playlist, which is similar to the 80s playlist but has more synthwave instrumentals on it. Doing progressive relaxation meditations.
   
10. What’s my definition of success?
    This unattainable standard of perfection that I’ve set for myself that’s almost guaranteed to end in failure because I’m entirely too critical and do not have the tools, resources, or energy to pursue at the level I’d need to in order to actually achieve my goal, nor do I give myself adequate time to succeed, instead, folding under the pressure and changing my goals to avoid said failure.
    
11. What type of worker am I?
    Being the kind of person who has good work ethic and will work hard and do things the right way is probably one of my greater qualities. Why do I do it? I don’t even know. I don’t get paid extra. I just care about the quality of work I put out there. If I have a task, I want to do that task right. It’s the one thing I wish I could send a sample of to prospective employers. See? Look at me! I’m a diligent worker that puts out a quality product! Please love me.
    
12. How do I want others to see me?
    Funny. Likable. Interesting. Intelligent. The better question is how do I make them see me that way? And how do they see me now?
    
13. What makes me sad?
    Not living up to my full potential. Feeling like I’m wasting time/my life. Seeing others in pain and suffering. Third on the list, but it’s on the list!
    
14. What makes me happy?
    Connections to those people who make me happy. People in my circle, of course, but I also like connecting with new people over shared interests and hobbies or careers. Doing things I love. New things, old things. Something that fills me with light.
    
15. What makes me angry?
    Disrespect, whether real or perceived. Someone not living up to the standards I set for myself that they somehow must also arbitrarily follow. Illogical behaviors. Stupidity in general. Someone implying or explicitly telling me that I’m stupid or dumb. Someone laughing at me or mocking me.
    
16. What type of person do I want to be?
    I want to be Princess Carolyn from Bojack Horseman. Tenacious, ambitious, confident, fearless. “Takes a lickin’, keeps on tickin’,” she says. I want to bounce back like her, and pursue my dreams and ambitions the way she would. She also knows how to put a good spin on things when she’s pitching shows or movies to executives or producers. Oh, she’s also a pink cat. Yeah, I should have mentioned that. It’s not why I want to be her, but I feel that would be a nice bonus.
    
17. What type of friend do I want to be?
    The kind you can go to about anything. Someone who is nice, empathetic, and caring.
    
18. What do I think about myself?
    Not the greatest, but trying her best.
    
19. What things do I value in life?
    I value my time over everything else, at least when it comes to work and money. No dollar amount can give me my time back. You’re paying me for my time; therefore, it’s far more valuable than the dollar. I can’t get time back. I can make more money though.
    
20. What makes me afraid?
    Pretty much everything. What people will think of me, how people will judge me, how I will judge me, saying something dumb or wrong or stupid, doing something dumb or wrong or stupid, missing an opportunity, messing up an opportunity, failure in general, being actually mentally dumb or stupid and realizing that I’m not capable of doing all the great, cool stuff I actually want to and think I can do, if only I had the mental energy and time (and hey, I’m working on it).
    But I’m sick of fear. I’m sick of anxiety. I’m sick of my own judgments and criticisms. I’m working on all my dreams, little by little, and I’m going to crush all my fears, one-by-one.
    

Now it’s your turn! I’ve bared my soul, now you give it a go. In the comments, in your own post, on social media. I don’t care. Just get to self-reflecting!