Millennials Thriving: The Importance of Self Awareness in Personal Development

2014 has been a great leap of personal development for me. I graduated college with two degrees, have been to multiple countries, moved to New York City and started my full time position with Emergenetics International. We haven’t even hit the Holidays yet! In looking back on the past nine months, I have a feeling I am not the only millennial in the world who has experienced such changes in such a short amount of time.

I am speaking to the nearly 33% of us millennials that now make up the workforce. And to that 33%, I would like to outline the emphatic importance of having (and continually increasing) your self-awareness as a person and young professional.

To me, personal development cannot truly propagate without having an element of self-awareness. For example:

• You must understand your strengths and play to them
• You must not be hard on yourself due to the fact you are not perfect at every task
• You must have an awareness of how your behaviors are being perceived by your audience

For me, I have leveraged my Emergenetics Profile in a myriad of ways through this exciting adventure. I have a few concrete examples for you to think on.

First, in my work. A large transition for me has been moving from academic based work and part-time internships to a full time member of the marketing team in a dynamic professional world. To help me through this transition, I focused on my preference of welcoming change. I embraced the fact that things were going to be different and with the understanding that I welcome change, I have thrived in this time. Before understanding this preference, I feel as though I would have been distraught and frustrated.

Second, in my life. Moving to New York City is a bit of a mission. It is demanding and remarkably fast-paced. It is toughening, exhausting at times and yet it has been absolutely nourishing for my personal growth and development. In order to gain the nourishment, I had to endure the hardships. To keep up with all of the things that go into moving (paperwork, boxes, belongings, new environments, etc.) I have leaned heavily on my Social and Structural preferences. I connected with friends and coworkers of mine who have made the move to NYC to gain advice and education on making my move smoother. I then took all of this information and organized what I needed to accomplish and had it ready far in advance. Knowing how I preferred to imbibe and organize information allowed me to stay ahead of the game.

Third, with my relationships. Moving and beginning a new adventure, by definition, means leaving something behind. For me, my friends that I grew up with and my family are still based largely in Colorado. When they are not physically near me every day, I have made some adjustments to continue cultivating these relationships. Although it is not a preference, I have tapped into Conceptual thinking to find new ways of staying connected. I thought of the seemingly unconventional way to continue playing chess with my best friend-online! My 2/3 Expressiveness and Assertiveness has allowed me to manage the balance of communication with my friends and family members.

This year has been exceptional for me to allow my personal development to thrive. I hope the same to my millennial counterparts who have begun their own adventures. Take your own development to the next level by cultivating a self-awareness that allows you to leverage your strengths apply them to all aspects of your life.