Social-Emotional Learning: Self-Awareness

Having a growth mindset is extremely important for learning! Simply believing that we can grow and change is enough for the "miracle" to happen. This is why the growth mindset is SO important. If we believe that we cannot change our character, intelligence, talent, etc. then this fixed mindset restricts our growth. In reality, we can (and should) grow and learn throughout our lives! It is never too late to learn something new by nurturing and developing our skills! :)

Learning to catch ourselves when we express fixed mindset scripts (I can't, this is too hard, too challenging, takes too much effort, etc.) is an important first step, because we tend to believe what we hear our own voice say aloud. 

Just stop and turn the sentence around, e.g. "I can do this, but I may need help" or "This is hard, but I am learning!" Or, "This is hard but practicing helps!" Also, reflecting on how we have overcome obstacles in the past is helpful because at the moment of doubt those memories of past success can help us find a new way to think about the problem we have - and especially what we have learned from those mistakes.

The goal is never to make no mistakes in life, but to learn from the ones we make.

Edwards, L. M., Rand, K. L., Lopez, S. J., & Snyder, C. R. (2002). Understanding hope. Handbook of positive psychology, 83-95. https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1410&context=edu_fac

Social-Emotional Learning: Self-Awareness AND Self-Management

I have learned that these two #SEL skills are sometimes inseparable. We cannot manage something we do not notice or understand. So becoming self-aware of things we feel and do is a the first step. Also, sometimes we have patterns that have helped us in the past - maybe learning to ignore something, because we don't have the capacity to act on it right at the moment. But we need to learn how to manage those patterns. Just because emotions infrom our decisions.

Just look at this double rainbow!!! It is amazing! Rainbows are always amazing. :)

In reality, in our intermal and intentional lives, we need to understand that our emotions can inadvertently inform our decisions, unless we are very deliberate about it. It is like an automatic thing that happens, without asking permission from our rational selves. Maybe this is what is sometimes called the "gut reaction"?

So, when we are in the moment of awe, like seeing the double rainbows, we absolutely should look inwards and think what do we really, truly want. Just because the conscious answer may suprise ourselves.

The real question to ask yourself: what do you really, really want?

Then just listen.

I know that I want more time for my writing, more time with my family, more time to take care of myself, and also explore the gorgeous PNW. All the parks and beaches, the forests and the wilderness. It IS so amazing! 

Fun fact: one of my first SEL postings was about seeing a double rainbow in Hawaii - April 2022.