Covid Lesson (Part 5): 3 Ways to Build Self-Awareness during COVID
If you are like me, you’ve experienced new rhythms, deeper needs, and different realities than eight months ago.
One of those realities during Covid is the opportunity to work on self-awareness as a spiritual leader.
We all NEED self-awareness. Why? Well…
Self-awareness is proven to build ministerial resiliency; especially during crisis,
Self-awareness is the skill(s) to lead yourself. How can you lead others IF you don’t lead yourself first?
Self-awareness keeps you healthy; physically, relationally, spiritually, mentally and ministerially. ONLY you can keep yourself healthy. Health is intentional, a discipline, and not sexy. Yet, it is the daily small acts of health that will lead you to big opportunities. How are you staying accountable to health?
Self-awareness will lead you to be more like Jesus. And, during this pandemic, we have seen we need to have MORE of Jesus in our culture, communities, and churches.
So, how do you build self-awareness? For me, here are three practical ways to build self-awareness:
Journal - now, I’m not speaking about journaling pages and pages but intentionally reflecting on your week. For me, I journal each Friday night (when my two oldest are at youth) and I go through the joys, challenges, and lessons learnt from that week. I reflect on my calendar, relationships, ministry, home life. I write down point form notes on one page. This helps me stay focused, strategic, and simple during crisis.
“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.” Jen Williamson
Find a Mentor - mentorship has been proven to be one of the most important ways to build self-awareness. Mentorship is vital. In fact, I had a national meeting with some of the brightest young leaders in our movement who has echoed their need for mentorship. For them, mentorship meets the real-time ministerial needs, to be challenged to learn/grow, and build ongoing resiliency by those who have gone before them. You see, mentors help you with self-leadership/awareness. If you are needing to find an intentional mentor in your ministerial work and/or self-awareness, check out the Intentional Mentorship Journey DUCO offers.
“Leadership Development is Caught, not Taught. It is the 70/20/10 Rule - 70% of people learn from hands-on training, 20% of people learn by watching, and 10% of people learn by reading.” Andy Gabruch
Listen to Scripture - Everyone needs a North Star. A compass where they can find clarity, direction, wholeness. For followers of Jesus, it is the ability to listen to Scripture, be empowered by the Spirit, and be MORE like Jesus. If there is anything that has taught me during the COVID crisis it is the the ability to be MORE like Jesus. How are you listening to Scripture? Are you allowing Scripture to speak, soak, and saturate EVERYTHING you are? What is your plan to read, reflect, and respond to Scripture? If you do, you will be MORE self-aware in your leadership.