Dr Rob's 90 Day Course to Improve Self-Awareness (Days 1-21)

DAY 1. Ask 10 people who know you well to describe your best qualities.

DAY 2. Starting today, keep a “good news” journal where you keep track of any and all good news, gratitude’s, compliments received and given, good deeds done for others, etc.

DAY 3. Learn to enjoy being at peace with yourself. Since wherever you go, you bring yourself along, you may as well learn to enjoy your own company. When stressed, take a deep breath, and learn to enjoy the moment.

DAY 4. Keep track of life lessons that you learn and relearn every day. Your mind can be your very best teacher, if you apply it correctly.

Day 5. A major component of self-awareness is self-discipline. The Pomodoro method has worked for me for many years since I was working on my dissertation at Harvard almost 45 years ago. When you find yourself procrastinating, set a timer for five minutes and start working and do not stop until the timer goes off. Try it today and see how it works. If you get stuck, contact me and I’ll give you a shove.

Day 6. Self-regulation: self-regulation deals with your ability not just to know your emotions, but to manage them. Sometimes this might mean handling them as they come up. If you get angry, knowing how to calm yourself down is important. Today see if you can handle one emotional situation better than yesterday.

Day 7. Define your mission/purpose. Why are you here at this moment on earth? To what purpose are you dedicating your life?

Day 8. When someone you care about is worried about you, take their concerns seriously. We often are in denial about our own self; about our own problems. Those who care, may know us better than we know ourselves. Learn to listen with an open mind; with compassion; with love.

Day 9. “Only Connect”. E.M. Foster. We live life inside and outside ourselves. Connection to others is one key to success and happiness. Today, consider with whom in your life is it most important to make an even better connection. Now, take action to make it better. Call, send a gift, do a favor, write a letter. AS STEVIE SAYS, JUST CALL TO SAY I LOVE YOU.

Day 10. Self-awareness includes acceptance of the fact that our lives will someday end. Yesterday’s New York Times contained the two-line obituaries of 1000 people who have died from coronavirus in the United States. This is only 1% of the total so far. Today’s exercise is bleak: What Would You Want Your 2 Line Obituary to Say?

Day 11. Rank order for yourself the four qualities of a good leader as determined by the Michigan Model of Leadership. Rank from highest to lowest: empathy, courage, drive, integrity. You should be playing to your strength, but keeping a close eye on your more challenging areas.

Day 12. The clearest message we get from a 75-year Harvard study is this: good relationships keep us happier and healthier. The corner stone of good relationships is self-awareness. Today, on a 10-point scale Rate your key relationships. Discover where are you can do better.

Day 13. Recognize your energizers and your energy drainers. Today keep two lists: one with those things that give you energy; and the other those things that drain your energy. For myself, I find the biggest energy drainers are the times when I feel ill at ease and not at peace with myself.

Day 14. Today, be aware the great leaders are humble leaders. “I’m always amazed at how humble the leaders are during these conversations. Not every story is perfect - there's always an emphasis on celebrating failures, as much as embracing success. As always, inspired, motivated and ready to take on the world after time with Dr. Rob and fellow Ann Arbor leaders.” – from Mitch Holdwick

Day 15. Understanding emotional intelligence and yourself. Click below to learn 10 steps to improve your emotional intelligence.

Day 16. On a daily basis practice some form of self-reflection. Choose from among the following to establish your self-reflection practice: prayer, meditation, writing in a journal, or your thoughts with a certain person every day. Each day, record one lesson that you have learned about yourself and how you would like to improve.

Day 17. Write a description of yourself when you feel best about yourself.

Day 18. Self-awareness is all about being able to accurately read your emotions. Ask yourself how well are you at reading how you are feeling. Are you anxious in loud environments? Do you get angry when people talk over you? What triggers you to feel fear if you know these things about yourself. If you know these things, then you’re practicing self-awareness. This can be more difficult than it sounds, but simply being aware of yourself is all it takes for this first step.

Day 19. Learn to reframe negative situations into positives. Learn to look for opportunity and for silver linings. As an example, read the post below: What If 2020 Isn’t Canceled?

Day 20. Review my video on emotional intelligence (click below) and focus on how your thinking may be making you absolutely miserable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qfx_aFLfhw&feature=share.

Day 21. Knowing thyself Is the first practice of love. To love is to first of all accept yourself as you are. Today, think about the parts of yourself you have trouble accepting. Now, practice learning to love even those parts.