“You are very self-aware now, so you have everything figured out.” Someone once said to me.
Another time, I was sharing a struggle with a friend, and he was quite shocked. I am unable to accurately put his response into words. But it revealed his assumption that, considering how confidently I talk about certain subjects via The BAKE House, I lead a flawless life.
Common misconceptions about self-awareness
Perfection.
Passivity.
Arrogance.
Self-absorption.
Let's focus on perfection.
Self-awareness doesn’t mean leading flawless lives.
Your mindfulness coach has days when they lose it and live mindlessly.
Your strategic friend probably has days when they make blind decisions.
Your pastor, whose core message is standing against the lust of the flesh, may still be fighting his own devil.
What’s the point of self-awareness?
Like the recommended lens through which objects come into focus. It’s when you know yourself that you can navigate life with clarity and purpose.
My body is lactose-intolerant. The severity of my symptoms depends on the amount of lactose I ingest.
I didn’t know quite much about this until my third year at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan. All I knew then was that when I consumed diary products, processed foods, and too much of anything that contained milk-derived ingredients, like cake, I would experience bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Sometimes, it would feel as though I was dying. I would lose weight so fast. I have been to the hospital more due to the consequences of lactose ingesting than any other health-related issues.
And these were the things I loved. My coursemate, Temitope Adeyeye, and I boast of how we would gladly finish a box of cake in a day. Also, I was addicted to Vijumilk or Nutrimilk. I took one bottle almost daily. Depending on the size of my pocket, I sometimes take two.
The moment I became aware that a deficiency in lactase had been the cause of my troubles, I needed self-control. Of course, it’s hard when I say NO to certain foods. It hurts when I have to share the cake I would have loved to have alone because I am monitoring my tolerance level.
There’s nothing inspiring about watching Yinka finish one litre of yoghurt while I can only take one or two teacups.
What do you do with self-awareness?
Being self-aware helps me understand the relationship between my health and what I eat. Even beyond just avoiding foods with lactose. And through this awareness, I exercise self-control.
I love parfait so much.
But the major ingredient, Greek yoghurt, still has lactose. Although less than regular yoghurt, it’s essential that I only take a coffee cup size per week.
Self-awareness is the foundation of self-control.
As part of my self-control tactic, if someone gifts me lactose-containing drinks or anything that can cause symptoms, I quickly give them out. Because if it stayed longer before my eyes, I might just damn the symptoms. But are there times that I lose self-control? YES.
So, self-awareness is not a call to perfection.
Rather, it’s a form of empowerment.
It empowers you to acknowledge your strengths, imperfections, and limitations.
Then, you use that knowledge to regulate your actions, leading to more informed decision-making and effective personal growth and development efforts.
QUESTIONS FOR YOU:
How do you define self-awareness?
Can you recall an instance where knowing your strengths and weaknesses helped you make a decision?
Have you had to sabotage your self-management to meet societal expectations (maybe to please a loved one)? What was the outcome? How did you feel?
Stay BAKE!
I believe these questions are rhetorical or we are meant to answer it within to regulate our lack or need for self awareness and in turn, self control. Because epistle ma plenty for answering o 😂
That sabotaging oneself for whatever reason ehn, an end must come to it because the feeling is eventually worse than the actions plus the ‘societal expectations’ cannot even be met at the expense of whatever.
But yes, self-awareness isn’t a call to perfection but a form of empowerment.
Thank you for baking always 🥰
You see that part about self-awareness being misconceived as arrogance eh. I can relate. Thank you for sharing and always dishing out value. Stay BAKE!