Self-awareness simply just doesn't happen all on its own.  It is usually the result of a concerted effort and concentration to examine as aspect of oneself. It may be the result of a nagging feeling that there is more to life than what you are currently experiencing, or a feeling of being lost, isolated or being unfulfilled.  These feelings can cause us to turn our attention inward and to ask ourselves questions that we haven't asked before and to dig deep into who we really are.  Regardless of the initiating event, asking yourself meaningful questions about your being and yourself is crucial to getting quality answers.  There are three tips for this journey of self-exploration and self-exploration: 1) ask yourself meaningful questions to answer; the better the questions the better the insights, 2) use the 5 Why's technique to really dig deep into the answers, 3) write out your answers in a journal.  By forcing ourselves to write out our answers we force ourselves to solidify our answer and our realization and it allows us to explore over multiple days without losing insight or information.  The quality of the research dictates the quality of the self-awareness; don't sell yourself short.

I don’t journal to ‘be productive.’ I don’t do it to find great ideas or to put down prose I can later publish. The pages aren’t intended for anyone but me. It’s the most cost-effective therapy I’ve ever found. Tim Ferriss

I write in a journal daily. This extraordinary ritual has revolutionized my mindset, transformed my heartset, and generally influenced in my life exponentially. Robin Sharma

Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding. Jen Williamson