12 Self-Awareness Exercises That Fuel SuccessTo see your way around obstacles to success learn to curb needless anxieties and challenge assumptions you've never examined.

An African proverb says, "When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside can do you no harm."

Self-awareness is one of themost importantskills for success. How you behave and respond to external situations is governed byinternalmental processes. Self-awareness uncovers any destructive thought-patterns and unhealthy habits. This leads to better decision-making and behavioral responses.

Here are 12 exercises for greater self-awareness:

1. The three why's.

Before acting on a decision, ask yourself "Why?" Follow up your response with another "Why?" And then a third. If you can find three good reasons to pursue something, you'll have clarity and be more confident in your actions.

Being self-aware meansknowing your motivesand determining whether they're reasonable.

2. Expand your emotional vocabulary.

The philosopherWittgensteinsaid, "The limits of my language means the limits of my world."

Emotions create powerful physical and behavioral responses that are more complex than "happy" or "sad." Putting your feelings into words has atherapeutic effecton your brain; if you're unable to articulate how you feel, that can create stress. Here's agreat listof "feeling words" to help withlabelingyour emotions. Increase your emotional vocabulary with one new word each day.

Related:Are You Emotionally Intelligent? Here's How to Know for Sure.

3. Practice saying 'no' to yourself.

The ability to say "no" to yourself to put off short-term gratification for the long-term gain is an importantlife-skill. Like a muscle, it is strengthened with exercise. The more you practice saying "no" to small daily challenges, the better you can withstand major temptations.

There are plenty of daily temptations -- social media, junk food, gossiping, Youtube. Make a goal of saying "no" to five different temptations each day.

4. Break visceral reactions.

A person without self-awareness runs on auto-pilot, and responds with knee-jerk reactions. Self-awareness allows you to assess situations objectively and rationally, without acting onbiasesand stereotypes.

Take a deep breath before you act, especially when a situation triggers anger or frustration. This gives you time to re-assess whether your response will be the best one.

5. Be accountable to your flaws.

Nobody is perfect. Being aware of your flaws, but failing to accept accountability, is leaving the job half-done. We're often critical of others, whileignorantof our own flaws. Self-awareness helps turn the mirror on ourselves and prevents hypocritical behavior.

Iteration and self-improvement only happens once you recognize a flaw. Create a habit of acknowledging yourmistakes, rather than making excuses.

6. Monitor your self-talk.

There is non-stop commentary inour headsthat is not always helpful. A little bit ofnegative self-talkcan spiral into stress and depression.

Pay attention to the way you respond to your successes and failures — do you pass off your achievements as luck? And crucify yourself after failures? Positive and negative feedback-loops will form in your mind based offhow you respondto successes and failures. Being tough on yourself needs to be balanced withself-compassion. Celebrate your wins, forgive your losses.

Related:How Talking to Yourself Can Help You Be More Successful

7. Improve your body language awareness.

Watching yourself on video can be a cringeworthy experience, but awareness of your body language, posture, and mannerisms improvesyour confidence.

Slouching, or taking a "low-power-pose" increasescortisoland feeds lowself-esteem, while standing tall or taking a "high-power-pose" stimulates testosterone and improves your performance. Using hand gestures helps witharticulatingyour thoughts and affects how people respond to you.

Record a speech or presentation and evaluate your posture andhand gestures. Watch videos of skilled speakers and adopt their mannerisms to improve your own.

8. Play "Devil's Advocate."

Taking an opposing view forces you to question yourassumptions. Your "default" beliefs and worldview are not always reasonable; it's healthy to "argue against yourself" and see how your views hold up.

And you'll give your brain a good workout. Processing challenging information stimulates newneural connections.

9. Know your personality type.

Knowing your personality type allows you to maximize your strengths and manage your weaknesses. Understanding your "strengths" and "talents" can be the difference between a good choice, and agreatchoice. (Strengths are skills and knowledge that can be acquired, whiletalentsare innate).

Start with understanding where you fall on theintrovert/extrovert spectrum; know yourMyers-Briggstype; and then conduct a personalSWOTanalysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats).

10. Practice self-evaluation and reflection.

Keep ajournaland track your progress. How would you rate your current level of self-awareness out of ten? Think about how often you say regretful things; repeat bad habits; make absent-minded decisions; and have erratic thoughts.

Set regular goals, break big goals down into smaller milestones. Ask yourself at the end of each day, "What did I do well today?" And, "How can I improve on this tomorrow?"

11. Ask for constructive feedback, regularly.

We all have blind spots in our thinking patterns and behaviors. Asking for regularconstructive feedbackcuts through any self-deceit or one-dimensional views you might hold. But only ask people you'd consider mentors — those who understand you; whom you respect; and will tell you what you need to hear, not what youwantto hear.

12. Meditation.

Meditationis a foundational practice for improving self-awareness. To focus solely onyour breathingis to focus on a key internal process. You'll become aware of how your mind wanders, and get better at snapping out of distractions.

For beginners, start with ten minute sessions. Find a quiet place to sit, breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Count your breaths silently, pulling your mind back when it wanders. See how many breaths you can string together.

Related:Meditation Isn't Just For Hippies: Here is How it Can Help Entrepreneurs