Be You… For you!
“Self-awareness is the key to self-mastery”- Gretchen Rubin
Self-awareness is the ability to look inward. It is the starting place toward self-acceptance and requires courage, empathy, and self-compassion. Taking a brave look at all of our personal strengths and weaknesses can give us insight and lead to growth. There are many different roads that lead to self-awareness. Recently I discovered a wonderful resource called, “Core IQ”. Sounds intimidating, doesn’t it? Once you learn about Core IQ, it becomes more impressive than intimidating, but I will let you be the judge.
Core IQ is a type of personality profile invented by Randall Bell, Phd. Dr. Bell is also known as “Dr. Disaster” and “The Master of Disaster”. He is a socio-economist who has visited over 50 states and seven continents consulting on major disasters (World Trade Center, BP Oil Spill, Hurricane Katrina, Jon Benet Ramsey, OJ Simpson, and Heaven’s Gate mass suicide mansion). Through this work, he has witnessed and learned about the human condition during and after trauma. This has given him insight into the ability to persevere and overcome the most horrifying of circumstances. Through research, he was able to narrow down specific habits that correlated with positive life outcomes, like success and fulfillment. These habits can be measured using the Core IQ. These measured skills are believed to identify what helps people adapt and thrive, even in the most dire circumstances.
Dr. Bell created an educational non-profit agency that provides videos, worksheets, and diagrams on basic skills for life. These are applicable to any human seeking self-awareness and growth. The Core IQ profile highlights areas of personal strength and qualities you may want to improve on. These include skills like goal setting, time management, negotiation, conflict resolution, personal finance, leadership, etiquette, and many more. The Core IQ quiz is completely free and you can take it here!
The Core IQ is based on Dr. Bell’s book, Me, We, Do, Be, where he outlines four areas of skills.
Me: Skills that Build Wisdom- Philosophical (Believe), Intellectual (Think), Spiritual (Feel)
We: Skills that Build Relationships- Sociological (Teamwork), Influential (Communication) Cultural (Style)
Do: Skills that Build Productivity- Physical (Fitness), Financial (Budget), Environmental (Space)
Be: Skills that Build the Future- Developmental (Goals), Operational (Time), Consequential (Legacy)
After receiving your free Core IQ test, you can visit his web page and watch free videos on areas of interest. He calls these “skills we all need that aren’t taught in school”. My personal favorite skill areas are Boundaries, The Healing Tree, Post Traumatic Thriving and Guilt vs. Shame. There are many practical tips available such as, Resume writing, Job interviews and conflict resolution.
Core IQ is one of many different ways we can look inward and get to know our true selves. As Diane Von Furstenberg once said, “The most important relationship in your life is the relationship you have with yourself.” Taking a brave look at our strengths, weaknesses and values is the starting place of self-acceptance. This can be difficult work yet, a prerequisite to becoming the best version of ourselves. If you are looking for a path to self acceptance, you may find that self awareness is the first road sign.
Often psychotherapy can be a safe place to take on these types of issues. With the help of a trusted therapist, we can take a brave look inward and map out steps for improving our resilience and wellbeing.
If you have any questions, or simply want to learn more about how I can help you on the journey to self awareness, don’t hesitate to reach out using the form below.
