While all the domains discussed by Dr. Roiter, are important, he sees the personal domain is the most critical for life satisfaction and our very survival. If we are solid about our personal identity and have explored our behaviour and inner selves we are more likely to adapt to changing circumstances whether they are family related, about our friends and neighbors, or world crisis.
I will discuss some of the material in this chapter subtitled: The “power of self-awareness”, “self-awareness and the changing world” and “increase your luck.”
He begins the power of awareness section by traveling back to the 8th Century before Christ. That was a beginning of self-consciousness but it has taken several thousand years for us to find that “It appears that our ‘mind’ is what differentiates us from a rock or dog and even each other”[i] Dr. Roiter takes the next step by asserting that his view of our mind is defined by our personality and our character (Note: He uses the Big Five personality model, that I have mentioned in a previous blog entry.)
He asserts that the more we know our own minds the better control we have over our thoughts and emotions; what works for us. He then creates a model entitled the “Path from Self-Awareness to Personal Power.”
Ø Awareness of personality and character (Self)
Ø A clearer understanding of what is happening brings both personal perspective and emotions to awareness; creating information
Ø Better decisions based on more comprehensive information, not just feelings
Ø Better accomplishments fed by better decisions, and then
Ø Greater control over your world as accomplishments build success= following this pattern leads to More Power[ii]
Now to “self-awareness and changing the world.” As New Adults (his suggested name for older persons) we are confronted with a new set of changes in our world “Health issues, financial realities, and loss of close friends and family. These changes can be quite disruptive. With self-awareness we can “bend and adapt to be flexible”
Still he asserts, many people find this dramatic change disorienting.
“They may feel adrift with no job to structure their days or provide income, extra health insurance, or opportunities for socializing. They may also fear aging as a progressive loss of control and growth of dependency. How to manage these legitimate (but often exaggerated) fears definitely affects the quality of your life.” [iii]
At the end of this section he states that many people in rough situations try to depend on “good luck.” This leads to my last topic from this blog entry.
He begins with a quote from Sir Francis Bacon, (who was born in 1561), “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” Roiter then asserts “What appears to be luck is really a person’s ability to notice an opportunity that others do not. So the first part of luck is opportunity. In addition, the person who identifies the opportunity is prepared to capitalize on it.”[iv]
I think we’ll end hear. What do you think?
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