We have all experienced each of these types of awareness
Each area of our life offers opportunities to learn and grow.
physical, emotional, rational, financial and more.
Yet unless we stay aware of hwat
2. SEVEN TYPES OF AWARENESS
Unconscious incompetence. Ignorance is not bliss. Life keeps giving you lemons. It often
really hurts. We don’t know how to turn these lessons into lemonade and wonder why it
keeps happening. But we don’t ask for help. We can feel unworthy.
Stop the world I want to get off is a frequent feeling!
YOU DON’T KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW
3. SEVEN TYPES OF AWARENESS
Conscious incompetence. A time of being drawn into a higher level of understanding and
development. We can choose to resist and stay with our pain and discomfort (staying with
what we know even if it hurts frequently - the alleged comfort zone?) or chose to grow through
and out of our discomfort and unease into levels three, four or five. This does take energy,
focus, commitment, and asking for and taking the help offered!
YOU KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW
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4. SEVEN TYPES OF AWARENESS
Conscious Competence. We start the journey of gaining the insight, skills and strategies to
ensure a higher level of success. We are awkward with the skills and strategies, but start to
MIP (memorize, internalize and personalize) the insight, skills and strategies, growing in the
process. You’ll start to find some very interesting and uplifting people in your life. You are
able to share some newfound knowledge and wisdom with others that makes life better.
YOU KNOW YOU KNOW – Level One - Slow
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5. SEVEN TYPES OF AWARENESS
Unconscious Competence. You are unaware of all of the awareness, skills and strategies you
use to “perform” at this high level of expertise. You are above average at what you do and are
at a partial loss to explain it. I.e You can’t explain all of the steps it takes to get something
done. I.e. moving a project from A – Z. Life is certainly moving along nicely most days.
YOU DON’T KNOW YOU KNOW
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6. SEVEN TYPES OF AWARENESS
Conscious Competence. You know the labels, the steps, have the awareness, skills and
strategies and key connections required to perform at a high level of competence. You also
are aware of your level of confidence. You can coach, train and explain the total process. You
are well on the path of the dedicated life long learner. You have most likely read more than
four to six dozen books on the topic(s) or your passion/expertise. You have attained
professional status with or without a professional designation. Life is very interesting.
YOU KNOW YOU KNOW – Level Two - Fast
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7. SEVEN TYPES OF AWARENESS
Partial unconscious incompetence. Your level of competence is shrinking as your core
competencies in this area of expertise stagnates or shrinks due to, lack of use, lack of
upgrading, technology change, new expanded areas of knowledge in this subject, or malaise
on your part. However and most importantly if you’re surprised to find yourself in this
category start talking to your health care and family team about depression, burnout or
perhaps it’s a physical reason. Get a medical check up and tune up! Life’s far too short to stay
stuck!
YOU THINK YOU KNOW YOU KNOW
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8. SEVEN TYPES OF AWARENESS
Partial Conscious Competence and Incompetence with humility. Your level of core competence
is very large, stable and growing as you explore new and current competencies in your area of
expertise. However and most importantly to stay in this category means a further commitment
to get the ego out of the way and continue to stay on the path of mastery as a life long learner.
Flow appears in your area of expertise very often. Many others seek your insights. You make it
look very easy. The Senior Masters Stage. Consider high performance professionals like Pelé,
Wayne Gretzky, activist Leymah Gbowee, brain surgeon Dr. Ben Carson, businessman Richard
Branson, person of faith Bishop Desmond Tutu.
YOU KNOW YOU’LL NEVER KNOW IT ALL
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9. “Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive journey of
our own ignorance.”
- Will Durant
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