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A St. Patrick’s Day Lesson - The Reward of Self-Awareness

posted by agammy

I have always really liked celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.  As a child, I’d begin the day looking for leprechauns in the backyard and eating my cereal with green milk. In college, I attended the MANY parties and parades associated with the day, and made sure to pinch the friends who didn’t wear green. Now, I celebrate by wearing green to work every March 17th, and by having a Guinness with dinner (tonight I’m making Shepherd’s Pie .) As much as I have always enjoyed the holiday, St. Patrick’s Day 2009 was especially exciting, as it was full of new meaning for me.

Why was the holiday so special this year? March 17, 2009 was my first St Patrick’s Day as an Irish Girl!

Let me explain.

My sister and I met up last week at the Irish Bank , a little pub in San Francisco. As we sat waiting for our corned beef and sausage, I commented on a passerbyer’s "Kiss me I’m Irish " t-shirt, and my sister mentioned casually that our grandfather was full Irish - something I had never heard before! It turns out, his parents (who I’d never met and know little about) came over from Ireland and raised their family in Maine. I had never heard this story before, and therefore, had never realized I was a full quarter Irish myself! Suddenly, the customs I’d always loved were my heritage too, and suddenly, St Patrick’s Day took on a whole new significance. I haven’t run out and bought a T-shirt yet, but since my discovery, I’ve researched the history of St. Patrick’s Day,  found a great recipe for soda bread , and learned all the symbols and traditions of the holiday so I can celebrate it properly - I also am using the discovery as an excuse to hit the pubs after work. All in all, I am very excited to identify with the Irish culture, and to have a fuller picture of my heritage.

What does this little story have to do with anything? Well, I think it’s a perfect illustration of how self-awareness can change your perceptions of a holiday, an event, a person, a job,  or even of life in general. The more you know and understand yourself, the richer your overall life experience will be.

As trainers, counselors, coaches, and mentors, we should all remember that helping a client understand themselves a little bit better, whether it’s through the MBTI, the FIRO-B, or even through a good conversation, is the best tool we have for facilitating positive change.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!