28: The Meta Skill That Could Unlock Everything in 2025

read time 3 minutes

Welcome to the With Intention weekly newsletter where I share ideas & learnings to help you live & lead with intention

At a glance:

• Essay: Self Awareness: The Meta Skill
• Quote: Know Thyself
• Visual: We have one life, make the most of it

The Meta-Skill That Unlocks Everything in 2025

The biggest meta-skill around is SELF-AWARENESS.

Big thanks to Tasha Eurich for diving deep into this. I'm reading her book Insight right now—it's all about the surprising truth of how others see us, how we see ourselves, and why those answers matter more than we think. I'm still early in, but man, it’s hitting hard.

Self-awareness is the first step to continuous improvement—it’s the cornerstone of the With Intention wheel for a reason.

Without it, we’re cooked.

My Turn:

For me, realizing my strengths and weaknesses was a game-changer.

I had this knack for connecting people, listening, and building trust—but I didn’t fully recognize it until I faced my blind spot. I remember the exact moment. One night, my boss (shoutout to Ray!) called me out.

I had some troubled accounts and got moved to another sales team.

Yep, it was that bad. I was venting, blaming my old boss (sorry, Dan!), and Ray just said, “Look man, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. You have a choice to do something about it.”

It stung, but he was right.

At the time, I was a decent sales rep, but not great. I focused too much on the show (and the dough) and not enough on delivering real value. It took losing accounts, almost losing my job, and having a mentor brave enough to be honest with me.

That moment forced me to own my blind spot.

I had to stop being surface-level and start bringing real substance. I went deep, worked on it, and something cool happened—my strengths flourished. Listening, connecting, and trust-building became even more powerful once I paired them with real value.

It wasn’t a drastic shift, but it was intentional.

Awareness first. Action second.

That’s the magic combo.

Your Turn:

Tasha talks about self-awareness as the ultimate “meta-skill,” and I’m with her 100%.

We’ve got to stay curious about ourselves. That’s internal self-awareness. But just as important?

External self-awareness—how others see us.

There’s often a gap.

Ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect? It’s this fascinating concept where the people with the most confidence are often the lowest performers. So, if we think we’ve got it all figured out… maybe we don’t.

As Michelle and I’s marriage coach, Julia Woods, says: Get curious about “what we don’t know we don’t know.”

So, here’s the challenge as we head into 2025:

1. Get relentless about discovering your superpower.

2. Be just as relentless about uncovering your blind spots.

Two Simple Steps:

Ask five people two quick questions:

1. Where do you think I’m uniquely gifted?

2. What do you think holds me back from fulfilling my potential?

Feel free to copy this script, send it as a text (or email):

Hey [Name], Happy New Year! As I head into 2025, I’m doing some reflection to level up and make a bigger impact. Can you help me out? I’m digging into two areas—my superpowers and my blind spots. I trust you to be honest with me.

When you have a second, can you answer these two questions?

1. Where do you think I’m uniquely gifted?

2. What do you think holds me back from fulfilling my potential?

The responses may surprise you.

The first question will light you up and might reveal strengths you take for granted. The second? It might sting, but that short-term discomfort is where the growth happens.

Now, don’t sit on this.

Send those texts or emails today. Seriously, take 15 minutes right now. Let’s make 2025 your best year yet.

Awareness is always the first step. 

By completing this you've now got a BIG head start as you head into 2025.

A Visual: We have one life, make the most of it

Source: Seek Wiser (@SeekWiser_) / X

Reminder:

I’ll be hosting a Breakthrough Call on January 16th at 1pm EST. I'll pass on an official registration next week but mark your calendars.

Until next week…thanks for reading!

—Jon

Jon Giganti Author. Speaker. Leader.

Attention requires a focused head.
Intention requires a focused heart.

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