Self-Awareness And An End To Stress
A while back, I spoke with a friend who told me that he was plagued by useless thought – distractions, negative thoughts, worries, all the way to fear. First of all, I said to him was that, as someone who had worked on his own Personal Development, he could count himself among the horribly small minority who are aware they’re thinking useless thoughts. Because psychology proves that the so-called normal mind is zombie-like, running on auto-pilot, totally unaware – unaware of pretty much everything, from the fact that it is actually in a particular and unique time and place (called Now!), to the fact that it is being attacked by useless thought. So my friend was at least one step ahead of the posse!
But what do you do when you find yourself being mugged by your own thoughts? Do you fight back or do you try to run away? Who can you call for help? Who you gonna call? There’s no such people as the Thoughtbusters! Unfortunately you’re on your own – after all, you’re the only person on this planet thinking those thoughts. You can’t run away – there’s no hiding place from your own thoughts and there’s little point in fighting back. Thoughts are like a big bully – all they’re looking for is your undivided attention – fight back and you’re giving them your energy, just what they’re looking for!
What you’ll have to do is come to your senses and simply ignore the thoughts – they’ll never go away but a thought minus your energy is a nothing. Thought is meaningless until you pay it attention – direct your attention somewhere else and the thought simply isn’t. Direct your attention to Now – it’s where life is actually lived, where opportunity abounds (if you’d stop focusing on your useless thoughts) ,it’s the place where dreams come true.
Being aware of the here and now is awareness. And, if you’re aware of Now, you’re aware of yourself in Now. Now that’s self-awareness! Being aware simply means paying attention – paying attention to Now. To what your eyes are really seeing, to what your ears are really hearing, to the smell in your nose, to the taste in your mouth, to what you are feeling. Feeling what your own body is telling you connects you with Now. Feeling your feet hit the ground each time you put one foot in front of the other is a powerful connection to Now. Feeling how your chair supports you is a valuable piece of “now data”. Noticing the way your legs are crossed, the touch of your clothes on your skin, the way your legs support you as you stand still, the list is as long as you want to make it.
However, here’s how it works. My friend said to me “Now I’ve got it, when you’re walking you’re aware that you’re putting one foot in front of the other.” “Got it in one!” I replied. “And, when you’re thinking a useless thought, you’re aware that you’re thinking a useless thought!” “No! – When you’re thinking a useless thought, you’re aware that you’re putting one foot in front of the other as you walk!” The walking is real, the thought is not. The walking is your connection to Now, the thought is your one-way ticket to pain and suffering.
Paying attention to Now is your passport to success and happiness and the fantastic thing is that the whole adventure is entirely in your own hands.