Posts Tagged ‘Self Awareness’

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.

Self Improvement: Approval Is Worse Than Crack!

There’s nothing nicer than a pat on the back – being told you’re great or that was a job well done. It makes you feel better about yourself. But you should feel good about yourself anyway.

Unfortunately, we’ve all been reared on a highly addictive drug – the drug of approval. We need to feel that we’re “in”, that people like and notice us. We worry about what others think of us – but we shouldn’t waste our time – most people aren’t thinking about us at all, they’re too busy wondering what others think of them. From our earliest years, when we stood up to do our party-piece or when we won the three-legged race, we’ve been taught that recognition and approval are great. And they are – it’s just that the normal person craves them.

However, your self esteem needs to come from within – that’s kind of what the word “self” means. You should approve of yourself and understand that, in fact, you’re worth it. You probably have perceived shortcomings and inadequacies – but that’s all they are, perceptions. We learned these perceptions at the same time that we learned our need for approval – when we were young and impressionable. Now, in later life, the approval of others papers over the cracks of our own misconceived self-notions.

I once asked a very close friend who, quite literally, hated the very sight of himself in the mirror “Do you think that the God you believe in would create something imperfect?” He answered a very definite “Yes” – hardly surprising when you consider that standard religious teaching tells us that we are in need of redemption.

Let’s take a look at the psychological facst. Perhaps we were with blue eyes and a certain skin tone – but we weren’t born with a personality – we we picked it up along the way. It was foisted upon us (often with the best will in the world) when our minds were sponge-like. And now, as adults, we take what’s lodged in our subconscious as given, the Gospel truth, firmly held beliefs. That’s why we need the approval of others – as I said, it makes us feel better.

Get over yourself, time to kick the habit! Reacquaint yourself with the real you within – that inner power that we all have to be great, to be wonderful, to be all that we can be. Don’t allow what’s going on around you give you either a high or a low – your state of mind is the only thing in your life that you can absolutely control – grab it and embrace it with all your energy.

And how might you do that? You need to stop the noise in your head – the internal noise that’s telling you that you’re inadequate and the external approval or disapproval of people, most of whom don’t give a damn about you. You need to learn to pay attention to the reality of the present moment. In fact, you need to come to your senses – you have five of them, use them.

Personal Progress -Change Is About Self Awareness And For Those Who Desire It!

Personal growth or personal development means many different things to each of us. We are all varied individuals and it takes a wise person to see they might have flaws and need to growth or change in some of their actions. Personal growth is about us and our presumptions of us. The most important aspect of personal growth is how you feel about yourself. Do you see yourself relating to others, be it family, friends or co-workers appropriately? Are you living your life totally, completely and in line with how you think you should? Are you happy with how you deal with life or do you see yourself needing to change some things? Life Changes does not indicate we are necessarily bad. It does not mean that we are deteriorating in our life or living an inappropriate life but that we want to live a more durable life.

Another individual cannot tell you that you are in need of Personal Growth. It is a conscious decision that one makes for ones self. Opposition is part of deciding if this is where we need to go. Sometimes we see the need to grow when life has thrown us a blow and we can’t get back on track, we need to learn something about whom we are and why we are reacting the way we are. Sometimes it is about success in our life; success we do not think that we have. We are not where we want to be and we need help to remove the barriers that seem to be standing in the way.

I have seen very self centered people who seemed to think they know all the right ways and it is their way or no way. It seems that the people who need personal growth the most are carrying around baggage and do not even realize it. They are muddles , intolerant and suspicious of others or they would not be trying to prove they know it all. No one knows it all, not today, not yesterday nor will they tomorrow. It does not matter how intelligent one is; it is how they represent themselves to other people. They think everyone else is lacking and they feel all of their expertise is being wasted. When in all actuality; their expertise is not visible due to their attitude.

To see the need for personal growth means you are seeking either recovery or possibly purification from something or someone. Maybe it is only that you need to change the way you perceive something that has changed you life. Arousing your self awareness can’t be all bad. It actually means you have depth of wanting to beautify your soul. You could be doing everything magnificently and everybody is happy, including yourself, but in reality; probably not. I am afraid that not many of us are happy all the time. Life isn’t all wine and roses and happiness is a attitude and begins within us like everything else….how many time have I said all of this begins within us?

If we are happy the way we are it means we have comprehended something very important. When we get to this state in our life and we feel a sense of accomplishment; it bring contentment and a feeling of being at peace with ourselves and others.