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Self-awareness is knowing how I feel and what I want.

Self-awareness opens unexpected possibilities.


author:  Daniel Clary Webb, producer



Here's a great article on understanding and developing self-awareness:

Verywell Mind: What Is Self-Awareness? Development, Types, and How to Improve It


Some wisdom traditions tell us there are two fundamental states of awareness -- fear (resistance to what-is) and love (unqualified acceptance of what-is).

It is profoundly empowering to know where my attention and intention are focused and how I'm motivated.  How much by resistance?  How much by acceptance?  This is a useful perspective for gaining self-awareness.

If I can name my feelings and my desired experiences, my prefrontal cortex (for self-regulation and strategies) and language centers of the brain are engaged.  My awareness is more integrated and embodied.  My choices are better informed.


"The prefrontal cortex (PFC) intelligently regulates our thoughts, actions and emotions through extensive connections with other brain regions."  NIH

With an ability to speak about my inner experience, I can stand outside my immersion in a physical-emotional reaction to the discomfort of my situation.  (See Feel ... and Listen for more on this.)

With self-awareness and the courage to name my sensations and emotions (how I feel) and my desired experiences (what I want) in a specific situation, I can invite you into my inner experience in a way that resonates with what we have in common as human beings without getting lost in "my story" and our conflicting strategies. 


Consider these two fundamentally different states of felt-sense perception.

Fear

  • Resists experiencing my present what-is
  • Tries to use discomfort as a way to motivate myself
  • Focuses energy defensively
  • Dissipates energy
  • Focuses on the dark -- an absence of light
  • Sees only our differences
  • Isolates or attacks;
    withdraws from creative engagement
  • Unconsciously manifests what is feared
    (Let that sink in for a moment.)

Love

  • Accepts my what-is as the perfect place from which to start
  • Manifests opportunities for desired experiences
  • Focuses energy creatively
  • Mobilizes energy
  • Focuses on the light
  • Sees what we have in common
  • Engages with courage;
    affirms that the benevolence of the Universe is sufficient
  • Consciously creates what is desired


I alone have responsibility for where and how I focus my attention.

I always have a choice, regardless of my conditioning.

  A true story about a scripted conversation that changed everything