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Self-Awareness: Part 2 Have
you ever been walking through a shopping mall and had the guy in front
of you stop so suddenly you almost crashed into his backside?
It was as if no one else existed in the mall but him. He
was totally unaware that there were other
people around him. What about the driver who slips across four
lanes as if he were driving on his own private racetrack with no other
drivers present? How many people float through their lives in just the
same fashion? Knowing
what to pay attention to and when to pay attention to it-is
critical to a successful journey. How many opportunities for
personal growth or financial profit offers themselves to us from moment
to moment do we miss because we were unaware of their presence? How often
have we been scorched by a fire-breathing dragon that, had we been paying
attention, we could have either killed or avoided? How many times has
an individual mirrored back to us a reflection that, had we noticed, we
could have changed our behavior in a way that would have been far more
useful to our outcome? Observe
people who really, really excel at what they do: a pianist,
an actor, a parent, a golf player. At the moment they are engaged in their
genius, notice something: there is only the piano, only the stage, only
the child, only the next golf shot. In every way,
they are in the moment. Imagine engaging yourself in this manner.
What would happen? Some
people are oblivious to "the moment" in which they
are living because they are stuck in the past. They cannot see the present
or the future with any clarity because they are constantly looking at
life through past experiences. The voices and pictures in their heads
are all about "that time": the divorce, the lost job, the drinking
problem or the unrealized dream. It is one thing to remember the past
so as to gain wisdom; it is a different matter altogether to live in the
past as if it were the present. The
past does not have to dictate the future. "Once an X always
an X" is not a Christian belief. Remember all those teachings about
conversion, transformation and new life? "You once were this, now
you are this. In the past, you chose to live one way, but now you have
decided to turn and live differently." The
past should not define you. Then there
are those who focus entirely
on the future. They have latched on to a dream or a fear that
is somewhere out there. Consequently, they cannot see or experience the
moment in which they now exist. The problem here is that the only way
to the future is through the present. It is our
moment-by-moment choices in the present that create our future. In my travels
as a director of charities, I have met so many
people who pass up an opportunity to do good today because they are focused
on doing something "great" tomorrow. Their thoughts
are all on some future desire or goal. They see the present, not as stepping-stones
to the future, but as a distraction or impediment from the more important
things that are about to come their way. They hope. Maybe. Possibly. Just
wait
you'll see. Maybe
this is not an area you think needs all that much attention in your life?
Okay. Do something for yourself. Choose three
people who know you the best. Go to them and ask them how they experience
you. In other words, ask them, "Do you think I live in
the past/future more than in the present?" Be certain to do whatever
it takes to secure them so that they feel free to be honest with you.
Also, explain what it is you are looking for regarding their assessment.
Of course, it is your life. If you wish to hang a sheet over the mirrors
around you and live in the bliss of ignorance, then by all means, skip
this assignment. Another
assignment.
The next time you take a day off, I want you to
turn the voices off inside your head. You know the one's I
am talking about. All those voices that talk to you about the past or
future: turn them off. Imagine
a console with toggle switches out in front of your face. You
can turn the sound in your head up or down merely by raising or lowering
the switch. Reach out and lower the switch so
that there are no sounds in your head. Some of you are so accustomed to having a constant conversation with yourselves that you probably will have to repeatedly turn the switch down. Be quiet. Stop the chatter. When you
are speaking with people, do not think about what
you will say when they stop talking: simply listen to them.
When you look at the world around you, do not tell yourself what it is
you are looking at. Do not talk to yourself about comparisons; do not
judge anything as "good" or "bad." Be
quiet. Observe. If
you find this challenging, do not start yelling at yourself.
Turn those voices down, too. Then go back to the toggle switch and start
again. When the day is over, you can turn the sound back on and reflect
on the experience. If there was a voice that you
constantly had to turn down, what was it saying? Was it your
voice or someone else's? In the times of silence, what was your experience?
How was it different from those times when you were talking to yourself?
The way we
often give meaning to the world around us is by saying, "This is
That. This person has always been this way, so they are THIS WAY. This
experience has always meant X to me, so it means X now. This is how I
have responded in the past so this is how I will now respond. That is
a tree
a car
a bird
" If we
turn off the voices we can be more spontaneous in the moment.
We can choose how we will respond. We can see things and people and ourselves
in a different light. If up until now you have spent most of your waking moments living in the future, I want you to think of that future experience or goal that has captivated your mind. Is it something that, if you attain it, will be good for you in every context of life? How will attaining this outcome affect your health, family, friendships, career, finances and other desired outcomes? If it fits, if it is a wise and healthy outcome for you to choose, begin to map out exactly what you have to do so as to arrive at your destination. What is the process? What
are the steps that you will need to take?
Then, as yourself this, "What can I do today that will take me one
step closer to the my goal-and-what can I do today to enjoy the process?"
Is it a future
fear that captivates your thoughts and writes the dialogue for the voices
in your head? Specifically, what is it you fear?
On a scale of 1-10, the number ten being "absolutely certain,"
the number one being "probably not," how do you rate your fear?
What evidence do you have that will support your evaluation-what concrete
evidence do you have? Next, what I want you to do is to think of the emotion of fear as a signal that you need to prepare for something. What is it that you need to prepare for? What is it that you can do to either prepare for this coming event or avoid it? What
specifically can you do, today? Tomorrow? This
is where you will want to focus your energy. And, as you do
remember this: Anxiety is birthed by a belief
that we have discovered something that God is not aware of or something
that God is unable to handle. Now there's a sentence worth
repeating to yourself! |
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