When it comes to living a life you love, one of the first pieces of advice I give is to dive into your own self-awareness. Yes, even though it not always easy to look in the mirror and see who we are, warts and all. You may be asking why awareness, then, is worth the trouble. That’s because without awareness, you are cutting yourself off from the very tools you need to, not just pursue your desires, but enhance the quality of your everyday experiences.

So, what is awareness?

Self-awareness is the ability to observe ourselves – why we react and how we behave – and not only accept what we discover, but make informed decisions about the changes we want to make. Awareness is also the ability to be honest with ourselves about our weaknesses and strengths, as well as our thoughts, motivations, and emotions.

Why awareness – often done through a personal inquiry process – is a regular assignment given to clients is for the sheer reason you don’t know what you don’t know, even about yourself.

Feeling happy or sad is one thing; knowing why you feel happy or sad is another thing. That’s where the beauty of awareness comes in: it allows us to make better choices and curate a lifestyle that makes us feel engaged and alive.

The reason I’m often asked why awareness is worth it is because there is a shadow side to self-awareness.

This shadow side can make us angry or sad at our past choices, and can send us spiraling down the rabbit hole of the so-called “bad” emotions. And how can I forget the Inner Critic’s ability to become oh so judgmental when we play with being more aware of ourselves as our ally.

Let’s be honest, sometimes too much self-awareness can be downright exhausting.

Despite this, awareness is always worth the trouble. That’s because, without taking the time to observe how we feel about what we’re doing, seeing, or experiencing, it’s impossible to feel fully engaged. Or, as I have to remind myself regularly: when you plant new seeds, the first thing to come up is dirt. Yet, before anything can bloom, working through the dirt is necessary.

Eighteen Reasons Why Awareness Helps Create a Better Life

    1. Awareness allows you to make changes from an informed mind.
    2. When you are self-aware, it helps you pursue desires and goals.
    3. Being at peace with who you are is another reason why awareness is important to a quality life.
    4. Awareness helps you make better decisions.
    5. When you are self-aware, you will naturally have higher quality relationships.
    6. Self-awareness allows you to be a better communicator with everyone in your life. Because you are clear on your personal needs.
    7. Awareness is important if you want to live life with a clearer purpose.
    8. If you want to curate a daily life that feels nourishing, self-awareness is critical.
    9. Living with contentment is a sign of being self-aware.
    10. When you choose awareness, it allows you to accept the responsibility of changing responses and behaviors to any – and all – external stimuli : people, situations, life.
    11. Awareness allows you to not only reflect on the outcome in life situations, but contemplate your role in them.
    12. Why awareness is helpful is that it allows you to roll with life challenges with more grace.
    13. Self-awareness serves you in creating a higher quality of self-care
    14. If you want a life that feels well rounded, you’ll need self-awareness to make it happen.
    15. Pursuing your passions requires a healthy dose of awareness.
    16. Folks with better emotional intelligence are typically very self-aware.
    17. If you want to learn to listen to (and follow) your intuition, then you’ll need to grow your self-awareness.
    18. Why awareness allows you to be yourself is the ability to do so, even even if you make “unpopular” choices.

The choice to recognize the power it has to increase the quality of our life is worth the patience – and yes the pain – it will inevitably bring about.

You have other options. You can choose to ignore the opportunity awareness provides us in enhancing the quality of our lives and the lives of those around us. After all, the process to become more self-aware can be awkward and uncomfortable, and it can seem easier on the surface to just pretend life is ok.

The trade-off, though, is that the unease and discomfort you may feel are only temporary. In fact, those feelings are doing an important job: they’re alerting you to some aspect of your life that need tending or cultivated before you can move forward.

Just as we survey a garden to identify the weeds and over-grow plans before we kneel down to work, self-awareness is the way we take stock of yourselves. Find that weedy or overgrown corner, tend to it, and discover an increased quality of life.

“Self-awareness is not self-centeredness, and spirituality is not narcissism. ‘Know thyself’ is not a narcissistic pursuit.”
—Marianne Williamson

Need a regular reminder to dig into a little self-awareness? Become Besotted can help.

Become Besotted is the monthly reminder to stop, check in with yourself, and look to the month ahead.

It begins with an initial booklet to help you evaluate – and love your current reality.

Then, on the 25th of each month, you’ll receive a chapter designed to help you notice what you love about your life. And set doable monthly goals to pursue that “more” you desire.

Because, darling, you can love your life. And still want more. And I’m here to cheer you along.

Purchase the Online Course: Become Besotted

**A Year-Long Subscription to Become Besotted is $89

 

>>Click here to read articles that will encourage you – and give you ways – to love your life.<<

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