Focusing On Self-Awareness

If you’re going to focus on one thing, let it be observing yourself. Your reactions, your “flaws,” your behavior when no one’s looking and when everyone’s looking. What you’ve kept with you since childhood and what you’ve changed drastically. How you treat people you care about and how you treat complete strangers. Where you are, who you’re around and what you’re doing when your energy is thriving. Make note of the qualities you wish to change and those qualities you hope to continue to progress. Now it’s time to put understanding with those discoveries. 
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Something I’m currently focusing on bettering is my ability to communicate my intentions properly. Sometimes my mind is so scrambled, I end up saying something I don’t mean. My intentions might be pure but get lost in translation. I need to work on patience. Taking my time projecting my thoughts. Practicing listening first and speaking less. Another quality I continue to work on is adjusting my tone based on my mission and not my emotions. If someone I care about is bothering me, I want to respond in a way that reflects how I feel about them as a person, not in this moment. Maybe someone is having a difficult time understanding something I’ve explained. How can I explain in a more helpful way? Making sure my tone offers guidance instead of frustration. The golden rule comes in handy here, asking myself how I’d like to be responded to if I were the one with confusion. First, I discovered the issue. My words or my tone misrepresenting my intentions. But when I take time to understand why this happens, I provide the opportunity to fix it. 


There is a reason introspection comes before action on my pages. Self-reflection is necessary to truly evaluate what steps should be taken to improve ourselves. Self-awareness is the most important quality a person can have when looking towards a transformation. I view my life as a never-ending transformation, considering my goal everyday is to become a better version of myself. Therefore, self-awareness is my most cherished quality. One I practice daily and strive to succeed in.  


Sometimes the biggest challenge in making a change is believing that change is possible. The effort needed to make a change is manifested through visualizing what that change looks like. For example, when I first got off the medicine that was making me overweight, I lost almost 20 pounds through no change of diet or exercise. That glimpse of what my future could look like jumpstarted my healthy decision making. Seeing my own potential energized my drive to put in the work to accomplish those goals. It really is that simple. If I can see it, I can create it.


The person you want to be is already within you. Self-awareness is the key that powers the journey to becoming that person. Remember to be honest with yourself about your battles. The only person you’re fooling by masking your struggles is yourself. Anything you don’t like about yourself can be altered if you open your heart and commit to growth. Your flaws are only flaws if you give them the power to define you. 


Who were you 5 years ago? Who are you right now? Who do you want to be tomorrow? Envision your character development and direct that story into your life. Your battles, your successes, your growth and your attitude are all part of your journey. All we can do is try to be the best version of ourselves and believe in our ability to make that happen.