However you get there, here’s how it typically goes. You realize that something isn’t working for you, for whatever reason. So you start thinking about it. Maybe you journal about it. Talk to a trusted friend about it, or a family member…although the family member may be part of the issue, so you maybe you steer away from that…but you find a person, and you talk, you process.
As you go through processing, there are a lot of ways you can look at your situation.
Woe is me, my world is collapsing…
You could get angry…you’re being treated unfairly…it’s someone else’s fault
Maybe you start to understand but try to justify or rationalize what you’re working through
Or you could think about other people, wanting to change for them, to change their experience with you
You may get to a place where you work through your own issues and connect to others…maybe
These are some of the ways you might process. And while awareness is awesome, you have to watch out for the snow snake. What?? The snow snake is something I remember from being a kid. You’re skiing down the hill, rock star, next thing you know, you’ve got a yard sale in the middle of the slope. Your skis are off, a tangled mess because you went down, hard. Not sure why? Must’ve been a snow snake…reached up and got you. That’s the thing with awareness, it’s important not to get stuck in it, not get taken down by the snow snake and end up in a swirling mess, beating yourself up. Self-awareness, at the figuring out level is good, it’s healthy, it helps you work through issues, understand yourself, but it’s not a place to get stuck.
If you can take your awareness and use it to move yourself forward, to change and make your life better, or more fulfilling, make your relationships thrive, that’s the ticket. Awareness is great, it’s important, but you can be the most self-aware person in the world and still be unhappy, still feel stuck. Instead, think about how you can use it to move yourself forward.
Think about where you want to be, your desired state of being, and how you’re going to get there. What would be ideal? What’s acceptable? What’s in the middle? Create a plan around those. What can you do this week. Break it up into chunks. Want to improve your relationship with your partner? What’s one thing you can do this week? Making a shift in your career? Again, what’s that one thing you can do this week to move forward, and then build on that.
My challenge to you this week is move forward. Take your healthy awareness, and look at where you want to see shifts in your life. All you have to do to start changing is one thing. What will it be for you?