~ The Power of Awareness ~

Awareness is the key behind any major achievement in life, be it love, success, relationships or spiritual growth. Without being aware, our chances for discovering and sustaining change and positive results in any arena of life are limited.

For many of us the New Year is about setting goals and making resolutions toward achieving more success and happiness in the coming year. It’s about creating “a new beginning,” which ironically is the title of my previous article.

There is a natural progression to the dynamics of life. Before we can create a new beginning of possibilities, we must first learn how to let go of the old habits and behaviors that have been stopping us. What keeps us trapped in the repetition of past habits and behaviors is the belief that “I must think this way.”

How do we successfully break through the barriers and self-limiting beliefs that have been holding us back? The answer is to realize and accept that we all have the power and potential to create. Achieving this state is possible through the art of awareness.

Many of us are constantly searching for where it is that we need to be. Where do we need to go in life, either emotionally or spiritually to discover this world of creation? Some will say the answer is religion or meditation, others will insist that we simply look into our soul. Although all of these beliefs or states play a role in attaining the spirit of creation, there is only one place that it lives, that is within the self. The only place you need to be is right where you are, with yourself.

You’ve heard me say in previous articles that being aware is the first step toward achieving. Without awareness, one can not be present and without being present, there is no potential to truly create. Being aware is simply living in a state of true consciousness. In his Book of Secrets, Deepak Chopra defines it as “consciousness being the potential for all creation.”

Simply put, the more consciousness you have, the more potential you have to create. The more potential you have to create, the greater the possibility to be who you choose to be and achieve what you choose to achieve. Being mindful enables you to empower yourself in the present moment, which is the only point in time where you have the power to create what you choose.

Because time is constantly moving forward, many of us believe that in order for us to achieve in life, we need to march into the future with time; we need to look forward to where time is going, believing that achievement lies “out there” in a place called tomorrow. Truth be told, the ability to create in the future is not possible based on the laws of quantum physics. Energy can only be created in the moment of consciousness.

That being said, science has proven that there is no time but now. In a true mindful state, time doesn’t really pass at all. Time is no more than our perception of reality in the moment. We color time as we see it, not as it truly exists. The French author Anais Nin once said, “we don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.”

One of the many advantages of awareness, is that it enables you to really learn who you are. It empowers you to be mindful of what in life brings you joy and what brings you sadness. Being aware allows you to be happiness rather than strive for it and understand suffering when not. Awareness is the emotional and spiritual launching pad for enlightenment.

Being aware requires focus, discipline and courage. You won’t like everything you begin to see or learn about yourself but it’s the first step toward transformation. Think about it for a moment, in the past whenever you have not achieved your goals, or stopped short because it just seemed to be too hard, what has been the one constant, the one common denominator? The answer is you

Finding the courage to be who you choose and achieve what you choose is with you in every presence moment. I say presence rather than present because your awareness is the presence moment. You are the presence. It is you that creates the presence, no one else. Making plans and setting goals are valuable and necessary tools in life and business. They function as a compass to help you determine if you are on or off course on the road to success and happiness.

But there is a much more powerful tool called consciousness. It reflects our sense of being - our relation with love, faith, choice, courage, self-belief and any emotion or behavior that is part of your being. This year........create “a new beginning.” Make your plans, set your goals but reinforce these tools with being aware. Being aware is the first step in living a life of self-love, self-belief and achievement.

Take 10 to 20 minutes twice a day if possible(morning/night) to relax, focus and meditate on “Being Aware.” Choose a quiet, peaceful space that you feel comfortable in. Don’t think about goals, plans, issues or problems, just enjoy the peace and quiet. Slowly inhale, using the abdomen breathing technique and slowly exhale.

Go to a state-of-mind that is about joy, peace, harmony and being grateful. This is a good launching pad to begin with. Later you can move up the life chain and on to success, happiness, self-belief and achievement. The ultimate state of mind you want to attain is self-love and the belief that you can be who you choose and achieve what you choose. You must desire, believe and finally expect the event to take place.

As you begin to master this technique, you can then add visualization into the process. Create a screen in your mind and see yourself on the screen, achieving what you have chosen and enjoying who you are being. Continue with this state-of-mind until you begin to feel and see your visualization becoming a reality.

The above exercise and following tips will guide you toward Being Aware and Mindful:

• don’t think, don’t judge, just relax & be aware

• realize that you can be mindful without expectations

• follow the instructions outlined above to create the state-of-mind

• choose who you want to be and what you want to achieve

• focus on that image through visualization with belief & emotion

• desire, believe and expect for the event to be a reality through visualization