The Importance of Becoming Aware

THE IMPORTANCE OF BECOMING AWARE

Often, we go about our daily lives believing that everything is as good as it can be and that nothing can improve unless something drastically life changing happens like winning the lotto (even though most of us don’t even do the lotto). We often overlook the little things, believing that they do not impact us as much as they do; things like our thoughts or dressing our bed, the food or information we ingest or even the little things we surround ourselves with and how we arrange them. But these seemingly minute things have more power than you might think. The impact of certain thoughts, behaviours and environments can differ from person to person. Even the specific thoughts, behaviours and environments that can have a positive impact on you are most likely different to the ones that positively impact me, but the fact remains; the small things matter.

We live in a fast society fuelled by fast fashion, fast food, fast internet, fast sex etc. and a knock-on effect of that is pollution, landfill, unsustainable farming practices, unfair, sexist, and other discriminatory belief systems, and overall an increasingly sick world whether that be in relation to the physical and mental health of individuals or the collective health of the planet. We are all connected through the thoughts we have because they influence our actions. My feelings of sadness or low self-esteem could lead to me buying some fast fashion here in London and that action has a direct impact on many people’s pay cheques, living conditions and overall quality of life. We could be separated by thousands of miles, but we are still connected as part of the same ecosystem.

I came from a complete lack of awareness and over the years, as I was exposed more and more to different people, perspectives, places, and ways of doing things, my awareness grew, and I started questioning everything. I realised how unsustainable my behaviours were and how much certain traumas and adversity were impacting my life, not only mentally but physically too, and I was projecting that impact out into the world, so it was then part of a much larger picture. The unintentional, unsustainable ways I was thinking and living in were also impacting people, animals, and the planet in unsustainable ways.

I have come to realise that I don’t need that much to be truly happy or to sustain myself physically and mentally and that I can easily and cheaply (because we are sold this idea that being minimal/sustainable in relation to the planet can be expensive) sustain the planet through my thinking and living while also sustaining myself as part of the same ecosystem.

It requires a lot of inward awareness to figure out the things that set us up for success and the things that do not. Becoming self-aware is probably the best gift you can ever give to yourself because it empowers you to move into and eventually be the version of you that you have always envisioned. When self-awareness is cultivated, the next step is to intentionally give yourself what you need internally to curate the energy that then shines out from your being and into the world. Simply filling yourself up can truly set you up for success and that has a knock-on impact on the people around you and the planet.

It can be easy for me to sit here and simply say “Become more self-aware”. Afterall, it took me many years of solo-travelling and living abroad working to do just that. During my travels to so many new places, I observed completely different ways of doing things, often completely opposite to what I had been used to and found new ways of thinking and living. I met new people and had my mindset and perspectives flipped. Now, because I know the value of changing mindset and getting different perspectives, I will forever be open to both because when we become aware of other effective ways of thinking and doing, we have the potential to grow.

Everything has a knock-on effect in ways that we may not be conscious of. If we become more intentional about how we view ourselves and what we do as a result, we can all become more sustainable, simply by making tiny changes that may seem miniscule but, when combined with the changes made by many others, have the potential to bring about huge change. Even if being more sustainable in relation to the planet is not your goal but becoming more sustainable within yourself is, then sustaining the planet in even just a small way will be a by-product of the internal work you do, hence it is win/win. Who wouldn’t want to take the opportunity to do something for the planet, especially if it makes your life easier and requires the same or even less energy output?

It is with all this in mind that I have decided to set up a Facebook group, one where people with all different perspectives can come together to enlighten and empower each other. This will simulate what I experienced when travelling and will cultivate a growth environment for everyone. To kick things off, I will be preparing a challenge within the group to raise awareness specific to everyone that takes part. Awareness comes from questioning and searching inside yourself for what sits right with you. The more you question everything around you, the more self-aware you become. The more self-aware you become the more you can change into someone that is intentional and sustainable in the ways that you choose to be.

Knowing what questions to ask can be difficult, but I have been there and remember so many of the types of questions I asked myself over the years and I will share these in the challenge. I will be editing years of self-growth down to simple exploratory questions that will allow you to have realisations similar and possibly even better than the ones I had. The challenge is very simple and just requires you to tune in for the daily question I pose and commit to answering it to see what comes up for you. From doing something very little you can cultivate the awareness you need for change.

So, if change is what you want and if you have a desire to take the first steps towards thinking, living and being more intentionally sustainable, both for yourself and for the planet, then this is the group and the awareness challenge for you.

The Facebook group “Sustain Yourself, Sustain the Planet” opens on June 20th and the free challenge “The Becoming Challenge” starts on July 1st. There will be some exciting prizes and please feel free to join any time as the questions are simple and you can catch up easily (and I am available to help).

Excited to see you over on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/827989254793130 or follow the link in my IG BIO @trace.over.it