A guest post by Justin Dixon of A little Better.net
If I had to pick one single thing that it takes to really make your life better I would have to answer awareness, but how do we gain this awareness, and more importantly awareness of what? The thing is that awareness requires a point to focus on.
In fact once you know what you want to focus on, awareness will follow. One quick example of this is that if you focus on a color, that color is going to start standing out to you everywhere. In that moment you are aware of that color.
Now the awareness I’m talking about isn’t just that moment when your thinking about something. The awareness I’m talking about has to be a lifestyle. So what are the 11 things that you should be aware of?
Be aware of what you believe.
We rarely believe what we think we do. There is an easy fix for this. What beliefs do you act on? As you start identifying things that you have said you believe or that you want to believe than stop. Before you start being hard on yourself, ask yourself why? Why don’t you believe those things. There may be a very good reason for you not fully believing in something the way you thought you did. Just being aware of this, can make your actions more mindful, and your convictions stronger.
Be aware that it is easy to be wrong.
It can be so infuriating when people insist on their way when you know that their way is wrong. What you need to be aware of here is how would you know it if you were wrong? How would you want others around you to handle this? Take your answers here and use them to remember patience. Use them to decide how to act, and just to be aware that you have just as good a chance of being wrong as someone else does.
Be aware of your feelings and thoughts.
It is easier than ever to ignore our thoughts. We constantly have something going on, there is always something that we have to do, and on some days it just seems like it may never end. Our thoughts, however, and our feelings, don’t just go away. They end up impacting our attitudes and our every actions. They are there for a reason. Make sure that you take time to sort out your thoughts. Keep a journal, meditate, do whatever it is that you need to do for this. Just paying attention to what we are thinking can help us identify thought patterns that we need to change, and actions that we need to take.
Be aware that we all need little reminders sometimes.
You know the answers for your life. Its your life, but sometimes we all need gentle reminders. Sometimes we need to remember to be humble, sometimes we need to remember to believe in ourselves more. What things would you like to be reminded of on a regular basis, and how can you remind others of these things?
Be aware of everyday miracles.
Its very easy to get used to what is around us everyday, but this does not make it any less miraculous. We can focus on everything that goes wrong, or we can focus on the fact that not everything does. Look at the age we live in. There are real miracles happening everyday, and I challenge you to look for them.
Be aware of how you present yourself.
Do you leave the impressions you want to leave? Why? Why not? What is it that you could do better? Is there a way you could change how you present yourself that would be more honest? Is there a way you could change something in your presentation that would help you be more successful? This includes speech patterns, how you where your clothes, whether you put thought into this or not. It is far easier to not realize when we give the wrong impression, so just asking yourself these questions can make a big difference. Appearance may not be reality, but sometimes its all we have to go on.
Be aware of how your actions impact others.
This one is a challenge to you. I’m not going to tell you how to behave, that is entirely your business. I am however going to ask you to take a close look at how your actions effect others. I am willing to bet (and I’m not a betting man) that just wondering about how your actions affect others will help you become a more likeable person in some way or another.
Be aware of how your actions affect yourself.
We have our own sense of right and wrong, but there are so many different philosophies, and people that are convinced that there standard of right and wrong is the only way that you can live your life. Here’s a new standard, pay attention to how you feel about your actions. Do not take actions that make you feel bad. This does not mean, don’t ever do chores or work, this means, do things that are worth doing, and see how that leaves you feeling. Its no up to me to tell you what those things are, its up to you.
Be aware of how powerful small things can be.
It all adds up. When you step in to a room, and it smells nice, you notice. A meal cooked for you at the end of the day, when you are dead tired, can make all the difference. I challenge you to start a list of the small things that make a difference for you. How you act on them from there is up to you.
Be aware of this moment.
This is the only time there is, and it is sacred. What is it that makes up a moment? What is it that is important at this moment? What can we do to keep this moment sacred.
Be aware of who you are becoming.
Every moment we have a new opportunity to make ourselves into something new. How we do this is with the thoughts we choose to dwell on, and with the actions we choose to take. A man becomes a liar by lying, and he becomes honest by telling the truth. Let all of these things help you become a little better.
Every form of awareness that I have listed here is going to take time to learn. These are thought habits, and some of them will have to replace old habits.
No one succeeds without failing at some point before their success. So my hope here is that you will attempt, to practice this kind of awareness.
Just choosing to think about these things will make you a more aware human being, and through this you can become just a little better.
Read more by Justin on his blog A little Better.net.
titlephoto by Toni Blay
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful, Justin and Mary! I would add “Be aware that your inaction could very well be a missed opportunity to make a tremendous impact.”
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Inaction is a tough one. One of my all time favorite quotes is that you miss 100% of the shots you never take.
Justin Dixon´s last blog ..How to Keep the Economy in Perspective
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Awareness is the first stip and in agreement with Belinda, would add that Action is the second step. Crossing that knowing-doing gap is paramount to happiness/success. As Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) – English Statesman and Novelist once said, “Action may not always bring happiness but there is no happiness without action.”
Dee
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Action is definite, but I would find it difficult to be fully aware of something and not take action because of it. Its kind of like saying “don’t look down there’s a really big hole there.” You are than made aware of the possibility of a hole. Action follows.
Justin Dixon´s last blog ..How to Keep the Economy in Perspective
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Be aware of who you are becoming. This is excellent. I know that for most people this may be a challenge, because this requires the individual to look within. This is a choice the individual needs to make, for positve results.
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Its a caution to others just as much as it is a caution to myself. Often times we can do harmful things and become very unpleasant all with the best intentions in mind.
Justin Dixon´s last blog ..How to Keep the Economy in Perspective
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I am not being very zen here I’m sure, and I might even be opening myself to ridicule as an object lesson about the post, but I’m getting rather frustrated on one point.
This article talks about awareness and self-presentation, among other things. Yet it is full of language issues. Right in the presentation section there’s “where” instead of “wear.” There’s “there” instead of “their” in several spots. There are dropped words. And there’s more.
I realize that none of us is perfect. I certainly am not. It’s always easy to make mistakes. But this level of mistakes suggests an ironic lack of awareness and not caring about presentation.
All right, flame away.
Dee-Ann LeBlanc´s last blog ..Article: Alert: What’s Coming for Open Source CMS in December 2009
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I try, I fail, I get up again and I try again. I care about presentation, and I make mistakes. He who has never failed has never tried. If you have some good resources for me to get better than please offer them. If not, that at least try something yourself, and show the world how it should be done.
Justin Dixon´s last blog ..How to Keep the Economy in Perspective
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@Dee-Ann
Thanks for pointing out the spelling mistakes.
I’m always grateful for people pointing out gremlins. Often kind people send me a heads-up by email to let me know about mistakes. It makes me scramble into action. I don’t know how it is for you, but no matter how often I read a completed post, I tend to miss a gremlin or two. I think they hop into the text, just after I’ve edited it.
Nobody’s going to flame at your here at Goodlife Zen. We’re a peaceful community – and you are welcome here, Dee-Ann!
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Mary: Like I said, I am far from perfection! I’ve been a professional writer for 15 years and I’ve seen all kinds of things slip not just by me, but teams of editors. These days it’s getting worse for everyone because so many publishers are laying off copy editors, the very people whose job it was to save us from ourselves that way. And of course most bloggers don’t have the luxury of one at all.
Justin: Here’s a pretty good list of common ones: http://trickster.org/arduinna/homonym.html … I’m also asking on a writers’ site I hang out on. If you’re into doing searches for research, the term is “homophone” for words that sound the same (a word that a web search reminded me existed). There’s some on that list I have a problem with, like principal/principle. Another good one is http://www.writingforward.com/category/grammar/homophones.
I do try to lead by example, and I try to not be bitchy at people. Part of it was just kind of my irony meter going off.
Now I’m pondering what a zen flame would be.
Dee-Ann LeBlanc´s last blog ..Article: Alert: What’s Coming for Open Source CMS in December 2009
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@ Dee-Ann
Thanks for your help!
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@Dee-Ann – thanks for your most helpful resources – it is amazing how these gremlins can creep in.
As for a Zen Flame, I reckon it is simply a very cooling, uplifting, gentle breeze of warm, positive vibes.
At least that’s how I would like to imagine it to be – just the thought of it makes me all feel zen-like:-)
I can feel a future article bubbling out from me soon – watch this space…
Arvind Devalia´s last blog ..Catch a Bus to Juice up Your Life!
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