Self-Awareness

"He who conquers others is stong;

He who conquers himself is mighty."

~ Lao Tzu

Life seems to whoosh us along at a dizzying pace these days, leaving us exhausted and often without a clue regarding our greater purpose or a final destination. It's no wonder we sometimes sense the whole journey might be rather pointless.

Our twenty-first century culture expects quick results and an indefatigable commitment to the race if we hope to grab the prize at the end. We measure our progress in leaps rather than steps. We demand our information at high-speed, obsessively staying connected 24/7 to our ambitions with cell phone and laptop computer, fearing that "downtime" will somehow make us appear vulnerable. We consider a mere 40 hours in the workplace a lack of commitment...

And in the process we lose touch with our inner selves at the expense of our most cherished dreams and spiritual well-being... and of our authentic relationships with others.

Intuitively we know this. In fact, our curiosity about the effects of our rapid-paced lifestyle has generated a phenomenal market, in print and online, for information on ways to improve our lives. As an example, according to the Association of American Publishers, we purchase well over a billion dollars worth of books on spiritual and other self-help topics a year. That's encouraging. Though no one can say for sure how many of us have actually effected a lifestyle change from reading these books, it appears we're at least finally beginning to get the message: True healing – whether it be spiritual, physical, or mental - begins with examining our inner self.

That message – that our desires are the root of our suffering – is not new by any means; it is the foundation of virtually every spiritual belief system, past and present. When we become wired to our outward cravings, we invite into our lives greed, fear, anger, lust, conflict, regret, and a host of other symptoms of dis-ease. By doing so, we close out our own self-awareness and any chance we might have to experience real fulfillment in our life

Until we learn to reconcile our inner awareness with our outward actions, our lives hold little hope of ever having a true sense of purpose or meaning, much less fulfillment or even real joy.

Such reconciliation does not mean we should necessarily forego our ambitions: to rise to the top of our professions, to earn a nice income, to live comfortably, or even surround ourselves with beauty. Rather, self-awareness allows us to recognize that our outward desires offer only temporary gratification, and to expect any sort of permanent self-fulfillment on these alone can trap us in a vicious cycle, spawning disappointment and, when all is said and done, a life lived without real meaning, substance and depth.

By practicing self-awareness – through self-reflection, mindfulness, prayer or meditation - we ground ourselves in the Now and open the possibility of discovering more meaning in our lives. We begin to understand how our lives interconnect with all that is around us. How we create our own sorrows, pain, and disappointments, as well as our joys, well-being and triumphs.

Self-awareness is the anchor that keeps us grounded, reminding us that this often-hectic life does have a purpose to it, however madly it might seem to rush by at times.