“Who Do You Think You Are?”
One of the casualties of our time is the reduction of…well, time. By that I mean the steady erosion of what may be considered “available” time—time free of electronic distractions, scheduled events/activities, unscheduled events/activities and the myriad other “things” that eat up a day. I refer to this as a casualty, because this perceived loss of time can also seem to remove opportunities for generating deeper awareness.
When I refer to “generating deeper awareness” I am not suggesting spending untold hours in contemplative quiet. This is not about sitting Zen or living in hermitages or reciting mantra’s, although, all are good and fine if they resonate. What I am referring to is becoming present to and aware of the brisk current of modern-day life, which has the seductive power to yank us into a default trance-like state. Being present is a state of deeper awareness, by its very nature.
The fruits of deeper awareness are infinite.
Cultivating a deeper awareness helps us to know who we are, what we value, what is truly meaningful to us, how we want to live our life. We are better able to move away from a lifetime of conditioning and default behavior to one of conscious choice. We can begin to see patterns that may be self-limiting, that minimize our opportunities to experience deeper joy and fulfillment. Without deeper awareness we are likely to operate on auto-pilot…handy if you’re a Boeing 777, not so handy (or fulfilling) if you’re a human being.
Professionally, deeper awareness can help us recognize where and when we are in (or out) of alignment with both work and/or our work environment.
Many people complain about the suitability of their work experience, but do not take the time to recognize and understand why. Why does it feel off? Why does that matter? What is missing? What do you want instead? Beyond the general emotional or mental frustration, deeper awareness can bring clarity and relevant insight. Just feeling lousy changes nothing and gets us nowhere.
Regardless of how busy your day and your life may feel, consider doing yourself the great honor of dedicating time and attention to deepening your awareness.
We are more than herd animals. We are more than programmed workers/consumers. We are more than Pavlov-ian dogs. Take the time to get clear about the “more.” You begin, by sincerely asking yourself, who do you think you are?
Create a calm moment to help cultivate awareness. These “6 Ways” can help you create that moment at work.