http://forum.desteni.org/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6833
7. Living the Principle of Self Awareness – to be aware, to see, to recognize my own thoughts and Mind, to be self honest to the extent where I can take responsibility for when I see my thoughts / Mind is not what is best for me / others and commit to immediately take responsibility and change for myself and so for others
Today I am exploring this Principle from The Desteni of Living, how I have and do live it in my life.
What is maybe one of the most difficult things for you to do it to realise that what's going on in your head is NOT justifiable and not acceptable. We live our lives thinking that we're always right and that we HAVE THE RIGHT to our so-called 'opinions' - so it's not very often that we admit that we're wrong, or that we're being an ass. So what does Self Awareness have to do with this? Self Awareness is being willing to investigate the validity and origin of your own thoughts, words and actions.
Self Awareness is not living according to the belief that you know best. Since this pretty much goes against your programming it's a difficult thing to do - it takes practice and self will to look into every aspect of who you think you are. It requires a discipline and responsibility that has become rare in this world - the discipline to investigate why you are doing whatever it is that you are doing - why you're having this thought and that emotion. What contributes to it being so difficult is that you were most likely taught that you are not in control of yourself - that you can't control your thoughts, emotions or feelings. That sense of powerlessness is usually enough to stop most people from ever trying to change their nature.
Now that I have possibly made this sound like it's nearly impossible, let me tell you about how it really is entirely possible.
The first thing that you need to do, especially in the beginning of your journey to Self Awareness, is assume that you are always wrong - question EVERYTHING. Especially in those moments when you firmly believe that you are right - that feeling of dedication to the position you have taken is very often a defense mechanism that your mind uses to trick you into thinking you're right and not even considering any other possibility. So that's what I do, every time I believe that I'm right I stop and breathe. I re-evaluate my position - every aspect of it - to see if I've missed anything or if I'm trying to protect some belief I have which is now causing me to delude myself.
Whenever I feel the surge of an emotion within me, I flag it. I look at the point practically: where did it come from? Why am I experiencing it? Why have I allowed this experience to continue? I look at whether there is a pattern that this has come from, some sequence of events that triggered this experience. I question whether the experience is beneficial in the bigger picture and if it is not then I flag the pattern for myself so that when it comes up again I can identify it immediately and stop.
Sure, there are moments where you get 'lost in the moment' - it happens. Don't beat yourself up about it, be practical about it, flag the experience for yourself so that you are better equipped to handle it in the future. The most important thing in this point that I have seen is your WILLINGNESS to walk through your experiences and to question them, to be open to investigate all possibilities to make sure that you are living what is best for everyone and not just trying to justify your personal opinions and experiences
7. Living the Principle of Self Awareness – to be aware, to see, to recognize my own thoughts and Mind, to be self honest to the extent where I can take responsibility for when I see my thoughts / Mind is not what is best for me / others and commit to immediately take responsibility and change for myself and so for others
Today I am exploring this Principle from The Desteni of Living, how I have and do live it in my life.
What is maybe one of the most difficult things for you to do it to realise that what's going on in your head is NOT justifiable and not acceptable. We live our lives thinking that we're always right and that we HAVE THE RIGHT to our so-called 'opinions' - so it's not very often that we admit that we're wrong, or that we're being an ass. So what does Self Awareness have to do with this? Self Awareness is being willing to investigate the validity and origin of your own thoughts, words and actions.
Self Awareness is not living according to the belief that you know best. Since this pretty much goes against your programming it's a difficult thing to do - it takes practice and self will to look into every aspect of who you think you are. It requires a discipline and responsibility that has become rare in this world - the discipline to investigate why you are doing whatever it is that you are doing - why you're having this thought and that emotion. What contributes to it being so difficult is that you were most likely taught that you are not in control of yourself - that you can't control your thoughts, emotions or feelings. That sense of powerlessness is usually enough to stop most people from ever trying to change their nature.
Now that I have possibly made this sound like it's nearly impossible, let me tell you about how it really is entirely possible.
The first thing that you need to do, especially in the beginning of your journey to Self Awareness, is assume that you are always wrong - question EVERYTHING. Especially in those moments when you firmly believe that you are right - that feeling of dedication to the position you have taken is very often a defense mechanism that your mind uses to trick you into thinking you're right and not even considering any other possibility. So that's what I do, every time I believe that I'm right I stop and breathe. I re-evaluate my position - every aspect of it - to see if I've missed anything or if I'm trying to protect some belief I have which is now causing me to delude myself.
Whenever I feel the surge of an emotion within me, I flag it. I look at the point practically: where did it come from? Why am I experiencing it? Why have I allowed this experience to continue? I look at whether there is a pattern that this has come from, some sequence of events that triggered this experience. I question whether the experience is beneficial in the bigger picture and if it is not then I flag the pattern for myself so that when it comes up again I can identify it immediately and stop.
Sure, there are moments where you get 'lost in the moment' - it happens. Don't beat yourself up about it, be practical about it, flag the experience for yourself so that you are better equipped to handle it in the future. The most important thing in this point that I have seen is your WILLINGNESS to walk through your experiences and to question them, to be open to investigate all possibilities to make sure that you are living what is best for everyone and not just trying to justify your personal opinions and experiences
Comments
Post a Comment