Awareness Without Begins From Within

Awareness is all too often directed outside of ourselves.

Photo by Jen Loong on Unsplash

When it comes to working on being aware, frequently we look at what is going on in the world without.

I know this where I get drawn away. Everything about the current political landscape of the United States tends to draw my attention. It is so damned easy to get upset about Trump and his insanities, the concentration camps being set up in this country, the never-ending struggle between Israel and the Palestinians, and so on.

When I let that grab ahold of my attention, that’s where my awareness goes.

While it’s important to be aware of this sort of thing, there is very little that I can do about it. Mindfulness, and the awareness that comes of knowing what I am thinking and what and how I am feeling, is where influence and control can be had.

True awareness comes from within

In my twenties, I was about as unaware of myself as a person can be. I went through the motions, held jobs, had a place to live, got involved in seriously wobbly relationships.

Then, not long after turning 27, I got hit by a car crossing the street. Waking up in the hospital with a severely broken leg, nerve damage to an arm, and the prospect of multiple surgeries and therapies, I…