Awareness

One of the first parts of my journey was being consciously aware of the things going on around me. It was the first thing that started to come into focus for me in my journey. 

Once I started becoming more aware of what was going on around me, the world seemed to slow down. It was almost like I could take a few moments to respond rather than react to things in the present moment. It gave me some breathing room. I was no longer getting impatient because I missed a light and had to wait 2 minutes for it to change again.

Since I was slowing down more, I was able to notice little subtle guidance points that were acting as breadcrumbs and reflecting to me what I already knew to be true. Our intuition is gently nudging us to align with our higher purpose in life. I believe we all have a calling and a mission and being aware helps us with that alignment.

I remember 3 years ago being called to consciously meditate for the first time. I downloaded a few meditation apps a few months earlier but never really opened them. Something told me I needed to begin meditating and once I did, I never looked back.

Meditation allows me to focus inward, becoming better aware of what was going on around me. Since meditating helps block external distractions, it also can bring up things you have been keeping inside. It allows you to connect with yourself and helps limit overthinking and trusting more in your intuition.

Once I began to get comfortable with not relying on external things as a distraction. I began to notice how distracted I really was. How I was relying on different forms of external ideas, items, and things to keep me entertained or “busy.” 

I try to take time each week to get off my phone and go out into the world distraction-free. I’ll often sit in a coffee shop and people-watch and sit for a while.

Your mind may resist this at first because you are so used to being distracted. This is the same reason why many people express that they cannot meditate because of their busy mind.

This is entirely normal. If you work out, you know that you will not be able to run a marathon after your first day working out at the gym. The same goes for meditation. It takes practice and taking time for yourself to clear your mind. 

Once we begin to open ourselves up to the possibilities of just being aware, you will begin to wonder what took you so long to get here.