johnmdemarco posted on June 29, 2010 15:14
As I’ve noted here, so many of the books I’ve felt drawn toward across the past couple of years have centered around the concept of increasing self-awareness—in particular, purposeful consciousness of one’s own thought tendencies.
This morning I was reflecting on the disconnect that can sometimes exist between becoming more aware of one’s thought patterns, and actually allowing the thought patterns to become transformed. At what point does a person truly think differently as a result of days, weeks or months of intentionally observing their habitual mind patterns?
For me, a key barometer of when I’ve actually begun to “think differently” is my mood. Is it light, winsome, heavy, melancholy? Is it glass half-full or half-empty?
As I make the effort to dissect my mood, I find its root cause lies within the thought patterns themselves. At this point it is important to ask, “What is the quality of this ‘running commentary’ in my mind… and is the commentary the result of recent circumstances or simply habitual, entrenched thought patterns set in motion by previous circumstances?” In other words, “Do I have valid reasons to be thinking in this manner?”
These questions only deepen the abandonment of ambition in favor of awareness, increasing the likelihood that the thought patterns will continue to be transformed to a healthier, more hopeful running commentary. This leads to a more consistent, upbeat mood, and this mood expresses itself through words and deeds that sow good will, build bridges and knock down barriers.
But it all begins by the desire to become more aware.