Awareness.
Very often people ask us what the difference is between a ‘Being on Mission program’ and other leadership programs. We explain then that we don’t work so much on skills, but more on awareness.
For some people this is a vague concept. That’s why we want to give some more thoughts into the concept of ‘awareness’.
We work on three levels of awareness:
- Unknowingly unwise; I’m not aware that I am unconsciously.
- Knowing unconsciously; I realize that I have been unconsciously of my own thoughts and emotions, but I can’t do much about it yet.
- Awareness; I’m aware of my own thoughts and emotions and I can also act on them.
This already explains that awareness is a process where you slowly come to realize. Having insight goes even further; insight is the state in which you come to realize. You get insight in the patterns in your life, insight in your thoughts, whether they are helping or just restrictive. Insight in your fears, that keep you from making the right choices, causing you not becoming successful or happy. Those patterns make that you live from a unconsciously programming. The turning point thus is that je become aware of the influence that you subconsciousness has on the current situation. Sometimes you need someone else for this, someone that makes you aware of the fact that you do something or that your actions have a certain effect. I once got such an ‘eye-opener’ from a colleague. After we knew each other on the job for a few weeks, this colleague told me that she actually thought that turned out to be quite nice! The first impression that I had given was so different and I wasn’t aware of that. By her feedback I became aware of the possible effect of my behaviour and appearance on other people.
The psycho-analyst Carl Gustav Jung already wrote about the fact that the average human being is aware for only 5% and thus for 95% goes through life unaware. From everything we think, feel and experience, only a small part is aware. By nature we decide out of avoidance of pain and fear; this has to do with enlarging our chances on surviving. At the same time we are pleasure seekers; we like it nice and easy!
So it’s very important that you become aware of your thoughts, emotions, actually everything what happens on a deeper level inside of you. Maybe you discover that you have certain believes which actually really get in your way.
If you dare to feel and face your thoughts, you will be able to change them. Awareness makes it possible that you can change your limiting thoughts, making you able to make other choices; not being busy with avoiding, but getting started with achieving goals. Awareness is thus a process in your personal development, a process that in fact will never stop; life keeps giving you challenges. And how fun is that!
