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Becoming spiritually self-aware brings profound change into our lives by enabling us to forgive, to leave the past in the past, and treat others as we would like to be treated.
- We can do this without needing others to respond in kind or by allowing others to treat us poorly
- We become empowered to say 'no' to unreasonable demands or abusive treatment without feeling guilty, angry or resentful - without going on a drinking binge, or a shopping spree, or a cleaning frenzy, or whatever our favourite self-punishment
or medication happens to be
- We find ourselves less inclined to judge, criticize and condemn and instead show acts of kindness or service
We are all capable of acts of cruelty, given the right learning circumstances, so we must first acknowledge that we do have some negative:
Thoughts | Attitudes | Emotions | Beliefs | Desires
 It's all too easy to deny that we have negative thoughts, attitudes or emotions, but it's seldom our intention to have them. They just seem to happen, almost like a reflex. Try watching television without judging or criticizing! These habitual thought patterns easily slip by unnoticed. Constant repetition of such negative messages can only harm us, yet we say them to ourselves and others day in and day out. It's not that we're bad for having negative thoughts, attitudes and emotions; rather, it's up to us to recognize and change them. Our thoughts, attitudes and emotions (positive or negative) are the great equalizer, for we all have them - no matter who we are, or where we live, or what we do for a living.
It may be hard to believe, but our words actually reflect what's going on inside us. For example, thinking something as simple as, "At least I'm not like that person" expresses a self-righteous attitude. Here are some examples of everyday phrases that are loaded with hidden meaning.
| This pattern ... |
Sounds like this ... |
| Abandonment |
I'm mad at you so I'm not talking to you |
| Arrogance | It's ok if I break the rules. Rules are for everybody else |
| Greed | I don't want or need it, but I'm keeping it so that you can't have it |
| Judgment and Criticism |
It's good, except ... |
| Perfectionism | It has to be done this way, the right way, the only way |
| Resentment | I hate you and I will never forgive you |
| Revenge | I will make you pay for hurting me |
Food for thought To truly change self requires changing our thoughts, attitudes and emotions
The next steps on the road to self-awareness are to acknowledge
our inner child issues ( Section
2) and learn to meditate ( Section
3). These go hand in hand and are the means by which we become
self-aware.
Learning more of how we came to be the person we are today, through self-awareness, self-respect and resolution of inner child issues, our lives will take on new meaning. Through this process, the pain and negativity from the past seem to magically disappear, not because we're ignoring it or medicating it, but because we have truly dealt with it.
- What are the five components of our spiritual diet?
- What are the first three steps in becoming spiritually self-aware?
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