Self-awareness Comes In Waves

Between the World and You

Self-awareness comes in waves over the course of our lives. There are versions of this awareness that happen privately in our subconscious or as a result of our closest developmental relationships. And there are versions that happen publicly. Today I invite you to reflect on the role both private and public self-awareness have on the formation of your expectations for life and your position in it? Who does society, your community, your parents and partners say you should be and how much have you believed them? 

As we reimagine our futures it is important for us to look back at our lives, consider the elements of our upbringing that shape our understanding of the world, and our roles within it. Were you taught to be bright and open or shrink pieces of yourself to fit in? Did the world around you make you feel like you deserved access to safety and wellness? prosperity, and love? Or did you feel like there were rules you had to follow in order to have your basic needs met? 

If your identity is intersectional and/or you are a BIPOC or POC chances are many of the messages you received as a young person are being deconstructed and reimagined by society itself. There are things you may have struggled with privately that are now subjects of public discourse. America’s dirty laundry is on display and the conscious among us are being asked to come clean about the truth of our experiences of and participation in the status quo. 

As conscious participants in a changing world, how do you want to show up? Many of our unconscious choices have been made to either buy into or reject ideas that never belonged to us. It is likely that you are already in a space of critical consciousness and operate from a position of authority. In a world that isn’t always affirming, I think it’s safe to assume that you became the powerhouse you are today on purpose. There were likely a series of events that influenced you to be the kind of person who aims high. 

As you take the next step toward you, 3.0 (or 27.0 depending on how many stories from your past begin with “Aiight, so” and/or “What had happened was.”) pause and consider your ongoing relationship between your identity and your relationship with the barrage of messages from the world outside.