How to Keep Your Awareness: Seven Steps to Staying Alert and Engaged
In Carlos Castenada's books, the shaman Don Juan advises, "Don't let the eagle eat your awareness.
" The idea of awareness may be new to some.
If you look around you, you will see many who operate at a low level of awareness, not thinking purposefully, just going with the stimulation around, not aware that awareness is possible.
A couch potato is letting others, through electronic media, do his thinking.
A party girl who feels dead when it's time to go home is letting music and the bustle around her do her thinking.
These people are lost.
Awareness is you.
To practice a higher level of awareness here and now, follow these steps: 1) Take your awareness pulse one or more times a day.
Ask yourself, "Am I paying attention?" For example, you are sitting around a table at a cafe with friends.
Does anyone monitor the conversation? Do you or others attempt to steer the conversation to make it satisfying or does the talk just go off on pointless tangents? Is there mostly talking and not much listening? Do you acknowledge what others say? Not that you have to agree, but let them know you hear them.
2) Trust your best thoughts and feelings.
When you have a choice between a positive and negative interpretation of a situation, let upset thoughts and feelings float away.
Stay steady.
Use your best thoughts.
For example, your daughter tracks across the newly washed kitchen floor in muddy shoes.
Your first thought is that she knows better.
Your second thought is that children need many chances to learn what you expect.
Choosing the second thought makes you a kinder and more effective parent.
The practice of choosing the better thought will help you find your power.
3) Know that you are powerful.
You are able to do far more than you've been led to believe.
You can use strong thoughts to create a helpful presence among family and friends and on work crews.
For example, you are a crew boss and there is a deadline to meet.
A ton of vegetables has to be loaded and ready to go by five in the morning.
Your best loader calls in sick.
You know that swearing at the other loader and blaming the King of France is a waste.
Perhaps you borrow a loader from another department.
By keeping your mental power focused, you get the truck ready.
4) Observe life and trust your take.
Although we may have been discouraged from trusting ourselves in the past, we can rekindle our powers of observation.
Self trust is the foundation for all of life.
For example, the year is 1389 and you are a housewife chatting with others on market day.
One of the wives says, "Lords eat servant babies.
" You say, "Oh? I've never seen a lord eat a human baby.
Have you?" The other woman says, "Well, no, but...
" Unless you've seen it yourself or heard it from someone you trust, doubt this tidbit.
When evaluating information, know the source.
5) Be aware of the messages movies and music lyrics send.
For example, you like country music and you are listening to a song that says, "All men betray.
" Ask yourself what the woman in the song might have contributed to her own unhappiness.
Not that men are always trustworthy.
But you don't let this song put you in an attitude toward men.
6) Use imagination to see the consequences of your actions.
For example, your best friend's woman starts flirting with you.
What a rush! But while those hormones and hopes of love course through you, fast forward to when he finds out.
A chaos of bad feelings where no one wins.
As in the old song, "The pleasure of love lasts but a moment; the regrets last a lifetime.
" Say, "Katie, I like you.
But you'd have to be free and clear before I could go with you.
" 7) Be your own most aware friend.
If you think you have not yet been told the whole truth about life, keep looking and studying.
The truth is amazing and it is there to be found, not only awareness and knowledge of what's going on, but tools for life.
Man has put up so many false and incomplete philosophies that anyone can get discouraged.
(Philosophy means an idea of what's going on and how to live.
) We live in an age of miracles.
Don't settle for anything less than a great life.
On this path, the eagle will not eat your awareness even at death.
Take your awareness practice a step at a time.
Knowing that higher levels of awareness are possible is a good beginning.
Awareness and happiness go hand in hand.
Have a great adventure.
" The idea of awareness may be new to some.
If you look around you, you will see many who operate at a low level of awareness, not thinking purposefully, just going with the stimulation around, not aware that awareness is possible.
A couch potato is letting others, through electronic media, do his thinking.
A party girl who feels dead when it's time to go home is letting music and the bustle around her do her thinking.
These people are lost.
Awareness is you.
To practice a higher level of awareness here and now, follow these steps: 1) Take your awareness pulse one or more times a day.
Ask yourself, "Am I paying attention?" For example, you are sitting around a table at a cafe with friends.
Does anyone monitor the conversation? Do you or others attempt to steer the conversation to make it satisfying or does the talk just go off on pointless tangents? Is there mostly talking and not much listening? Do you acknowledge what others say? Not that you have to agree, but let them know you hear them.
2) Trust your best thoughts and feelings.
When you have a choice between a positive and negative interpretation of a situation, let upset thoughts and feelings float away.
Stay steady.
Use your best thoughts.
For example, your daughter tracks across the newly washed kitchen floor in muddy shoes.
Your first thought is that she knows better.
Your second thought is that children need many chances to learn what you expect.
Choosing the second thought makes you a kinder and more effective parent.
The practice of choosing the better thought will help you find your power.
3) Know that you are powerful.
You are able to do far more than you've been led to believe.
You can use strong thoughts to create a helpful presence among family and friends and on work crews.
For example, you are a crew boss and there is a deadline to meet.
A ton of vegetables has to be loaded and ready to go by five in the morning.
Your best loader calls in sick.
You know that swearing at the other loader and blaming the King of France is a waste.
Perhaps you borrow a loader from another department.
By keeping your mental power focused, you get the truck ready.
4) Observe life and trust your take.
Although we may have been discouraged from trusting ourselves in the past, we can rekindle our powers of observation.
Self trust is the foundation for all of life.
For example, the year is 1389 and you are a housewife chatting with others on market day.
One of the wives says, "Lords eat servant babies.
" You say, "Oh? I've never seen a lord eat a human baby.
Have you?" The other woman says, "Well, no, but...
" Unless you've seen it yourself or heard it from someone you trust, doubt this tidbit.
When evaluating information, know the source.
5) Be aware of the messages movies and music lyrics send.
For example, you like country music and you are listening to a song that says, "All men betray.
" Ask yourself what the woman in the song might have contributed to her own unhappiness.
Not that men are always trustworthy.
But you don't let this song put you in an attitude toward men.
6) Use imagination to see the consequences of your actions.
For example, your best friend's woman starts flirting with you.
What a rush! But while those hormones and hopes of love course through you, fast forward to when he finds out.
A chaos of bad feelings where no one wins.
As in the old song, "The pleasure of love lasts but a moment; the regrets last a lifetime.
" Say, "Katie, I like you.
But you'd have to be free and clear before I could go with you.
" 7) Be your own most aware friend.
If you think you have not yet been told the whole truth about life, keep looking and studying.
The truth is amazing and it is there to be found, not only awareness and knowledge of what's going on, but tools for life.
Man has put up so many false and incomplete philosophies that anyone can get discouraged.
(Philosophy means an idea of what's going on and how to live.
) We live in an age of miracles.
Don't settle for anything less than a great life.
On this path, the eagle will not eat your awareness even at death.
Take your awareness practice a step at a time.
Knowing that higher levels of awareness are possible is a good beginning.
Awareness and happiness go hand in hand.
Have a great adventure.
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