Awareness is the starting point of every quest. Without awareness, we flounder along the path without any direction or purpose. Awareness is the knife that cuts the clutter away from life and shows you the clear path ahead.
Eckhart Tolle eloquently said:
“You are the sky. The clouds are what happens, what comes and goes.”
Hundreds of thoughts might be going through your mind at any one time. You may have a challenge at work, or have been fired, or have problems in a relationship. But these thoughts, often have no particular direction or purpose. You need to go deeper, to become the sky in the metaphor. That way, you become the all-encompassing watcher of your thoughts. And this sets you on the path of self-awareness.
Awareness means achieving greater clarity and honesty when looking at all aspects of your life. You understand what others are trying to communicate to you on a deeper and more realistic level, you’re able, to be honest with yourself about your faults and your positive traits, and you have a greater ability to lead.
Heightened awareness comes from self-awareness. Awareness reveals your inner presence. Great leaders have heightened awareness. They have clarity about who they are. Heightened awareness includes
accepting that we are responsible for our actions, expectations and beliefs and how they influence what we do, noticing our patterns (good and bad) and working towards changing our not-so-good behaviors and emotions so that we transform them to our advantage.
A great awareness builder is to write a regular journal. There is no one particular way to do this. The key is what suits you. It can be as little as jotting down few bullets before you go to bed. Ask yourself: What did I learn about myself at work today? What did I learn at home? What made me happy or unhappy today and why?
In the corporate world, being aware of the mood of employees and different teams always offers insights. You need to know whether the employees feel they are valued, contributing, engaged and learning or whether they feel demotivated, devalued, and taken advantage of. You also have a deep understanding of what else is going on in your business. You are aware of what is most important and are able to do less and achieve more. Heightened awareness is what takes your leadership game to the next level!