You can’t change what you’re not aware of. You owe it to yourself & the world to keep growing.

Just as an example of how we can grow in our awareness, let me tell you a story… I grew up in Texas where tornadoes are a common occurrence. I remember hearing the sirens all the time growing up… & I even vividly remember a time that I stood in front of a doorway – the door blew open because of the storm & I was face to face with a swirling dark sky & harsh winds. The funny thing is that I don’t even know if that memory is real, but I can see it in my head, even as I type this… I can remember feeling scared & out of control. Haha, I know that sounds weird… & yet similar to my experience – often, we find ourself in moments or circumstances, & how we feel or how we see life/something, or even someone – seems so real & we expect that our reality is everyone else’s. The truth is that what we feel & what we see (in the natural) is not always the reality we should be living according to. 

Like the storm I explained above, there are times that you can get so wrapped up in a moment or a memory – that you cannot actually see or be aware of what is real at that moment. & you can even look back & create things in our mind & heart that seem so vivid to you even now… but these things could be holding you back. & if you never become aware of what is real, or even if you just decide to focus on what matters most – to help you move forward in a healthy manner… you will never carry authority in that area. If you stay stuck in believing that a storm or a hard time can reach or control you today – the past cripples your future & gives you no possibility to be healthy, when something triggers that memory or feeling. & instead of having authority over it, you will end up being led by your emotion or fear… You see, when storms come now – I am not in a panic, I do not carry an unreasonable fear about tornadoes… because I trust God with my life & I am AWARE that He is in control – even when I have no control. 

WE ALL HAVE WEAKNESSES. 

No one is exempt from weakness… & it is not easy to admit the things that you are weak in. Whether you are too sensitive, too strong, unaware, or overly-aware… We all have unpleasant things about us or even just things we haven’t conquered yet in life & yet there are feelings/memories that can seem so vivid & real – that it can be difficult to know what is worth giving your time or emotions to. Hard times, pain, difficult circumstances, & uncontrollable’s are all part of life – these things are all too REAL… & sometimes things happen that are beyond our understanding & often are out of our control. We have a responsibility with what we do with our lives. We have the power to respond to a situation HOW WE WANT TO! & too often I want a different outcome, but I am not willing to first find solutions… We cannot just observe the problems & point the finger & expect change. Gandhi once said, 

Be the change you wish to see in the world. 

The truth is that the change you want in your life – begins with the change inside of you. It is easy to point the finger at others or blame others for your short-comings, but it takes a mature person to get real & grow. This is something I am REALLY working on right now in my life… before I give up or blame, I want to look at myself & ask how I can change the situation – because I get better IN THE situation, even if I cannot CHANGE the situation! Below are some questions you can ask yourself to get started: 

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself in order to begin the steps that enable you to grow your awareness:

1. What is something you continue to struggle with? 

2. Why do you let it continue to hold you back?

3. What can you do to get better right now? 

Have you ever asked yourself where you are truly weak or at least looked at areas you can grow in? Have you been real about where you fall short or the things you continually struggle with? If you do not choose to look at something that may not be that pleasant, how can you fix, heal, or grow it?!? I find when I have hurt or pain in my life, if I do not look at it – the pain doesn’t register right away. For example: if I fall & hurt myself… & I do not look at the wound, it doesn’t hurt at first. & as soon as I look at it – PAIN rushes my body & I don’t like that feeling. So, it would be natural the next time I fall or hurt myself – to not want to look at it. However, I cannot heal properly if I do not understand the damages, clean the wound, or even get help. I may be tempted to just act like it never happened – I may feel pain eventually but at least on a level I am in control. Living life this way is dangerous, somehow we think we are protecting our selves, when in fact we are prolonging the healing process & maybe even causing more damage. (I am sure there is an area of your life you can relate this example to – like me, it hits almost too close to home.)

I challenge you to follow the 3 step process listed above… Ask yourself: WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH? Then take ownership… You are the only one responsible for you! So, whatever is not working IN YOU – will not work THROUGH YOU. The next step is to ask: WHY YOU CONTINUE TO LET IT HOLD YOU BACK? This can be a person, a situation, an immaturity, or insecurity… Get real, & look at it – there is a reason (or most likely an excuse) of why you won’t move forward. The last thing you need to do is think about: HOW CAN YOU GET BETTER? You may not want to admit it, but you can ALWAYS get better… you can ALWAYS grow.

My dad always tells me, “YOU ARE YOUR ONLY LIMIT.”

I personally don’t want to continue to limit myself… & as I step into my 30th year of life, I don’t just want to be better, I WANT TO ACTUALLY GET BETTER.  I have realized…

WHEN YOU BECOME AWARE OF SOMETHING – YOU CAN HAVE AUTHORITY IN IT!

1. AWARENESS
2. ACTION
3. BECOME PROFICIENT
4. OPERATE IN AUTHORITY

My first step is to become aware. The next is to take action & after the action is taken, I can work on getting good at taking the action – (which always takes too long… haha.) But when you get good at taking action on what you have become aware of, you can actually have AUTHORITY in that area. So, the key is to first realize that the problem & the solution – usually lies within me. I have the ability to grow & be better… but it is up to me to take a good hard look & get real about where things are – so that I can grow to where I want to be. You cannot operate in a capacity you were handed, as my dad always says:

GROW THERE – SO YOU CAN GO THERE.

Let’s DO THIS TOGETHER!

♥