Awareness Builds Clarity (ABC)

In modern life, we tend to believe that clarity comes from having more information. That makes sense, right? That seems pretty logical, doesn’t it? Consider this. We look to read more articles, we watch more movies and documentaries, we ask more opinions, and we seek more advice all in the hopes of finding that one significant and meaningful piece of information that will change our lives from super dramatic all the way down to the normal and insignificant areas of life. We think that information will finally and ultimately tell us what to do and how to do it. But despite our best efforts and the fact that information holds a high level of worth and value, clarity often and many times comes from somewhere else completely. Clarity frequently comes from awareness.

In coming up with what I am about to share, I always go into things trying to keep it simple and practical so that anyone can benefit. This go-round I came up with my version of “ABC” – Awareness Builds Clarity.

So, at first glance, I believe it’s pretty straightforward. There is no underlining or disguised meaning involved. It’s just simply, the more aware we become, the more clearly, we are able to see. Many of us spend our time and days moving quickly without stopping to consider what awareness actually means. I don’t use the term awareness to only mean paying attention to what is happening around us on its own. It’s also about noticing what is happening within us.

Mindful awareness is known to recognize the emotions that are subject to arise during challenging times and within difficult conversations. It is also noticing the assumptions that we can casually, consciously and subconsciously, make about others. Furthermore, it is instrumental in becoming aware of the myriads of stories we tell ourselves about ourselves – our successes, our failures, our relationships, and our future. But one of the most important things we see within the strength of awareness is its ability to observe these things and many others, without casting immediate judgment. This sits immediately positioned at the threshold of clarity.

Our lives are poised to automatically react. When we become frustrated, what do we do? We react. If we are afraid, we tend to automatically withdraw. Or what about in times of our excitement, we often rush ahead without thought or consideration. In our momentum, as these things quickly occur, we rarely realize that they are occurring in that moment. However, when we open the door to mindfulness and allow awareness to enter the picture, there is a small but important space between the experience of it and the response to it. Looking into that space we begin to see more clarity emerge.

So, what’s the other side of that look like? Well, maybe what looks like anger is actually a form of disappointment. Or maybe we discover that the fear we have been holding on to is actually rooted in something old and not the present moment that we are living in. And that goal we’ve been chasing and rushing to get to in reality is something we have inherited from another person’s wants and desires rather than something that is authentically of a matter to us. With awareness, the situation does not always change, but our understanding of it transforms. And that understanding often changes everything.

Clarity does not exist without its own set of misconceptions. It may not arrive as a sudden revelation. But it might. More than often, it will emerge gradually through a repeated set of moments of observation and noticing. It is paying attention to the patterns and emotions in life while examining what captures our attention. The process itself is neither difficult nor too complicated to complete. But it does require intention. As time goes on and the more we gather and become of our thoughts, habits, behaviors, and the things which motivate us, the more clearly we understand the world around us and our place within it. So, for me, “Awareness Builds[ing] Clarity” is appropriate and resonates deeply with me.

Awareness doesn’t solve every problem. Clarity doesn’t guarantee all the answers. But awareness points to what is really there instead of what we assume or expect it to be. In that place is the Rebirth.

Stay Mindful…

Rebirth