AprilA2Z

#AtoZChallenge | Awareness

/ Luanne Shernisky / Leave a comment

A swan swimming with it's image mirrored on the water.
Image by Krzysiek from Pixabay

Awareness is a state of having knowledge or consciousness.

Whether it’s being aware of your surroundings or of your own self, it does take mindful effort. Unlike the Zen masters who are trained to be in a perpetual state of awareness, the average person is not.

That’s mainly due to the disciplined instruction those masters undergo and the lifestyles they lead. I doubt that a day in the life of a Zen master looks anything like ours!

However, we’re all capable of learning to be more aware.

Self-awareness means being aware of your own identity, which is unique to each person. Our abilities, thoughts, and experiences make up who we are and how we see ourselves. Our minds store information about past events that condition how we feel and react to similar things in the future.

It’s important to notice these responses and identify any preconceptions or conditioning. Only then can we make the necessary changes to become more self-aware.

“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.” ~Abraham Maslow

Psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of the best-seller Emotional Intelligence (EI), believes that self-awareness is the key to EI. Being able to manage our emotions and thoughts as they occur enable us to act consciously versus reacting passively.

Studies have shown that self-aware people are generally more mindful and self-reflective, as well.  

So, how do we become more self-aware? There’s lots of great advice out there, but I found the following items helped me when I was seeking to know myself better:

  • Honesty – It’s crucial to be impartial when doing a self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses; you must be honest.
  • Journaling – Recording daily events and how you react to them, noting the accompanying emotions. This can help identify reactionary patterns that may need adjusting.
  • Mindfulness in communications – Becoming a better listener to yourself and others. This includes body language and any “automatic” responses…without judging. 
  • New perspectives – The goal is to gain clarity of the relationship you have with yourself and other people.

Know Thyself

The Ancient Greek aphorism “know thyself” is a challenge for everyone. We all possess a particular worldview, shaped by societal factors such as: economics, religion, education level, family size and structure.

Changing that worldview isn’t easy and was years in the making. It took a life-altering event to realize that I didn’t truly know or appreciate myself. The choices I made were based on preconceived notions of who I thought I was. Comparable to peeling away layers of wallpaper, it was a joy to finally reach the real “me.” Unencumbered with the old fear and doubt, I was able to grow in wonderful ways.

I bought the framed aphorism above, which states “gnōthi seauton” (know thyself) and placed it in a prominent spot. This is my daily reminder that self-awareness must be ongoing in order to live an authentic life.

And anything less than authentic is phony.

Blogging From A to Z Challenge Badge

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal | Mindfulness

/ Luanne Shernisky / 2 Comments

ThemeRevealIt’s that time of year again… for the A to Z Challenge!

For those of you new to blogging this is an annual event held every April and challenges us to write daily during the month.

The letters of the alphabet correspond with the days of the month: A with April 1st, B with April 2nd, and so on. Sundays are days off and not included in the schedule. 

The challenge is to write thematically to the day’s letter. There’s plenty of flexibility and room for creativity!  See all the details and sign up here.

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I attempted it last year, but stopped at letter G when my beloved kitty suddenly became ill with feline leukemia virus. I discovered that she had it when I adopted her and because there is no cure, I swore I wouldn’t let her suffer. So, within two days of the positive test results I took her back to the vet and said goodbye. My heart was broken and the desire to write was gone. 

My post for the letter G was already written and published. It talked about the importance of Goals. Knowing that I wouldn’t finish the challenge I wrote a second G post about Grief. And that’s all I felt for a long time.

My overarching theme last year was Intentional Living. This year I’ve decided on Mindfulness. While there is some overlap between the two, intentional living is any lifestyle based on an individual or group’s conscious attempts to live according to their values and beliefs.

The definition for mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.

I’ll write about subjects that correspond with the definition and practice of mindfulness, since that is the overall theme of my blog.

If you’re looking for a way to blog more regularly and need some prompts and/or inspiration, the A to Z Challenge might be just the ticket! 

Blogging From A to Z Challenge – Z

/ Luanne Shernisky / 1 Comment

zygote 2             Zygote

Life is a whim of several billion cells to be you for a while. ~ Author Unknown

“Z” is for zygote, as in the union of two separate cells, which form one.

A zygote (from Greek ζυγωτός zygōtos “joined” or “yoked”, from ζυγοῦν zygoun “to join” or “to yoke”), is a eukaryotic cell formed by a fertilization event between two gametes. The zygote’s genome is a combination of the DNA in each gamete, and contains all of the genetic information necessary to form a new individual. (Courtesy of wikipedia.org)

Ironically, for the final letter in our A to Z Challenge, I’ve chosen something that denotes a beginning!

The zygote is created when the female gamete (ovum) joins with the male gamete (sperm) during fertilization. This process is the same for plants, animals and humans. 

It never fails to amaze me that a tiny cell, like those pictured above, can grow into the engineering masterpiece that the human body is – and all in nine short months!

Two of the most interesting and informative classes I ever took in college were Human Anatomy and Physiology. I came away with an entirely new respect for how so many different parts, that perform vastly different tasks, all function in complete symbiosis!

Now, if we could only get the finished human products to work together with this same level of synergy and collaboration. We could pool a vast amount of intellect and creativity for the good of the planet…just imagine the possibilities!!