Why Is Focus So Important to Self-Awareness?
Focus on what you can’t control, you cede your power
I’m not saying it’s not good to have a general idea of what is happening in the world at large – but when that’s your primary focus, you shouldn’t be surprised when it has all your time and attention.
Then you find you have less control over your life than you desire, and/or you feel like you’ve little to no control.
The primary issue is this – what you focus the most on is what you give your attention to. That means that if you focus on people, places, and/or things outside of yourself, you lose focus on yourself.
Control begins with active conscious awareness
Active conscious awareness is mindfulness. This is the act of being present, here and now, and aware of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions.
When you focus on your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions, you can see if they suit you – or not. And if not – you now have the power to change them.
That’s empowerment. Focus on yourself, and you empower yourself.
However, this probably leads to this question: Isn’t this selfish?
NO. Why not? Because self-care and self-awareness are not selfish.
Focus within versus without
Focus on what’s outside of you - the people, places, and things you have little to no control over – and you lose sight of yourself.
When you focus within, however, you empower yourself. That’s because when you focus within, you get clarity of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions.
Focusing within empowers you to take control of these and align them to best suit your life.
Why is this important?
In a culture where the idea of being “woke” has been weaponized to suggest that such awareness is bad should tell you everything about why this is important. Because the people “in power” – knowing that the truth is that it’s utterly fake – don’t want “woke” people. “Woke” people are awake, aware, and empowered.
When you turn your focus inwards, you gain clarity of your true needs, desires, likes, dislikes, and so on.
Focus within empowers you to change what you need/desire to change.
Empowerment is limitless. Everyone has the right to it, and almost all lack, scarcity, and insufficiency you encounter is artificial and intentionally disempowering.
This week’s Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool:
This week’s tool requires you to choose yourself.
For the next week, don’t watch any TV news programs. Avoid CNN, BBC News, the major networks, local news, all of it. Do not watch any news media.
Additionally – set a time limit for how long you allow yourself to surf any social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok – limit yourself to no more than 5-minute blocks on any of these sites – and try to keep this to no more than 3 times a day.
Then, at the end of the day, write down if you notice less tension, less stress, and any increase in your ability to focus on your life.
At the end of the week, if you can see a difference in how you’re thinking and feeling, and that you have greater focus within – consider continuing this for another week.
Repeat as often as it feels right or becomes a habit.
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Original cover art artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations