Consciousness Today

Yesterday’s quote from walkthetalk.com’s daily motivation newsletter was:

Awareness is the first step to positive change — Leslie C. Aguilar

Awareness, as used above, is not about knowing what is going on in the outside world so much as knowing what is happening internally as a result of the outside world. In spite of all the things we actually do (cook, clean, sleep, go to the gym, go to church, sustain relationships, email, talk on the phone, work) we do very little of it aware of what is happening in each moment, aware of how we are being influenced, or what we are putting into our minds and bodies. Chances are, because of our long lists of responsibilities, during one activity we are thinking of the myriad things we will have to do next, tomorrow, next week, or next month, creating stress, anxiety and unease. However, as Eckhart Tolle so magically put it (in “The Power of Now“), nothing ever happened in the past and nothing has happened in the future. Anything that has ever happened occurred in the now moment, meaning it is crucial that the now is where we focus our energy, our love and our acceptance.

The truth is there is a spark of Absolute Good within each of us. And I believe that deep down, each of us desires to act, live and love from that place of Good. However, we are distracted. We have been told things about ourselves that are not true (unworthy, poor, sinner, stupid, lazy), we sometimes surround ourselves with people and situations that bring us down, and we’ve lost sight of our individual paths chasing vague, race-to-the-top dreams.

Oprah often comments that in so many ways many of us live life unconsciously. So the idea is to reconnect. The idea is to experience that Good within ourselves in each life moment: in traffic, in arguments, in the 10th hour at work, in relaxation, in relationships, in single-hood, in debt and in wealth. What does it require? Well, it will require positive change. It requires thinking about ourselves and others differently. We will have to change our assumptions. We will assume that only good comes to us, and only good comes from us (Say it, “only good comes to me. Only good comes from me.” Felt good, right?). We will have to assume the best in others, and assume they are acting from the good within themselves. And perhaps most importantly, we will assume that this will be very challenging work. But it will be worth it. If we want stronger relationships, more job fulfillment, healthier spiritual lives, bodies and habits, we will have to work for it. But, it will be the best work of our lives.

So, stay tuned and stay with me. The goal is to offer day-to-day, practical ideas and tips for turning ordinary life occurrences into experiences of the Divine. I truly believe that there is only Good and from time to time we’ll talk about it