Are you CONSCIOUS?

What a silly question. But of course I am conscious. I am a human, and I know that I am a human so that means I am conscious.

While this is true, it only begins to touch on the topic of consciousness.

We are taught that as human beings, we are born with an innate ability to be conscious. We are aware of our existence and we know what we are – rather, we know THAT we are. This makes us conscious beings, no doubt.

But living a conscious life goes beyond our birth given right of being self-aware. It begins with our understanding of the self – an inward adventure into the deepest parts of you.

Who are you?

It would be simple to assume that we are the voice inside our heads. The voice that is always telling us how we see the world around us, the people in it, as well as ourselves. This little voice, which we often confuse as ourselves, tells us how to feel about situations and events that take place.

Consciousness begins the moment you realize that you are not your thoughts. Think of your thoughts as the radio stations in your car. They’re playing in the background, but the moment you don’t like what you’re listening to, you simply change the station and listen to something else. Thoughts are like that. When you find yourself listening to the little voice inside your head spewing negativity, change the station. The core of our well-being is created by our thoughts so it’s important to become aware of what we are creating.

Being conscious means putting thought to your thoughts.

Leading a conscious life means putting thought to your everyday choices.

• Are your choices affecting you positively or negatively?
• Are your choices affecting others positively or negatively?
• Are your choices affecting the world we live in positively or negatively?

Becoming aware is the first step to making a positive change. Start to pay attention to what your little voice is telling you and listen to how your body reacts to it. A simple rule that you can apply across the board is that if a thought feels good, it’s probably good; if a thought feels bad, it’s probably bad.

Get to really know yourself outside of what your head tells you. You might be surprised at what you find out.

Join me on this journey, and don’t forget to enjoy the process.