Awareness leads to Choice …
… and Choice leads to Change
Since the beginning of my journey as a coach, this quote has been one of the most important for me and has been very impactful with some clients.
Imagine you are in a boat going down the river of life but you don’t have anything in the boat to control anything, neither the global route, neither the instantaneous direction, neither the speed. You are just going where it takes you.
Then you put some magical awareness glasses on.
Now you can see that you have a map in the boat, to help you see where you are, where you want to go and one main logical way to get there. If you keep your glasses on longer and go deeper, you can actually see many other ways and you can choose the one that best suits you.
Now you see you there is an engine that will help you speed up when you want (when inspired, full of energy etc…) or slow down when you need (never thought you would need a break?), even stopping on the bank to enjoy.
You can also see that you have a rudder to orientate your boat and avoid crashing on some rocks, someone else’s boat, or take a path that seems easier, faster or more fun.
The first step is therefore to find and wear your magical awareness glasses as often as possible. Increasing awareness requires some self-reflection, might require to press the pause button in your life. But just like practicing a sport, an instrument or learning at school or in your job, the more you practice developing your awareness the more it becomes easy and natural.
Then, as soon as you become aware of a situation, of a pattern in your behavior, of your impact (which might be different from your intention), of your procrastination, of something you should stop, aware of your thought, of your emotions, … then you have a choice:
- Either to change (and it might not be easy)
- Either to stay in the same situation
There are no right or wrong answers, just a choice… meaning that we have much more control than what we often think. Sometimes, we are on automatic pilot after years of habits and are not even aware of our reactions or behavior. Sometimes we are aware but tell ourselves stories, find excuses to justify our actions or inactions. With our thoughts and emotions, it might be even harder since they can be very quick and intense, but we still have a choice to let them take control or not.
Knowing that awareness leads to a wider menu of choice is very empowering, expand the possibilities for action, which in turn leads to a higher likelihood of successful results and at the end, to a more intentional life.
Take some time to reflect on this and let it sink in. Maybe it will click right now, maybe in some days, or even in some months…
Take care and happy Christmas time !
Evan
Evan Bernache 