Awakening Awareness

Lesson Eight:  You

How was your people-watching period? What did you notice about the way you respond to non-verbal communication cues? What kind of stories did you spin? DID you spin stories? What cues were most likely to make you feel connected to the other person?

You've had a chance to explore your responses in each of the following multiple intelligences:

Linguistic—spoken and written words (“Wow”)
Spatial—visual cues, including color, shape, texture, and shadow (size)
Musical—sounds (mechanical and human-created non-verbal sounds)
Logical-Mathematical—numbers (percentages)
Bodily-Kinesthetic—movement, touch (body parts/”handling” sound)
Naturalistic—animals and other natural forms (weather)
Interpersonal—communication with others (non-verbal cues)

Each exercise has given you an opportunity to watch your own reaction, providing information about what triggers stress, what creates tension, and what makes you feel connected. All of this self-information helps you develop your intrapersonal intelligence—your understanding of yourself and the world through observation and contemplation.

When you look at the list above, which particular area or exercise seemed to resonate most with you? Which exercises seemed easiest?

Which exercises seemed to offer you the LEAST amount of learning? Were there any exercises that you found uninteresting or unimportant?

We each have our own unique combination of skills in every area of intelligence, and we can develop greater mindfulness in each by focusing on our responses to cues.

By watching our reactions, we can learn about our stressors and our tendency to create conditioned responses.

What have you learned?  Look at the list of intelligences above and answer these two questions:

If you could choose just ONE area in which to become more fully aware of your stress reactions, which would it be?

And if you could choose just ONE area in which to become more fully aware of your joyful responses, which would it be? 

How would your daily life change if you became aware of your triggers in a way that allowed you to transform your habitual responses?

How can you reduce your daily stress levels by zeroing in on specific triggers and developing responses more conducive to wellness and happiness?

We have so many opportunities to engage more meaningfully and compassionately with the world around us. I hope this course has given you a glimpse of the way you absorb all that is around you, but more than that, I hope it has given you a taste of what your life could be like if you choose to respond differently to the cues that create stress for you.

You have responsibilities. You have passions. You have dreams.

By developing greater mindfulness, you will become aware of ways in which you can focus on what matters most to YOU by avoiding or transforming responses that suck your time and energy.

So…don't stop now. START now! Pick one area of intelligence that seems most associated with either your stress reactions or your joyful responses (you get to choose!), and just start watching with the idea that you are going to learn about yourself. That's it—for now.

It's about wonder, remember? And wonder begins when we notice something and begin to view it from various perspectives.

You're likely to discover all kinds of things about yourself, and in the process, you'll learn how you can become more relaxed, aware and compassionate to those around you.

By paying attention, you can become the person you've always hoped you could be—

**a good listener
**a patient parent
**a caring partner
**a thoughtful leader

Once you've played around with awakening your awareness, the next step is to really look at what makes you YOU--or, more precisely, what makes you think you are you!

We've all got attachments. Some serve us well. Others hold us back. Most of our attachments distort our perspective in some way and prevent us from gaining clarity.

We've been working on the awakening awareness part. Next comes the releasing attachment part! I hope you will continue with the next course in the series:  the Naturally Aware course. 

Thank you for your willingness to take a closer look at yourself and the way you respond to the world around you. It's the key to self-understanding, and THAT is the key to freeing your time, energy and mind space for what matters MOST to you.

Happy Wondering!

Warmly,

Maya Frost

Real-World Mindfulness Training™

Maya@MayaFrost.com