Self - Awareness

The greatest gift nature has bestowed on us is "self-awareness" – the ability to know what is happening in us at any given point of time! This faculty of knowing oneself is not given to plants and animals and hence they do not know that they exist. Obviously they can not modify their way of life or behavior at their will. This explains why the plants and animals are as they are for many millions of year. The concept of evolution and civilization doest and can not exist in their kingdom!

This faculty when used can help to bring dramatic changes in ones behavior at will. Every human being is unique in their own way and that is the plan of the nature! What we are today is the result of various conditioning that happened right from the day we came into this planet. The parents teachers , society and religion are the mediums through which we have been conditioned. The beliefs and values ultimately guide us as the light house. Some of the conditionings are good and some of them are bad and hence needs change.

Unless until the un-conditioning of the mind takes places, we will be helpless to modify our behavior. The un-conditioning is the reverse process of conditioning. This can be achieved only with the faculty of "Self-awareness". The following steps will help to modify our behavior at our choice using the faculty of "self-awareness":

1. The first step is to catch ourselves about the particular behavior of ours that is unacceptable to us and acts as a stumbling block for our material and spiritual growth. (both are complimentary to each others!!!)

2. The second step is to believe that any behavior of ours can be changed at our will. This is the biggest gift nature has given to human beings to evolve.

3. Identify the faculty of self-awareness present in you with which you can witness all that is happening in you through out the day. This is what Lord Buddha calls as "Witnessing" and this can not be done by animals! Please imagine that you are sitting in your balcony and watching the
traffics with out getting involved in judgements. Here the witnessor is "you" and the traffic is the thoughts that comes and goes in your mind.

4. Having developed the ability to catch what is happening in you at any point of time , you are ready to work on the behavior.

5. We need to consciously shift our paradigm - the new belief frequently and remind ourselves of our project to modify our chosen behavior - for example - not to get triggered by un-controlled anger.

6. Catch yourself just before the emotion can take over from you. This can be done through self-awareness and constant witnessing.

7. Exercise your will to chose a different response than the usual stereotyped response of yours. Soon people will find lot of change in your pattern of behavior and you will start getting positive feedbacks.

8. Having succeeded in one behavioral change of yours, now take another and another and so on!

God bless you for a successful future through self-awareness and evolution of personality.