The Importance of Self Awareness

At any given time, on any given day, have you ever just stopped what you were doing and just absorbed your surroundings? Have you ever noticed how the light flashes off the glass to beautifully illuminate the flowers in the garden; or ever really seen through the exterior of the person you were talking to and saw just them, in their imperfect human state, vulnerable and yearning, reaching out to them on a basic level of human tenderness? Have you ever been so aware of your surroundings that you can close your eyes and pinpoint everything in the room, or describe in perfect detail what books might be on a shelf on any given bookcase in your home? Or, do you just hurtle through life, reacting to the situations you find yourself a part of, experiencing but not really being an active participant? These are all components of self awareness and we all have this mindfulness to some degree or another, though there are many among us who completely lack any skills associated with being self aware and they are often the ones who react hastily to situations as they present themselves.
For many people, though, becoming self aware is a battle they are willing to engage in, if for no other reason than to enhance their experiences in this life. Humans, as a species and on whole, are emotional creatures fueled by any given emotion -- these are thoughts that actually produce a physical experience for our body; for example, think of how your body feels when you are angry, happy, sad or in love -- and it is the ability to successfully recognize these emotions and feelings and how they affect us in any given situation that will help us achieve enlightenment and self awareness. This is important because people who are ruled solely by their emotions often tend to be high strung and quick to temper, they can be irrational in their thought processes because they attribute their feelings as a set of concrete facts and rather than deal with them objectively, they allow them to over rule their judgment and behavior.

The more self aware a person is, the more they are able to control their emotions in situations that are just situations and are not meant to be taken as a personal affront to either our character or ourselves. By being able to experience the mindfulness of a situation without passing judgment on it, it can help us better recognize that any negative thoughts we might have are actually unhelpful and can hinder the forward momentum of what is happening around you. This is also the basic essence of the age old tradition of Buddhism, which is defined as the art of being present in the moment without putting the pressure of judgment on the experience itself. In order to reach a higher level of self awareness, and thus, the path to greater emotional stability and happiness, it is beneficial for people of all beliefs to practice this art of being in the present. You can start by seeing people anew when you encounter them, or by being involved with something as simple as eating lunch, seeing what is in front of you, experiencing it fully, being more self aware of what is happening to you, will help you enjoy life much easier than by simply going through the motions of existence.