The goodinthehead Self-Awareness Challenge

“Self Awareness leads to Self Actualization.”  -Dr. Joe Dispenza

Self–actualization is the complete realization of one’s potential, and the full development of one’s abilities to create and appreciate life.  Self-actualization is a life-long journey.

Please watch and share this short, 8-minute video on the importance of Self Awareness:

https://youtu.be/_m5vndrKE2k

The first step to experiencing a personal awakening is to really get to know our self.  Until we really know who we are, it is impossible to truly love our self.  Until we truly love our self, we are less capable at truly loving others.  Once we know our self, and understand who we are in a continuously increasing, significant way, we will be empowered to do, and create anything we want.  Knowing ourselves makes it easier to explore what EXACTLY enables and empowers us to heal and live more effectively, efficiently, and more optimally.

Sometimes, listening to a presentation or a podcast is an excellent way to upgrade our Self-Awareness experience!  The WOMEN OF IMPACT conversation between Lisa Bilyeu and Dr. Ramani is an example of one such opportunity:

https://youtu.be/wAmqHPnFZ-E

The importance of healing ourselves is this:

The healing we do today will not only result in an entirely different trajectory and experience for US, but will also result in an entirely alternate reality for our grandchildren’s grandchildren. Let THAT be your BIG REASON to keep going, to work hard, and to succeed…healing ourselves and doing that difficult work isn’t just for us. When ONE of us heals, we ALL heal…

This mindfulness/self-awareness/self-mastery exercise was inspired by my wife.  It has helped me so much!  I hope it does the same for you. 🙏😊

“Knowledge is power. 

Knowledge about oneself is self-empowerment. 

Knowledge of oneself comes from meditation.”

-Dr. Joe Dispenza

The beautiful thing about this exercise is that if the same question is asked each year, the answers will be different, in direct correlation to the personal growth that was experienced by each of us in the previous year.  It is kind of like when we read a book once a year, absorbing different information every time we read it, in accordance with how much we have either evolved, or devolved.

So where do we begin?  How do we REALLY know ourselves better?  How do we become more self-aware?  How do we become better?

Jim Rohn taught that for thousands of years, not much has changed.  The sun still rises and sets.  The seasons come and go, and have with regularity, for thousands of years.  The hopeless people exclaim:  “If things don’t change, how will things ever change for me?!”  The answer:  “When YOU change.”

The answer lies within this ONE thing:  Personal Development.

In order for things to change for you, YOU must change.  In order for things to get better for you, YOU must get better.

Intense focus upon Personal Development has the potential to heal us all.  First, as individuals, then collectively, as a whole.

A great way to know ourselves better, gain clarity, become more self-aware, and empower ourselves to visualize the exact future we want to experience, is through asking questions, then meditating upon, and writing down, the answers.

That which we focus upon, WE FEED.  What we think about, WE ENERGIZE.  Consistency is the key.  Most of us consistently focus MOSTLY upon what we don’t want, what we fear, what causes us anxiety and stress, and what causes us pain and suffering.  The ability to shift our focus and attention to thinking of ONLY what we WANT is the ONLY way we will create and manifest the life, results, and outcomes we truly want to experience in this life.  In a world filled with so many distractions, this can be challenging, BUT IT IS POSSIBLE!  The creation of new habits, and the consistency with which we choose to practice these habits, is the secret to personal success in the creation process.  WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT.

It is through diving deep, and asking the hard questions, that the answers will come.  It is through answering questions that we find clarity.  It is through clarity that we achieve the ability to begin creating.  It is through creating that we experience healing, then expand into true and lasting happiness, through a life of contribution.  Self-actualization comes from self-awareness.

When we answer the same questions each year, the answers tend to change in accordance to our acquired knowledge, wisdom, and experiences, over that last year.  Repetition is the recipe for MASTERY.  This exercise is designed to empower anyone with enough courage to question EVERYTHING, to come up with the honest answers, and to become more self-aware, eventually up-leveling the personal beliefs and perspectives that will result in self-actualization and a life to be proud of.

Through practicing self-awareness, we are more likely to practice Personal Development.  When we become better, our life becomes better.  We get better with repetition and practice.

In the book, THE FOUR AGREEMENTS, by Don Miguel Ruiz, the importance of always doing our best is introduced as one of the secrets of life.  Our best, he explains, changes from moment to moment, but when we are aware that we are currently doing our best, we realize that it is enough.  Our mantra becomes,

I AM ENOUGH

Our best is always going to be good enough, and when we consistently practice doing our best, our best consistently gets better.

As you accept this Self-Awareness Challenge, and commit to answering a question each day, do your very best to be honest, fully present, and consistent.  Buy a Self-Awareness Journal, immediately, and get to work.  Take one question, one day at a time.  Really meditate on the possible answers.  Ruminate over it and think about it.  Research the possible answers to each question, and seek for clarity on what you really believe.  Discuss the question and possible answers or opinions about the question with others, and especially with those who may challenge your own viewpoints , perspectives, opinions, and beliefs.  Try not to react or be triggered by the opinions, beliefs, or perspectives of others, but instead, seek for wisdom.  Be a life-long observer and a learner.

Write it all down in a Self-Awareness Journal, and years from now, when you are answering the same question, you’ll be able to look back on the personal growth you have experienced and the value of the Self Development you worked so hard on for so long.  This is a wonderful motivator.  Your best is yet to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKTvhSpnmA

REMEMBER:  The way we perceive of ourselves, others, and the world, in general, is a confession of character.  We can upgrade and shift our perceptions ANY TIME WE CHOOSE TO.

1-Is this a friendly Universe?

1.  In every situation, every day, we can choose to ask, “What is the possible purpose behind this happening?  What are all of the possibilities of purpose behind this that will eventually lead to benefiting me and to my greater good?  What good might come from this, and what about this might make me wiser, stronger, or better?”  Think back to a particularly difficult situation or happening in your lifetime, and ask the question:  WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE BEHIND THAT, AND WHAT GOOD CAME FROM IT?

A belief that may drive these questions is the belief of PRONOIA.  We all know what paranoia is, the thought that everyone is out to get us, that the Universe is not on our side, which leads us to wait for the other boot to drop, or wonder what may be coming next.  This belief begs the question, “WHY ME?”  PRONOIA is the belief that that the Universe was designed from the beginning of time to conspire on our behalf, each moment of every day, and in every way.  This way of thinking leads to the possibility that EVERYTHING that happens TO us is actually happening FOR us.  It blesses us with the opportunity to choose to see things, ALL THINGS, in a beneficial light, and to ask, “Why NOT me?”  It leads to the belief that we can handle anything that comes our way, and that we can get wiser, we can get stronger, and we can get better.  This line of thinking empowers us with a sense of purpose each morning, exciting us and energizing us, rendering us not only capable of waking up earlier, but actually WANTING to wake up earlier, and to begin the day INTENTIONALLY, creating it as we want it, instead of waiting around waiting for the next bad thing to happen so we can react to it in a negative, habitual, sometimes self-destructive way.

2.  WHAT IS THE LEGACY OR THE FOOTPRINT THAT YOU WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND YOU, WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS LIFE?

In answering this question, you will find the purpose of your life, and what you need to focus on and think about, all day long, in order to fulfill this purpose.  We become what we think about.  That which we focus upon tends to manifest itself more and more prevalently in our lives, every single day.  We must, sooner or later, accept full responsibility for the lack or abundance in our lives, finally realizing that we are in control of our thinking, and it is through our thinking that we begin to create our realities.

3.  WHAT ARE THE TOP, MOST IMPORTANT HABITS, TO CONSISTENTLY ACQUIRE, CULTIVATE, AND PRACTICE IN MY LIFE, IN ORDER TO LEAVE THE EXACT LEGACY OR FOOTPRINT THAT I WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND?

After thousands of hours of research, and after years of experimenting with different habits, through implementing them into my daily rituals and morning, afternoon, and evening routines, I came up with a helpful list of habits to try out that have worked miracles in my own life.  When I began my new life in 2014, had anyone told me that I would be living the life I am now living, I would have laughed at them, and never, ever taken them seriously again.

The goodinthehead Habit-Hacking Challenge

It was through the acquisition and implementation of these habits that I slowly, but surely, began my own, individualized, Personal Development journey, that has empowered me with the skills, knowledge, wisdom, and tools to heal myself, and live the incredible life I now live.  If I can do it, literally ANYONE can.  One day at a time, one habit at a time, one practice at a time, we think we are BECOMING, when, in reality, we are simply accessing the greatness within, and realizing the beautiful masterpiece that we already are, and learning how to access it at a deeper level.  This Self-Awareness Challenge will absolutely aid it the realization of these things.

4.  WHAT ARE THE THINGS I WANT TO THINK ABOUT AND FOCUS UPON, DAILY AND CONSISTENTLY, THAT WILL EVENTUALLY MANIFEST THEMSELVES IN REALITY?

Through the teachings of Dr. Joe Dispenza, I found scientific proof in the truth that, WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT.  If we think sick thoughts, we become ill.  If we think dark thoughts, we become dark, gloomy, sad, and depressed.  If we think funny thoughts, we become happy and we tend to laugh a lot.  If we consistently focus upon financial wealth, abundance, and gain, it eventually manifests itself in our lives.  There is no way that it cannot.

Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Tedx talk shows the physicality of an actual thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W81CHn4l4AM

During a thought, two neurons were shown to slowly creep towards one another, and eventually attach to each other.  When the thought is repeated, other nearby neurons are then recruited to strengthen the connection and bond between the surrounding neurons, forming the new thought.  Over time, and through repetition, these bonds are solidified, and grow in physical size.  Through consistency and repetition, they grow from the size of a small sapling into a huge, magnificent redwood.  All the while, the thoughts that are no longer being thunk dissipate, weaken, and cease to exist, as the new thought continues to recruit all of the neurons that were keeping that bundle of neurons so big and strong.  It is just as a healthier redwood would steal away the nutrients in the soil from the weaker trees around it in order to struggle and stay alive.  Through his decades of work and research, he has proven that WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK.

The thoughts we think become our main focus.  That which we choose to think about and focus on becomes energized, and since the Universe has a law within it that makes like attract like, those thoughts and that focus become a creation, attracting similar things to it, strengthening those connections and those bonds of the thoughts and focus we chose, until  it all becomes everything that we are.  We are creators, in this sense.

Hence, the importance of this question:  WHAT ARE THE THINGS I WANT TO THINK ABOUT AND FOCUS UPON, DAILY AND CONSISTENTLY, THAT WILL EVENTUALLY MANIFEST THEMSELVES IN REALITY?

5.  Who are you seeking validation from?

Here is a list of other questions that may lead to even more self-awareness.  It is important to note that answering these questions regularly, say once a year, is an EXCELLENT way to gauge the level or lack of self improvement which one is actively engaged in.

• What are my disempowering habits? How can I improve them?
• Your life’s greatest accomplishments and reasons for pride?
• EVERY way that you have noticed the Universe has conspired on your behalf:
• EVERY way the Universe has used you as a tool/instrument to help others and conspire on THEIR behalf:
• Why my children are a blessing and what they can do for me and teach me:
• What EXACTLY will it take for you to accept and love yourself for who and what you are?
• What are the top 5 things that need to happen in order for you to be your idea of the very BEST version of yourself you can possibly be?
• Everything that makes you feel valuable:
• Everything you love about your significant other:
• The 10 most important words in any language and why each word is important:
• Favorite books and why? What EXACTLY did you take from the book and apply to your life?  What improvements have transpired in your life because of it?
• What are ALL of the things you do to distract yourself from your physical, emotional, or any other pain?
• What needs to, “Be fixed in you,” or what changes need to be made in yourself for you to fully, 100% accept yourself as is and love who you are? Do you cringe when you look in the mirror?  Are you proud of the parent you are?  Are you proud of the work you do?  What EXACTLY needs to happen for you to be proud of who and what you are?  We can only meet others at the level which we are capable of meeting ourselves.  We can only accept others to the extent that we accept ourselves.  We can only love others as much as we are capable of loving ourselves.  We are only able to heal others at the level which we are capable of healing ourselves.
• What do you do at the beginning of each day to, “Fill your glass,” until it spills over into the lives of those around you?
• The very best financial investments:
• Everything and anything that helps with inflammation:
• The most highly effective, most empowering, most energizing practices to start each day with:
• What is absolutely EVERYTHING that you are good at?
• What are your triggers? What are the things said or done that cause you to be triggered and over react?  What beliefs or what things are these triggers tied to?  When we react in any way, to anything, we react in accordance to the baseline level of stress we are currently experiencing in our nervous system.  Stress starts as a thought, which injects chemicals and hormones into our blood stream, quickly and easily becomes habituated when repeated, and determines our mood, our focus, our words, our actions, and the outcome of the day, then the week, then the month, then the years, and eventually our entire life.
• What are things you would suggest to others to re-program their mindsets and beliefs, in order to more fully optimize their lifestyle?
• What are your biggest Time Wasters each day? They may only waste as little as a few minutes a day, but over time, they add up to a huge chunk of our lives.  Being aware of everything in our life that wastes time, and ridding our self of these Time Wasters, could literally add months or even years of time to our life.
• We are not, “Human Doings.” We are, “Human Beings.”  Who do I want to BE?  Who and what do I want to show up as, EVERY DAY, in the world, as a parent, in my love relationship, at work, and as a contributing, value-adding individual?
• What is the EXACT legacy you want to leave behind? How do you want to be remembered and spoken of by your children, your spouse, your friends, at your place of employment, and in the world?
• We all have different ideas of what is MOST important for US. What are the absolute most important things for me?
• What am I interested in learning more about? What EXACTLY can I do RIGHT NOW, to begin researching and learning about these topics?
• During visualization, the more detailed, precise, and exact the vision is, and the more consistently it is focused on, the higher level of energy is feeling the outcomes, and the faster is it attracted into our lives. “If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand.”  What are all of the things you desire most to have happened in the next year?  10 years?  Your lifetime?  Re-visit these things.  Make them a priority, a necessity, and a non-negotiable outcome in your life.
• What EXACTLY are your BIG REASONS WHY? What and who drives you to achieve greatness, wealth, abundance, and success?  If you were to achieve these things, what EXACTLY would the outcomes be and who would it help the most?  HOW EXACTLY would achieving these things help?  Make a list of the positive Big Reasons why (how these achievements will benefit you and others), and a list of the negative Big Reasons why (how neglecting to make these achievements happen will affect you and others).  The bigger the reasons, the more intense the focus will be, the harder we will work, the earlier we will awake, the more determined and disciplined we will be, and higher the level of achievement will be.
• Silence makes us a victim! Speak up!  CREATE your rights, your reality, and your life experience.  Speak things into existence and WORK to make it all happen.  What are things you have remained silent about for too long that need to change in order for you to experience the exact life you want and deserve?  Make these things a necessity.  Make these things non-negotiable.  When these things happen, you will be living the life that you deserve and want and need to live
• What EXACTLY do you need to accomplish in your life to add the most value to others, to contribute at the highest possible level you can contribute to others, and to live the life of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment that you want and deserve? Make a list for spouse, parents, siblings, extended family, work, and strangers.
• Fame and Popularity vs. Influence and Impact. Two of these things last forever, while the other two dwindle and disappear, leaving us empty inside and lacking fulfillment which can only come from contribution.  Which two are most important to you and why?  How can YOU, as a unique, inspired, one-of-a-kind individual make the two words you deem as most important happen?  What exactly do you have to make happen each day, each month, each year, and by the end of your life, for you to have achieved the highest level of these two words?
• Create a list of the most important questions to ask yourself at the end of each day, just before you drift off to sleep. By doing so, the day just lived is reviewed and the mind is set up to work out how to do even better at these things the next day.  Examples:  How did I Live, Love, and Matter today?
• What EXACTLY are the top, best, memories of your entire life? The more detailed you can describe in a list and think about, the more you will feel the beauty of the moments of the memories.  During your most intensely stressful times of the day, you can call upon these memories, feeling the way you felt during these memories, replacing the stress hormones and chemicals with a flood of replacement chemicals and hormones which will literally make you a better version of yourself and empower you to show up at a higher energy level, rendering you more effective and productive.
• Make a list of the top 10 values you need to operate from in order to optimize your life and performance. These values are things that, when practiced, will bring you the highest amount of joy into your life, rendering you the most effective and productive you can be.  Examples of such values include:  Abundance, adding value to others in some way, connecting with others, generosity, integrity, character, mindset, love, service, etc.  Some of these values are who you already are, and some of them you will have to nurture.
• What makes you doubt yourself and your self-worth the most? When does this happen the most often?  Where are you when it happens the most?  Who are you with when it happens the most?  Do things like tiredness, hunger, stressful situations, being ill or on a period, or eating certain foods, have an impact on the level of your doubts and feelings?