Life has a way of moving in cycles.
Patterns of behavior, thoughts, and emotions that repeat like a well-worn groove on a record.
Sometimes, we find ourselves wondering, “Why does this keep happening to me?” It’s easy to feel trapped in these cycles, but breaking free begins not with radical change but simply by becoming aware.
Awareness is one of the first steps toward living an extraordinary life. It’s about shifting out of autopilot and noticing the patterns that keep us stuck. However, cultivating awareness isn’t possible when we’re stuck in survival mode.
So that’s where we will start.
When we’re in a state of fight or flight, our minds are focused on one thing; survival.
This place of existence mode narrows our vision, mutes our capacity for reflection, and keeps us reacting rather than responding.
It’s not until we notice we’re in this state that we can begin to step out of it. This noticing requires space; space to breathe, to pause, and to witness our thoughts and emotions. When I reflect on the past six months, I realise how much of my time was spent in survival mode. I was simply doing what needed to be done to get through each day. But awareness begins the moment we choose to step out of survival and into stillness.
Once we have space to pause, we can then begin to notice. Reflection is a powerful tool for uncovering the patterns and behaviors that keep us stuck. It’s not about judgment, it’s about noticing.
Start this process by asking yourself:
What emotions consistently come up for me?
What habits or behaviors do I find myself repeating?
Are there habits or routines I constantly sabotage? Why?
Is this pattern rooted in fear, the comfort of routine, or the pursuit of temporary pleasure?
Sometimes, the hardest part is being honest with ourselves.
Awareness often demands that we look at parts of ourselves we might not yet be ready to confront. That’s okay. This process is not about rushing toward solutions; it’s about simply noticing what is.
How do we keep judgement at bay while we go through this process? This is why we need to lean in with self-compassion.
As we become more self-aware, it’s easy to fall into the trap of self-criticism. We may think, “I should have done better” or “How did I let this happen again?” But true awareness is rooted in compassion. It’s not about blaming ourselves for the decisions we’ve made or the cycles we’ve been stuck in. Instead, it’s about acknowledging where we are with kindness and curiosity.
Compassion allows us to witness our patterns without fear or judgment. It gives us the courage to sit with our emotions and take full responsibility for our situations, not as a form of blame but as a means of empowerment.
It’s important to remember that the first step is not about fixing anything. It’s simply about noticing. When we try to force solutions too soon, we miss the opportunity to deeply understand what’s truly happening beneath the surface. Awareness itself is transformative. It opens the door to clarity and the possibility of change.
By cultivating awareness, we take the first step out of repetitive cycles and into a life of greater alignment and intention. We can start to make choices that align with who we are and what we want to create in our lives.
So what do you have the courage to notice within yourself?
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