The Woman's Book of Hope. Eileen Campbell

      6. Developing our capacity to be aware

      Sometimes our thoughts and feelings—and consequent behavior—get in the way of achieving our dreams. We often sabotage ourselves with negative thoughts and attitudes without really realizing it. They have become ingrained habits, stemming from our earliest experiences in childhood, and reinforced over the years by our experience of life.

      Fortunately, as human beings, we have the capacity to be self-reflective, and it is this ability that enables us to make choices and empowers us to learn and grow, particularly if we adopt practices that increase our awareness. When we become more aware of the activity of our subconscious mind through paying attention to what's going on inside us, then greater understanding and insight are the result. Neuroscience, biology, and genetics have all demonstrated that when we increase our awareness, we are able to change the negative thinking and bad programming from our past.

      One of the best ways of becoming more aware of our automatic reactions, attitudes, and behaviors is to practice mindfulness. This technique is about being as awake and conscious as we can; learning to control our focus of attention; and noticing our thoughts as well as the sights, sounds, and smells around us. From the moment we wake up in the morning, we can try to be in the present moment, reminding ourselves that we are blessed to have another new day ahead of us, full of possibilities. We can endeavor to be conscious of all our normal daily activities—from getting out of bed, stretching, taking a shower, putting on our clothes, brushing our hair, preparing breakfast, and so on throughout the day. Usually, we don't pay that much attention to what we're doing; we're on autopilot and maybe replaying an exchange we had last night or thinking about our schedule for the day. According to one research study, the average person is focused 80 percent of the time on the past or future. When we are more aware of the present moment, we come to understand ourselves better.