How does one gain self-awareness without an event to trigger it?

Excerpt from Quora, Michael L.

Hi there

Don’t wait for anything in life. It doesn’t work like that. Life doesn’t happen according to our hopes and wishes. There is no ‘perfect’ time other than now. So if you want to gain self-awareness, it’s up to you.

Yes, it is true that for some people, there is an ‘event’ (usually some sort of hardship) that triggers a change within that leads to self-awareness. However, each person has their own path. There’s is no point in waiting around hoping that some external ‘event’ will wake you up. That’s just a waste of time.

The good news is that becoming self-aware is an option available to each and everyone open to pursue it. Deeming from your question, it seems like you want to expand your mind, so you’re ready to do it. Self-awareness starts with introspection. Evaluate your actions and thoughts. Observe what is going on in your mind. Keep a journal, write down how you’ve handled the situations during the day as well as your thoughts and feelings. Try to be as honest as possible with yourself.

This process leads to a shift in perspective, and makes you gradually become more aware of yourself.

Also, and most importantly, start to meditate. Meditation is a fantastic way of becoming self-aware. By meditating, we look into our mind and empty it out. By emptying the mind, our mind gets bigger and freer. We can naturally see the workings of our mind, the automatic thought patterns, the habits, the burdens, the limitations, and the confinements. And not only that, we can also break free from them. Such freedom is what it means to be really self-aware.

These days, it is very simple and fun to meditate. There are many centers that offer online courses and personal guidance. I really recommend it!

Take a minute and check out the video below.

Thanks for reading!