Trading Self-Criticism with Self-Awareness

After reading Robin Sharma’s The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, and all the other books in this series, such as Discover Your Destiny with The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, I’ve taken acute notice and inventory of my own personal evolution and the way I tend to show up in life.

I seem to be fairly self-critical in just about every area of my existence, from wondering how it’s possible to have so many bad hair days in one week to feeling guilty for not meeting a painting goal for the month… Apart from my hubby’s occasional reminders, “You’re being way too hard on yourself”, I’ve more often than not, been oblivious to the fact that while facing any challenge or task, whether simple or complex, there’s a real difference in having grit and being committed to being self-critical and harsh.

Although being on a path of greater personal growth for over a decade, reading these books helped shed light on the fact that I often overlook all of the ascending tendencies of my inner-work efforts, to instead take notice of where I don’t seem to be growing.

Thanks to the brilliant teaching technique of Robin Sharma, of sharing life’s natural principles through memorable, heart-warming fictional stories, the biggest insight I’ve recently adopted and have committed to practice is developing a greater level of self-awareness. I’ve really began to appreciate applying conscious awareness, and the usefulness that it offers in my everyday life. For instance, when I find myself amidst a situation where my ability to practice patience seems to be non-existent! (Who can’t relate to this?!) Well, this is the moment where the practice comes in!

I’ve noticed that here’s a fraction of time where I can choose how I want to respond before I act out of a purely unconscious, conditioned, habitual reaction to whatever’s going on in that tension-filled moment. This is such a liberating feeling! This practice of being better self-aware in any given moment ensures that I operate from the standpoint of being responsible for all of my thoughts, feelings and actions, instead of thinking that I’m a victim of circumstance.

From this perspective, I assume responsibility for how I show up in life, for how I respond to people, situations, and myself – consciously. I know this insight is evolutionary and an absolute key to living my best life, day after day. And moreover, it seems that the more I apply the practice of being self-aware, the less I criticize myself. I have literally traded self-criticism with self-awareness.

This has been a revolutionary shift and breakthrough for me; it’s helping me become more of the person I truly want to be and show up as – and the results have almost been immediate. Not only has my family relationships deepened, but my capacity for self appreciation in my artwork has deepened, as well!

Have you read any of Sharma’s books?  I would love to hear your feedback on them, and on this post! Connect with me and share what you notice in yourself – how do you relate to self-criticism and self-awareness?

xo Tanya