When Feeling Hyperaware is a Good Thing

When I’m working on personal change, as I assess myself and the world around me, a lot of things start happening.

I’m hyperaware of people behaving the way I’m trying to change. I see it everywhere. In fact, I can’t not see it! So, I get a little irritated by their poor choices. Then, I get embarrassed getting a glimpse of how I used to behave. And, ultimately, I feel guilty because I no longer want to be around them all that much. This feels the worst because I like people, and when I was younger, this just felt mean.

Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfillment.

John O’Donohue

Well, through the years I’ve figured out a few things that soothe the sting of my growing pains. Like, the hyperawareness I feel is a good thing because I need to become ultra-focused on behaviors I don’t want, in order to “catch them”, and insert the new desired behavior.

I’ve learned that feeling embarrassed of past mistakes or getting irritated seeing people behave poorly isn’t all bad because it reinforces my resolve to choose better today. And, I believe sometimes avoiding people with negative tendencies isn’t mean, it protects me and my new emerging habits. While these people can remind me who I no longer want to be, they’re also distracting and disruptive to maintaining a positive attitude. No one enjoys being with a Negative Nelly for too long. It’s exhausting. So, it’s ok to reduce or eliminate time spent with these people either temporarily or permanently.

Bottom line, as we commit to personal growth, we’ve got to be vigilant of not only negative behavior in us but also in other people and it’s not being mean, it’s being aware. Hyperawareness is kind of an alert system that lets us know to “pay attention and choose carefully” and this is exactly what we need to help keep us on track to becoming our best self. ❤

Keep it Simple,

Just Teri

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