My son has made a conscious decision that he is going to be an astronaut.
He can’t get his hands on enough new knowledge about the expanse of the universe. Sometimes when he tells me about it, I have a hard time putting my head around how ‘deep and wide’ the universe really is. What’s out there? What do you mean it goes on infinitely? Explain to me again what’s inside a black hole?
The American Museum of Natural History defines the universe as, “all the matter, energy, and space that exist. We can observe only a part of it – the observable universe. The entire universe, including the part we cannot see, may be infinite“.
Boom – my mind is blown. It’s just so – unbelievable.
Still, the fact that it seems unbelievable doesn’t make it untrue. It just means that I don’t fully understand and it doesn’t yet feel true. We tend to have a hard time believing what we don’t understand – even if that something is a factual reality.
In Parallel
Similarly, sometimes when I tell my son about the tremendous capabilities and potential of the human mind he has a hard time getting his head around that. It is difficult for him to comprehend that our mind is doing a whole lot more than we realize at any given moment. He’s challenged to internalize that in our minds we have both conscious and unconscious thoughts. What is an unconscious thought? How can you have thoughts about your thoughts? If your mind isn’t your brain then what is it? Where is it? Where does it end, or is it’s potential infinite?
I get it. It’s like trying to conceptualize space.
Observable and Unknown Thoughts
As with the universe, you see and have awareness about some parts of your mind (that for which you have consciousness) and some parts are yet unknown (your unconscious mind). The fact is that both your conscious and unconscious mind do exist and are active at all times. Believe it or not.
Unconscious thoughts are not yet brought forward into your view, or your ‘awareness’. When you observe your thoughts they move from being unconscious to conscious, unknown to known.
Why This Matters
What you need to know is that intentionally developing your personal awareness – bringing your unconscious thoughts into conscious view – is a worthwhile endeavor and a window to opportunity. The more aware you become of what you are thinking and doing unconsciously, the better clarity you will have in your life. What would you do with more clarity? How would more personal awareness and clarity affect how you work, what choices you make, how you relate with yourself and others?
Grow your conscious awareness and you expand your perception of what is possible. Believe it or not, there is a great plain of unchartered territory between your ears. Opening yourself to investigate and explore what’s in there will give you access to possibility and potential beyond belief. And that feels out of this world. Really.
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P.S. Working with a personal coach is a powerful way to develop awareness, create change, reveal personal potential, and start new chapters in your life. Find out more about how working with a personal coach can help you to expand your world for good here.