One of the major aspects of gaining greater self awareness is understanding how much your subconscious mind runs your show. Neuroscience studies indicate that as much as 95% of our consciousness is actually subconscious.Our subconscious mind runs much of our daily life and contains a lifetime of programming – both effective and ineffective. It is in our subconscious mind that many of our self defeating behaviors reside.
Becoming more self aware is in part gaining an awareness of these behaviors and beliefs that operate separately from your conscious mind. To help you gain a quicker recognition and thereby consciously begin to change these, it is helpful to understand the energy patterns of light, shadow and monkey mind.
The Energy Pattern of Light and Shadow
Light patterns are defined as what energizes you, and gets you into flow. Shadow patterns are defined as what will stop you, by creating inertia. Using a movie metaphor, it is like recognizing your Luke Skywalker tendencies and your Darth Vader tendencies, the light and dark side characters from Star Wars.
Lack of knowledge of your shadow pattern (dark side) is a major factor to stopping you from realizing your full potential. The more clarity you have about your light and shadow patterns, the easier it will be to recognize your shadow patterns.
The shadow is always present. However, if you keep your attention on the light, it will lose its power. The key is to focus on the light; on what energizes you every day.Examples of shadow patterns include: fear, obligation, self-pity, doubt, anxiety, quitting, competition, imitation, compromise, guilt, pressure, martyrdom, attachment, envy, apathy, greed, passing judgment, overdoing, control, self-importance, lust, and perfectionism.
Remember that the shadow is always there – it never goes away. The empowerment strategy is to be truthful about when you are in your shadow, and quickly shift your attention to your journey.
Live every day with your lights on!
