We make choices every moment of our lives. Each day we wake with the ability to choose how we approach the day. We can choose inspiration, frustration, excitement, boredom, anything at all. These attitudes and their corresponding beliefs drive our behavior and performance. Poor attitudes generally create poor performance. High performance is typically grounded in a very strong, positive inner mental framework. So, how can you consistently live from positive beliefs and attitudes?
It begins with self awareness. There is a very clear connection between awareness and how you behave. The way you are on the inside influences what you say and do. Simply put, your behavior is a combination of your inner hard wiring, your personality, and the choices you make.
Self-awareness comes from cultivating the ability to pay attention to what is happening internally and externally and being “fully present in the moment.” The more aware you are of your inner world, the likelier you are to make choices in alignment with your highest personal values and aspirations.
It’s very similar to the importance of physical balance for athletes. Balance creates a strong foundation and enables flexibility, focus, and the generation of incredible power. In the same way, developing the skill of paying attention to one’s inner and outer worlds actually elicits inner balance, focus, and increased self-awareness. This heightened self-awareness is the foundation of what I call Conscious Living.
Conscious Living is an approach to life that helps you maximize your ability to accomplish business goals, build strong, trusting relationships, and increase your personal and job fulfillment. It does this through methodology that enables you to examine your own attitudes, values, and beliefs and develops your ability to choose highly effective approaches to communicating with integrity, building accountability, and solving difficult issues with creativity and consensus.
Part II of this article is about the driving force behind our behavior: our mindset. A mindset is the lense through which we view the world, comprised of our values, attitudes and beliefs.
Hi Don,
You are an excellent writer. I enjoyed each of your articles and look forward to receiving more! Thanks for thinking of me 🙂
Jean