Cultivating Awareness Through the Be More Social Challenge

G’day! Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in the same loop—waking up, rushing through the day, and collapsing at night, only to do it all again? That’s exactly where I found myself before I decided to join the Be More Social Daily Challenge. Today, I want to share my personal experience of cultivating awareness—how I explored the conscious, subconscious, and unconscious levels of my mind, and how this practice began to shift my life in subtle yet profound ways.

Why Cultivating Awareness Matters for Mindful Living

For me, cultivating awareness isn’t just about mindfulness or pausing to breathe. It’s about genuinely noticing where I am, emotionally and mentally. It’s about seeing the patterns I’ve been trapped in—those endless loops of frustration, overwork, or self-doubt—and starting to break free.

As I delved deeper into this challenge, I realized how often I had been operating on autopilot. I wasn’t always present, not for myself or those around me. And that’s what I wanted to change.

The Three Levels of Awareness

During this journey, I reflected on the three levels of awareness:

• Conscious mind — The thoughts I’m aware of in the moment.
• Subconscious mind — The beliefs and habits running quietly in the background.
• Unconscious mind — The deeper layers I don’t see, but that drive my choices.

What really hit me was that while I might feel in control on the surface, so much of what I do is shaped by these unseen layers. The question became: How do I bring the unconscious into the light?

When to Practice Cultivating Awareness: Best and Worst Times

In my experience, the best time to focus on cultivating awareness is when I feel out of sync—when the day feels rushed, when I’m reacting instead of responding, when I sense I’m not really here. The worst time? When I’m exhausted and trying to force it. Awareness can’t be forced. It needs space.

I’ll share a recent “aha” moment. I had just two hours of sleep after staying up answering messages from across different time zones. Someone had been waiting for my reply and sent me a string of question marks. At that point, I felt overwhelmed, underappreciated, and frustrated. But instead of lashing out, I paused. I asked myself: Why am I doing this? Who am I trying to please? What pattern am I repeating?

That moment of reflection helped me see that I was looping—giving too much of myself without setting boundaries. It was a painful but necessary awakening.

Stories of Cultivating Awareness and Clarity

This week taught me that awareness often comes through the people around us. There was a man from the Philippines—let’s call him Cloud. Despite struggling with slow internet and technical challenges, Cloud always showed up. When his connection failed, he didn’t give up. He went to the shared drive, found the materials, and kept going. That’s self-assurance. That’s awareness in action.

And then, there was the meeting I attended for a charity initiative. I walked in hopeful, believing this meeting would open doors. Instead, it became clear that I had poured too much time, energy, and money into something that wasn’t aligned anymore. It was disheartening, but it was also a gift: awareness that I need to close this chapter and start anew.

Moving Forward with Intention: Commitment to Cultivating Awareness

Here’s what I’ve committed to:

• Setting clearer boundaries — My time is valuable, and I need to honor that.
• Listening deeply — Not just to others, but to myself. What do I need in this moment?
• Showing up intentionally — Like Cloud, I want to be the person who finds solutions instead of excuses.

I’ve learned that cultivating awareness isn’t a one-time effort. It’s a daily practice—something I return to, especially when I feel lost or overwhelmed.

My Call To You

If you’ve read this far, I invite you to reflect:

• Where are you looping in your life?
• When was your last “aha” moment?
• What small step can you take today to cultivate awareness?

Join me in this journey. Comment below, share your experiences, or even start your own 10-minute Be More Social Challenge. Together, we can build a more intentional, aware, and connected world.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, cultivating awareness is about making space for yourself, your growth, and the connections that truly matter. We’re not meant to go through life on autopilot. Let’s break the loops, step out of the spin, and choose a path forward with clarity and purpose.