In order to see problems as opportunities instead of threats, you have to be able to create some distance, look at your challenges from a more empowering perspective, and recognize how they align with your purpose, self-concept, and goals.

But to do any of these, you need to first be:

• Aware of your emotional states—why you’re feeling stressed, worried, tense, uncertain, overwhelmed, or anxious.
• Aware of your energy level—the shifts in your motivation, enthusiasm, and clarity.
• Aware of your self and your Self (capital “S”)—your sense of identity, your values, your purpose, and your vision.
• Aware of the nature of your challenge—if and how it aligns with your sense of self/Self.
• Aware of its impact—how overcoming your challenge will help you become more of what you really WANT to be.

It’s far too easy to spend most of your time in a trance, disconnected from that deeper level of awareness. Most people sleep-walk through life, repeating the same played out habitual thinking patterns and actions over and over again.

Luckily, you can also choose to wake yourself up.

And yes, this is where I tell you that one way out of your hypnosis is mindfulness—particularly meditation. As if you haven’t heard that advice a million times already. But before you roll your eyes and skip to the next thing on your to-do list, consider this…

What if mindfulness wasn’t really about tempering your authentic worldly ambitions, or tapping into some mystical never-ending stream of bliss?

What if becoming more aware was about becoming more of who you REALLY are—not who you or anyone else things you SHOULD be?

The “you” minus the fears, the overthinking, the internal noise, the people pleasing, the second-guessing, the judgment, the self-doubt.

So that you can tap directly into the “you” who’s a natural problem solver. Who has the burning desire to create and build something meaningful. Who wants to enjoy both the material AND the non-material rewards of life.

Just think about it.

What will you do today to explore how a mindfulness practice may align with your authentically driven and ambitious vision for your life?

Will you at least keep an open mind to what I shared above, and see if any of it resonates with you?