How To Be A Grown Up Part 2: The Law of Awareness (Article)

 

The Law of Awareness

Do you take the time to reflect daily on where you are today versus one year ago or even ten years ago? 

Is there a big difference? Is your income different? Has your ability to communicate improved? How are your relationships? How is your spirituality? How is your overall well-being? 

Is there anything different about you compared to a few years back or even a few months ago... or are things the exact same? 

Have you really taken the time to be aware of your growth or lack there of?👀

Chapter 2 of The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth discuss the importance of taking the time to PAY ATTENTION to ourselves.

 “To grow, you must know yourself: your strengths and weaknesses, your interests and opportunities. You must be able to gauge not only where you’ve been but also where you are now. Otherwise you cannot set a course for where you want to go.” -The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C. Maxwelle

You must know yourself to grow yourself. 

Let’s discuss 5 of the 10 questions, author John C. Maxwell suggests we ask ourselves to better understand where we are in life and where we want to be. In short, how to find our passion and purpose. We’ll discuss questions 6-10 later on the podcast!

1. Do you like what you’re doing now?

2. What would you like to do?

3. Can you do what you would like to do?

4. Do you know WHY you want to do what you would like to do?

5. Do you know what to do so you can do what you want to do?

Let's Talk About It...

1. Do You Like What You're Doing Now?

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 2:

"I am amazed by how many people I meet every day who don't like doing what they do for a living...

Is it a risk making change from what you're currently doing to what you want to do? Of course. You might fail. You might find out that you don't like it as much as you expected. You might not make as much money. But isn't there a risk in staying where you are? You might fail. You might get fired. You might take a pay cut. Or worst of all, you might come to the end of your life feeling regret for never having reached your potential or doing what you love. Which risk would you rather take?"

When I was fired from my account manager position for being tardy everyday due to the earliest drop off time for my son's daycare and my shift start time being the exact same, I was forced into doing what I love. I knew what I wanted but I was so afraid to step into real estate. It's commission only and I was conditioned to believe hourly and salary were the most secure routes for a single mom.

I found out the hard way that at any time an hourly or salary job can let me go and all I have is unemployment and hopefully a savings. Versus having multiple clients as a real estate agent which results to multiple opportunities for income. That has its risks too, but it all worked out. Because it always works out, if only we believe. 😉

Sometimes...well MOST TIMES our conditioning creates a hold so strong on our inner being that we forget what our passion is or we're unable to even explore the idea of having a passion. We lose sight and settle. I'm not saying a job is a bad thing, the most resourceful people have a salaried position AND commission/project work. Lump sum and residual is the goal if you ask me. I just understand now that work without passion is a life un-lived. Take the risk, and if you're like me, life might force you to take the risk. It's scary but so is being fired two weeks before the holidays. (That's what happened to me.)

Sidebar: This isn't everyone. Some people are blessed to know exactly what they want and go for it until they get it. Those people are who we should all aspire to be like.

2. What would you like to do?

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 2:

"If you never figure out what you want to do, you will probably be frustrated all your life...Knowing yourself and what you want to do is one of the most important things you'll ever do in this life."

I'll tell you how I decided what I wanted to do in life. It's pretty funny...now. I was working from home for Apple (prior to my account manager job). I was fired for being late. How in the world can I be late for a work from home job? I'll tell you how. I overslept taking my "before work nap" a bit too many times. 😑😬 Can you see the pattern I had to work on? 

Anyway, I woke up late and tried to login but received a message on my screen. At the time I was a 21 year old college dropout with a 7 year old son. I was already burnt out on trying to have a full time job; manage a home; manage myself; AND be a responsible, active, loving, single mom. I googled "How To Get Rich Without A College Degree" and real estate was the first thing that came up. So I made a decision right there that I was going to get my license and go for it. And I did. 😂😎 

It was a VERY tough journey and sometimes it still is. I look back and realize however, that google just confirmed what was already instilled in me at a young age. My grandfather was a renowned architect back home in Little Rock, Arkansas and my mother dabbled in real estate and decor in Hot-lanta. When I was a child, my mom would drive me and brothers around beautiful neighborhoods when we relocated to Georgia and we'd all just dream together. It was beautiful. She's the best. 💖 

I still drive around today looking at homes as a form of therapy.

I said all of that to say, sometimes finding your passion is more simple than expected. Don't overthink it. You may find beautiful things that were instilled in you long ago once you start exploring. So explore yourself.

3. Can you do what you would like to do?

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 2:

"Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess. Your goal should be to waste as little of you life as possible...Discover your uniqueness then discipline yourself to develop it."

I truly believe we are all born with unique talents. No one person is the same. In today's world, whatever you are good at can produce an income. Be patient with yourself if you haven't found what you are good at yet. If you really want to discover your unique abilities and have no clue how, read The 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth and I'm sure something inside you will spark. You're good at something, we all are. 😊 

4. Do you know WHY you want to do what you would like to do?

I originally got into real estate because I wanted to be financially free. That's still ONE of the main reasons. As I've grown, I've developed two more:

• An opportunity to help/protect those that are often preyed on due to lack of knowledge of the real estate industry/market
• An opportunity to inspire others to shine bright

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 2:

"When you do things for the right reason, it gives you inner strength when things go wrong. Right motives help you to build positive relationships because they prevent hidden agendas and incline you to put people ahead of your agenda. Doing something for the right reasons also keeps life less cluttered and your path clearer. Not only is your vision clearer, but you also sleep well at night knowing you're on the right track."

5. Do you know what to do so you can do what you want to do?

To move from what you're doing now to what you want to do is a process which includes:

• Awareness
• Action
• Accountability
• Attraction

Here's what the book suggests:

• Track every action that pertains to an area where you want to see improvement, whether it relates to finances, health, career, or relationships.
• Simply carry around a small notebook and pen that fits in your pocket or purse at all times (here's a good set on amazon)
• Write your progress down EVERYDAY

THIS PROCESS FORCES YOU TO BE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR DECISIONS.

We'll dig little deeper into this process later on the podcast. For now, here's another excerpt from Chapter 2 in regards to this process:

"Birds of a feather flock together...If you want to be around growing people, become a growing person. If you're committed, you attract others who are committed. If you're growing, you attract others who are growing. This puts you in a position to begin building a community of like-minded people who can help one another succeed."

The Wrap Up

We're at the finish line for part 2 of the 15 part series: How To Be A Grown Up. Today we learned the Law of Awareness: How to be aware of where are and where you want to go. According to The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, there are 10 questions to help us with self awareness. We reviewed the first 5 here and 6-10 will be discussed on the podcast.

Tune in and Stay aware of self my friends.

Once again, I'm so grateful for YOU reading until the very end and for myself for being consistent and doing this article! Taking a moment to virtually clap for both of us! 👏👏 I hope this inspires you to want to grow because there's always room for growth.

Listen and Subscribe to the podcast for a deeper dive PLUS stay tuned for next week's topic: The Law of the Mirror on How To Be A Grown Up Part 3.

Share your thoughts or ideas at tryingthisgrowththing@gmail.com

Cheers!