I've touched on critical thinking in the past. But here, I am going to take that a little futher for it is crucial in really getting to know our own minds and understanding the difference between acting from a place outside ourselves versus being true to our own inner knowing. Firstly, we all need to understand that everyone outside ourselves has their own story of which we just play a part. Just as we ourselves have our own dramas where others merely play a role, so does the rest of the world. In understanding this, we must realize that everyone can only do the best they can with what they know. So, the key that sets the empowered apart from the rest lies in the constant getting of and growing through knowledge which leads to greater understanding.

There are many organic as well as institutional ways of bringing more knowledge and understanding into our lives. By institutional, I mean mainly mainstream and alternative avenues of learning. By organic, I mean learning intrinsically by how we interact with our environment. By being aware of what's coming in, whether it's what we see, hear, or experience, we can begin to become more "critical" of what we allow into our consciousness. And here, common sense goes a long way in reading between the lines. When we begin to question everything that is coming into our environment with an open mind, then we can glean more productive data and learn to apply it practically. Reacting before we process the data only causes the "learning curve" not just to lower but sometimes even shut down entirely. And, its the learning curve that dictates what we really become fully conscious of.

Free-thinking is the cornerstone of empowerment and who wants to be the square peg anyway. It always amazes me when I meet people that are desperately clinging to the "wanting to fit into the round hole syndrome," especially the self-confessed highly evolved individuals. Let's break the word down. Free-Thinking....Free is defined as "not fixed or held in a particular place or position," as defined in the Longman Dictionary and thinking means "your opinions or ideas about something or your attitude towards it, "as defined in the same dictionary. Now, the word "free-thinker" is defined in its entirety as "someone who has their own opinions, ideas, and beliefs rather than accepting other people's." We need to memorize and internalize these definitions in order to begin to embody them.

As a society, the amount of information we take in on a daily basis is growing exponentially. And it seems sometimes that our filters are getting so clogged with all the data coming in that we can become prone to the toxicity of the gunky buildup. But, if we can become more critical of what we allow in then we can begin to hone in only on the information that best serves us. At that point, there is no room for the excess unnecessary riff. Knowing our own minds and following through from that perspective allows us to make more empowered choices and we are less likely to be reactive to the circumstances and situations that arise.

Reacting instead of proacting is what causes us to make mistakes and misguided decisions. Proacting from awareness is the other key that allows us to be the editors and producers of the scripts we write for our own lives. The real kicker here is that being aware and knowing our own minds is a constantly evolving thing. We are never finished or complete in doing this and why would we want to be. That's the most exciting thing about being here, learning, applying all that we learn on a daily basis, and then starting over with the discovery process again. So, folks be aware, proact, and most of all never stop learning, especially about yourself!

Until Next Time,
AudreyLynn