simplyann.net

When did you first become self-aware? I remember my first moment as sometime in the 10th grade when I was able to categorize parts of my life into degrees of knowing. I don’t remember what those categories were, but that moment was the first step to landmarking my life. Today, I have different categories for my life, labeled First Awareness, Second Awareness, Third Awareness and so on.

If the question sounds a little vague, it’s because it is. Awareness, to me, is an elusive notion, a state of being characterized by understanding that you have states of being. It would become both too rigid and too flimsy if I tried to define self-awareness, so I leave the definition open to each individual.

Once I was able to answer that question for myself, I began to wonder, “How do I accelerate a state of self-awareness in others?” And by others I mean young people who come into the lab on a daily basis. To me, although they seem self-aware enough to wear what they wear, say what they say and do what they do, they still seem to be missing an important link to a larger sense of belonging. They seem to lack the critical lenses needed to inform and define their states of self-awareness – i.e. to say why they wear what they wear, say what they say and do what they do.
What needs to happen in one’s life to light that critical thinking spark? Understandably, the road to be able to fully describe who you are is a long journey called life. How do we meet these young people where they are and begin lighting those sparks?