A Couple of Weeks Back We Discussed The First Pillar of Self-Eesteem which involves The Practice of Conscious Living
In order for knowledge to be fully experienced, it requires that the knowledge you absorb mentally, also be practiced experientially. The practice of conscious living is not for the faint of heart.
This solidifies the teaching so that it is not just a concept you keep in your Mind, but a tangibly felt experience to lead to true knowing.
You can read up and learn all about the ins and outs of skydiving and say “I know what skydiving is!” or you can pay a few hundred dollars, strap on a professional skydiver and plummet yourself to the Earth from 10 000 feet up in the sky and have the real knowledge of what skydiving is all about.
One is done is theory and the other in actual experience. The practice of conscious living is similar but in the depths of your beliefs and values.
The practice of conscious living suggests that you are aware and in conscious control over your energetic expenditures.
How Does One Go About Experiencing The Practice of Conscious Living?
A modicum of self awareness and an aptitude for learning about how to optimize your particular individual self is a great way to start having a conscious relationship to yourself.
This will only lead to the same vibe of relating in your relationships and activities.
Below is an exercise sheet for you to write out and fill out for you to gain in the practice of conscious living.
When you take conscious control of your life and invest in yourself then the rewards you reap are endless. The practice of conscious living.
The investment and commitment must be made, however, if you are to succeed.
Nothing comes from nothing so if you put in no effort or work into yourself, then of course, your beautiful body will continue on living in spite of you but will you really be able to say that you are living your best life?
Taking the time to take the time to be good to yourself and engage in some self exploration and reflection is a gift. This is a gift you are well deserving of and paramount for you to receive if your life is to thrive. It is fully engaging the practice fo conscious living.
Journal writing and scripting can be very creative and somatically advantageous pursuits. It is a huge win in today’s technologically driven world to be able to sit in presence with a book and write out some sentences that describe your intentions for yourself and your own relationship to living consciously and what that means to you.
Uniquely yours.
Sentence Completion – Tool 4 Your Kit – The Practice of Conscious Living
A deceptively simple yet profoundly powerful exercise that is recommended in Dr Braden’s book The Six Pillars of Self Esteem is that of sentence completion.
We as humans, all have access to infinite intelligence.
There are resources available to us to access this intelligence.
The one that keeps our heart beating, or lungs breathing and our organs functioning. The one that causes flowers to bloom and trees to dwarf us and oceans that prove majestically powerful and beautiful as well as demonstrate destruction and impact to which us little humans are capable of impacting yet in no way have any power in its governance.
Sentence Completion Is A Manner In Which To Access This Intelligence Within Us – The Aspect That Each & Every One Of Us Hold Within.
The Whisper of Pure Potentiality.
If You Still Yourself, Meditate in Presence, This Whisper Is More Audibly Heard.
IT IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF WELLBEING THAT RESIDES WITHIN YOU.
There are many ways to do many things in this world and the sentence completion task ahead is one of those things. The manner in which Dr Braden recommends and proves effective is the procedure taken from his book and is delineated as follows:
“The essence of this procedure is to write an incomplete sentence, a sentence stem, and to keep adding different endings – the sole requirement being that each ending be a grammatical completion of the sentence. You want a MINIMUM of 6 endings.”
Making it an even 10 would be a great investment and service to yourself. We are expanding, always. Embracing this aspect of our humanity is extremely empowering.
This should be done in a delve in and do it kind of attitude.
The more you dwell on what is not working for you in your being, the more you generate that kind of energy in your life and you end up on a recycle belt of living in the same skin day in and day out with no growth.
Acceptance of yourself and where you are at in your life is the biggest obstacle in implementing change.
An awesome way to practice full acceptance of self with no resistance, is to understand that everything about the world in which we humans live, is an all-inclusive universe. This means you can be okay with anything and everything and you just cultivate enough strength of will or discipline to govern yourself in a discerning manner in terms of your emotional and psychological intelligence.
The suggestion is to just do it and don’t ruminate or think about it too much.
Sit down with a pen and an “I love myself” notebook and write down 10 sentence endings, as intuitively as possible, without pausing for reflection or thought to these sentence stems:
SENTENCE STEMS TO COMPLETE:
IF I BRING 10% MORE AWARENESS TO MY ACTIVITIES TODAY_____________________________________________
IF I PAY MORE ATTENTION TO HOW I DEAL WITH PEOPLE TODAY ____________________________________________
IF I BRING 10% MORE AWARENESS TO MY MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS________________________________
5-10 sentence completions for the above can be done in the morning and after you have written your responses you go on about your day without looking at them again.
It is advised you repeat this exercise Monday-Friday without looking at the answers that came from you the day before.
It is possible that you will encounter similarities and you will encounter new items on your lists.
The purpose of this exercise completed daily and with no judgement or rumination from your Mind, allows your psyche to start generating new possibilities for you and your being.
At the end of the week, relax and then on one day on the weekend when you are in a chill and good state, reread what you wrote for the Monday – Friday sentence completions and then proceed to write a minimum of six sentence endings/completions for this stem:
IF ANY OF WHAT I WROTE THIS WEEK IS TRUE, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF I_____________________________________
An aspect of us as humans is that we are incredibly capable to harness and direct our own selves in terms of our thought forms and the words we use to describe and communicate our experiences.
When you enter into communication with yourself in terms of delineating the aspects of yourself that could live more consciously, then it is a given that this conscious investment and commitment to yourself will generate the energy you require to shift into a more conscious participant of your life.
This is only 10 minutes of your life per day to cultivate a serious level up in your state of being and consciousness.
The exercise itself is a tool.
A tool that allows you to become more aware of your participation in your own life.
Tracking awareness and tracking our attention is one of the most empowering gifts you can bestow upon yourself.
If you are able to commit to this practice (which is like an hour a week) and you have become familiar with the tool you will acquire knowledge and a sense of how the procedure is working for you.
The Caveat Here Is That You Invest In Yourself.
A good portion of people look outside of themselves for guidance and support.
The answers are within you.
No one can be the ultimate authority on your own experience but you.
Take accountability and responsibility for your awareness and your conscious attention in how you show up in the world is one of the most empowering things you can do for your overall well-being.
After two weeks of working with the above tool, you will have now developed a sense for how it is working for you in terms of just getting acclimated to focusing on living aware and living consciously. It is then advisable to increase your momentum and continue to raise your level of awareness of yourself and your intentions in your life.
Examples of further sentence stems for you to complete after 2 weeks of becoming familiar with the tool itself.
The Sentence Starts The Same In Each Lesson:
“If I were to bring 10 percent more awareness to….”
….my activities….
….to how I deal with peeps today….
….to my most important relationships…
….the problems I am facing….
Fill out these sentence stems and complete them.
Then go about your day.
Reflection
At the end of your day, some time during the evening where you can allot a portion of quiet time to yourself, these are the sentence stems recommended completing:
“When I reflect on what happens when I bring 10 percent more awareness to….”
….my activities….
….to how I deal with peeps today….
….to my most important relationships…
….the problems I am facing….
The idea behind doing this exercises Monday to Friday on a consistent basis, despite any repeating statements is that you are energizing this aspect of your being.
The law of energy is very simple. It is the rational mind that makes the understanding of it such a complex matter for most – the Mind sets its very task to figuring things out and analyzing and it is a very useful mechanism, however, it is merely a recording device of all perceptions and experiences you have absorbed throughout your life thus far.
Being able to write freely about yourself in a free flow of authentic expression free from analytics, logic, reason and judgements, your relationships and the level of conscious awareness you bring to them is hugely empowering for you and for the people with whom you share your energy.
Where you place your focus is where you place your energy.
Where focus goes, energy flows.
Just as if you were to go to the gym and weight train every day, you would start seeing a shift in your musculature system and your biology at a cellular level.
The same is true for exercises of the Heart and Mind.
If you have no awareness or governance over your own awareness and how it impacts your overall life choices and outcomes, then is that aligned with empowerment?
What is super cool about the process Dr Braden offers in his book “The Six Pillars of Self Esteem” is that there are endless possibilities for what you can explore and enhance in your self as who you are being.
Cultivating Empowering Habits
If You Choose To Invest 30 minutes Towards The Cultivation Of Yourself Each Day To Engage In Some Empowerment For Yourself & For You Alone
Carving out 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening to write out your intentions and awareness of your level up in your own behaviour is supremely empowering.
There is a good amount of expectation, duty, pressures and commitments that are an axiom with the western world structure of societal living.
Being an advocate for your own health and well-being is a freedom and a right that most people leave into the hands of others.
How incredibly disrespectful to the human heart’s connectivity to infinite intelligence to buy in to such a belief.
It is for profit, no doubt which is a misnomer of power that has also been normalized and enabled in the world today. This is not a gripe, it is observation.
Many people cultivate habits for a lifestyle based on beliefs and experiences set out by their influencers and the structured beliefs of society.
The kind of environment and the influences a person has throughout their lives can play a large part in how they choose to live their life paths.
A good vibe to encompass for your kids, if you have any, and for yourself and the peers in your surroundings is empowering habits.
Habits of self care, self reflection and self investment in a healthy and dignified manner. Many times people can act out of obligation and expectation.
The rebellious act of self investment based solely on you and your unique self & the optimization of you is an act worthy of your value – no matter who you are or what you have done.
If you are committed to raising your awareness and participation in your own beings experience, then you can apply the sentence stem and completion exercise to different issues in your life. Here are some additional sentence stems to put into your journal.
Personal Work
“If I bring 10% more awareness to…..”
when I am mentally active and when I am mentally passive, I might see that __________________________________________
how I sometimes stand in my own way ___________________________________________________________________________
my insecurities ________________________________________________________________________________________________
my emotional responses ________________________________________________________________________________________
how I prioritize myself __________________________________________________________________________________________
Professional Work
“If I bring 10% more awareness to…..”
what my tasks require of me ____________________________________________________________________________________
how I delegate tasks to my employees ___________________________________________________________________________
the manner in which I produce sales _____________________________________________________________________________
When humans have a pattern of habitual behaviour in their modes of operandi, certain conscious or, more likely, subconscious behaviours can bring up a good deal of resistance to change. Rather than throwing in the towel and writing the exercise off as futile, one can instead, choose an attitude of perseverance
Resistance Work in Regards to The Sentence Stem Exercise
“If I imagine bringing more consciousness into my life _____________________________________________________________”
“The thing about doing this scares me because __________________________________________________________________”
“If I bring 10 percent more awareness to my fears and judgements about this exercise, I might see that _________________”
Dr Braden calls these exercises an adrenaline shot to the psyche. Having implemented higher awareness into my daily life and to see how putting your focus on this task even for a fortnight shifts the manner in which you relate to yourself in this world, it proves exponentially empowering.
In many cases, the results of being human means that sometimes we are less conscious and aware of aspects of ourselves then we are of other aspects we govern.
Assessing where your awareness requires a level up is easy, as you need only look to the outcomes you are producing in your life in terms of your relationships, the work you do and the creative output you generate.
What an interesting and uplifting post! I am so happy I found this today! I needed validation to feel how I’m currently feeling and that it is ok. I like the tips you offer! I especially agree with you when you say, “the more you dwell on what is not working for you in your being, the more you generate that kind of energy in your life”. This statement could not be any more truthful. The things we think about can ultimately turn into reality. Why think and dwell on the negative? This is where your sentence stems come in handy! It would benefit us all if we practiced more conscious living. Thank you for your insight! I appreciate it!
Thanks to you Happier at Home! Seems you encompass a vibrant and optimistic attitude about this beautiful journey called life!
I thank you for your comment which is infused with such light!
All the very best to you girl!
-Bex
Hi,
This is a very thorough post and very informative. I like the idea of the sentence completion task, as I think it would be a great way to become self aware and improve one’s attitude. Also, it wouldn’t take too long to do. I think I am going to check out the Six Pillars of Self Esteem book on your recommendation.
Hey Tom!
So great to hear bud! Have fun with it! The rewards of understanding and cultivating a healthy and strong sense of self within is a gift any human can bestow upon themselves.
Enjoy the journey!
-Bex
It is great that you have mentioned commitment. We usually set out on a path to something but lack of commitment sets us back to where we began. I am learning to have the discipline it requires for me to stay focused on only that which matters and just do it.It is very interesting how Dr. Braden’s sentence completion works. I will be trying this concept. Thank you for this insightful content.
Hi Carol!
Great comment! Taking accountability for our own role in creating our own well being is a huge step in being able to make a successful path of well being for ourselves. I am pleased to hear that you will be giving it a go and please do keep me posted about your progress!
Thanks to you and all the very best of all to you!
-Bex
Living in the moment and being conscious of oneself is an act that requires one to focus on things that makes one unique and possibly the smallest ting that I could have ever thought of is what you have elaborated here to practise self consciousness. Investing in oneself and respecting personal time and space would ensure proper care towards giving more time to little things such as sentence completion. Great one and I found this post worth reading. Thanks
Hi Rodarrick!
I am grateful the content that I created has proved good standing with your standards and I hope that it only adds to your breadth of tools and assets available for self development.
Thank you for your comment!
-Bex
Very interesting concept. I think that everyone can find 30 minutes a day to work on their self esteem and mental health. I enjoy writing already, so this will be a fun exercise to do each day. What is more important than taking care of yourself, mind and body? Thank you for sharing, this is very powerful information!
Hey Travis!
You are all kinds of good vibes!
Thanks to you for your vibrant comment!
-Bex
Interested when you say that nothing comes from nothing and I totally agree. Dr Braden’s sentence completion looks pretty intriguing. 30 minutes per day is not too much to ask of ones self when it comes to health and well-being. Also, 10% is a good figure when we’re talking about internalized to find such conscious living. I’ve practiced some sentences already and I’m definitely looking forward to checking out The Pillars of Self-Esteem further. Thanks for another great recommendation!
HI Pentrental!
Thanks to you and your vibrant and supportive comment!
I hope the journey proves all kinds of successful for you!
All the best and thanks again!
-Bex
Thank you for sharing this post, I have enjoyed reading it, these are very good practices to live by, I have been trying to discipline myself to achieve positive mental attitude for which I have been trying various techniques, however, the techniques and methods I have been using aren’t has involved or as deep as the practices you recommend here in this post, I have bookmarked your website and this post here because I am going to be giving this a try, thank you.
Hi Russ!
Thank you for stopping by and gifting the site with a supportive comment!
I hope the practice yields some insightful and useful results for you good Sir!
All the very best!
-Bex
I love your blog post because I have been searching for some daily motivational exercises that takes few minutes to do which will help me cultivate some level up in my state of being and consciousness.
The sentence completion tool from Dr Braden is great. I will write my own sentence stem and add 10 different endings (as minimum is 6) because I agree that this is a vital investment and service to myself.
I love your article and will share it
Awesome!
Thanks so much Chris and I am most pleased that you found value in it dude!
Have a great weekend ahead!
-Bex
Relationship with oneself is an essential aspect of gaining self consciousness which most people lack. Knowing your capabilities would be a really good means to setting goals for yourself as well. There are so many people today who do not gave a relationship with themselves and this have led to low self esteem in so many instances and in worse cases psychological issues. I’ll try filling the blanks in this question to know how self conscious I am. Best regards.
Hi Benson!
I think it is great that you engage and support a practice of living more consciously.
To be self conscious, is to be conscious of oneself and in our society if you call a person self conscious, then, yes, they have an over awareness of themselves, but it is usually depicted in a polarity of negativity.
To be self conscious elicits a response of a person feeling uncomfortable with themselves.
With inner work and tools such as sentence completion with the first pillar of esteem, living more consciously, then the results in our lives will only prove to have the same results of that which we invest within.
Have a great time with the exercises and reach out if you want to share your results!
Cheers!
-Bex
Living consciously definitely takes daily practice. I am willing to do this exercise M-F to be more aware of living. So long I have been going through the motions of existing, I forgot how to live. I appreciate your articles and am grateful for any self assessment tools. It only will make me a better person. Thank you again
Melissa
Hi Lisa!
You have a great attitude girl and am pleased that you will return to the right relationship within yourself. I hope the tools provided will add to your repertoire of good living!
Thank you for your comment and all the very best to you!
-Bex
Has to be said this was a roller coaster of an article for me. There were points at which I thought I’d ‘got it’ and then I wasn’t so sure. I felt at times that the main theme was about ‘mindfulness’ and then it felt that it was even deeper than that.
Some of the word structure reminded me of Deepak Chopra, I had his voice in my head as I was reading.
Engaging in the sentence completion would be a direct positive result if we can give the very first response. Am I saying that the response would be without ‘ego’ or have I mixed my terminology up ? It’s that very instance that comes before we think. Our gut feeling before we take ourselves out of it and use ‘reason.’
Our moments come and go and we tend to forget them unless they are relevant and that then becomes a choice based on reason and not the ‘instant’ of self. Writing this down is also a way of remembering so that when we look back we can explore that which we might have forgotten and in doing so, missing out on learning who we really are. There’s much to digest here, for which I am grateful.
Hi Twack,
You demonstrate a solid and connected relationship to the higher aspects of oneself and the gifts that come from an interest and discussion in self inquiry and acutualization.
Deepak Chopra is a person whom I have learned a good deal from through reading and find his content resonant with these aspects of ourselves – the relationship we keep with ourselves and how that translates to the bigger world about us. I too, am grateful, and wish you a most pleasant day ahead good sir!
-Bex
Well, you are certainly right up my alley with this post and indeed your whole website. I would have liked to know more about you but I couldn’t find an about page?
I probably won’t go as far as actually doing the sentence finishing because I already have a number of personal development practices going, but the thinking behind them is a great reminder to stay aware during the day of what is actually going on for me at all times. I try to do this when I remember but I am a social worker and I find my energy gets affected by my clients situations more than it should.
The underlying limiting belief of “not being good enough”, which is possibly the root of a lot of self-esteem woes, is such a huge problem for so many people, including me. I think these stem sentences could be really helpful for people who are looking to unlock what is going on for them that they may not be aware of.
Thanks 🙂
Debzo (AW UN)
Hey Deb,
I have an “intent behind the site” page which you can read here:
The Intent of the Self Esteem Site
I appreciate your words and evaluation of the topic of self esteem and pleased to hear that you have already implemented some self elevating modules in your life experience. If you note that you are afflicted with low self esteem, then that 30 minutes a day of sentence completion can really prove to help. I hope you try it anyway as it can only prove to aid in your expansion.
I wish you much peace and prosperity!
Cheers!
-Bex
Wt something to doow! Very powerful message. Just the idea of giving 10% more of your wanted accomplishments per day. Knowing what you need and want to do first, then going out to DO it. I’m reflecting on peoples fears of failing. It is better to focus on the positive reasons why you want to do something and if you don’t succeed the first time, the experience you gain can give you confidence, and drive to try again. its like trying run a mile in 5 minutes. You run 6 minutes the first attempt. You realize you went out to fast and got tired, slowing down at the end. You increase your desire and ask yourself,” Okay, what can I do to reach my goal? Maybe practice more to get in better shape. Learn to pace myself better? A week later to try you run the mile in 4 min. 50 seconds; exceeding your goal! You feel proud and confident that you can run faster. You self-esteem can carry over to other things you desire.
We do need to know who we are. You have some good question to make someone think about there lives and how they should get to know there selves. The inner voice inside is always speaking but we are never quiet enough to listen, it’s only in times of devotion and listen that we can truly hear.
HI Renea!
You are spot on sister friend. It is imperative we cultivate a practice of giving ourselves an investment of time in order to heed the inner callings of our own unique Spirit.
Thank you for your supportive comment sister friend and have a most epic weekend ahead!
Cheers!
-Bex