hard work

I Have Built Walls Around Me

Last week, I was answering the question, can you teach hard work? I concluded that teaching hard work comes from being an example. Who I am as a person, affects those around me. I can change people physically, emotionally, and even spiritually by my actions. I pray and hope that I am making positive impacts, but I also recognize that I am at fault for adverse effects. 

This past weekend was a pretty average weekend except for the fact that I talked to the police on two separate occasions. I saw a man abusing a woman and had to follow this couple while calling the police. I also saw a drunk driver crash his car on the highway and I stopped over to make sure people were safe. I am grateful for the police who came to the rescue in both of those situations.

As I walked away, it was easy for me to judge.

It was sad to see decisions being made that had real physical punishments for those two men.

But what about me?

What choices have I made that have hurt me or others on an emotional and spiritual level? Do I have empathy for those around me that could be affected by my harmful actions? 

To become that excellent example for those around me, I need self-awareness. I need to question the intentions of my actions and see the cause and effects. I am not talking about mapping out my life and what career I will do, each second of the day. I am talking about the actual understanding of how I am feeling and why I want to act in that manner. 

To be honest, I feel like I have lost trying to be self-aware. Recently, I have tried to get lost in my work and give myself an excuse of why I do not have to journal or meditate. I have allowed these walls to build up around my heart. That is SCARY to me. Although I do not think these walls in my heart have resulted in any physical harm- they most easily could manifest in a damaging situation. I saw that first hand this weekend. I want to be a man who can be an advocate of self-awareness so that maybe- just maybe- we can minimize the hurt in this world together.

That starts with me.

Self-awareness does not start from judging others. It begins with seeing myself in other people's shoes.

It begins with this post and recognizing how my walls have been up. This post is my first hack at breaking those walls in my heart.

As I continue to break my walls down and diving into my own life, I want to know how you are self-aware? Do you journal or meditate? What systems have you set up in your life to keep from those emotional barriers growing?


I want to hear from you! How are you self-aware? Let me know on my socials and follow along on my journey!