Choosing Awareness
Everyone experiences some form of self-sabotage. The truth is that, often, the only limit we have is the one we impose on ourselves. It might seem like an obvious statement, something you’d find in a fortune cookie, but it’s not.
Too regularly, we don’t realize the conversations happening within us — those inner voices through which we harshly criticize ourselves. Not to mention the people around us who, like a reflex, repeat to us what they tell themselves.
Phrases like: “There’s no point in doing it,” “I’m not good enough,” “I have no talent,” “It’s too late,” “I’m too old,” “It’s too difficult,” “Only a few succeed,” “It’s stupid,” “Why should I bother?” “It’s a waste of time,” “I’ll never be able to do it,” “What’s the use?” “I’m not capable,” and “It’s too late now” — are the classic thoughts that inhabit our minds, feeding the ego, insecurities, and the deep fear of feeling inadequate or wrong. And so, rather than facing this terrifying ‘monster’ within us, we lock it up in a cage that exists only in our heads.
We imprison ourselves and, along with us, our inner child, their dreams, aspirations, and desires. We confine everything within that perimeter because we are afraid. But the only real risk is closing ourselves off and getting lost without even realizing it — becoming unhappy, disconnecting from our emotions, and distancing ourselves from the creative aspirations of our souls.
Maybe it all started with a teacher who scolded us one day at school, or a parent who criticized us without helping us improve, or someone who projected their fears onto us, making us believe they were our own. It doesn’t matter. What truly matters is understanding that once we become aware of it, we can change. Through self-observation, we can realize that our perspective is nothing more than the sum of all the experiences we have lived.
Becoming aware of this gives us a wonderful form of freedom: choice.
We can choose what to keep and what to let go of — everything is changeable, always, when there is a deep willingness to do so. It’s never too late to start something, and it’s never foolish to try. There is no such thing as someone without creativity.
Creativity is part of being human, and it is like a muscle — the more you stimulate it, the stronger it becomes. Draw, paint, write, sew — experiment and persist without necessarily having a goal in mind, except to discover who you are.
We are all creative and unique beings. We just need to create the right conditions to express ourselves freely.
📝 My name is Carmen, thanks for reading me! I originally wrote this article in Italian for the newspaper “Laici” on July 12, 2024. Find more writings in Italian, Spanish, & English on my website, Instagram @carmenmeanspoem, Substack , & listen to my voice reading on YouTube.
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