Awareness Is the Starting Point
Feb 11, 2026
Most change doesn’t happen because we don’t want better lives.
It often happens because becoming aware of what isn’t working can feel uncomfortable.
When we begin to notice patterns — the thoughts that repeat, the habits that don’t serve us, the relationships that feel draining — it’s easy to interpret awareness as evidence that something is wrong with us. But awareness isn’t a verdict. It’s information.
For a long time, I avoided looking too closely at what wasn’t working in my own life because I was afraid of what I’d find. I thought awareness would lead to self-criticism or disappointment. Instead, I discovered something surprising: awareness actually created relief. It gave me a place to begin.
Awareness doesn’t demand immediate change. It simply asks us to observe.
And observation, when done without judgment, creates space instead of pressure.
Many of us learned — directly or indirectly — that noticing our struggles meant we were failing. But noticing is not failing. It’s clarity. It’s the moment when fog begins to lift and we can finally see where we are standing.
There is often a feeling that comes with awareness that we don’t love — a sense of discomfort, regret, or even shame. Not a feeling we want to camp out in permanently, but a feeling that can be useful in pointing out that something here isn’t working. When we allow it to inform rather than define us, it becomes a signal instead of a sentence.
Change doesn’t begin with fixing.
It begins with seeing.
When we slow down enough to notice our patterns with honesty and compassion, we gain something essential: choice. Without awareness, we repeat what’s familiar. With awareness, we are free to respond differently — in our own time, in our own way.
You don’t need to have the answers yet.
You don’t need to know what comes next.
You only need the willingness to notice.
And when we feel safe looking within, it begins to get easier to believe in God’s grace and how He meets us right where we are, even when He might want more for us.
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:22-23
The beautiful reality is that awareness isn’t the end of the story.
It’s the place where the story finally has room to change.
A gentle reminder before you go:
You are not broken. You don’t need to be fixed. You are doing better than you think. Growth doesn’t require pressure or perfection - it asks for honesty, kindness toward yourself, and the willingness to keep showing up in small ways. And if you’re reading this, you already are showing up for yourself.
Stay faithful,
Hilary
If you’d like to explore this further:
I share more reflections on Substack, where faith and neuroscience meet practical insight. Free subscribers receive thoughtful articles to build understanding and self-acceptance, and paid subscribers are invited into deeper exploration with action ideas and reflection questions to help you gently explore your inner-self. If you’re ready to take the next gentle step, you’re welcome to join us there, or in our online video instructed program that guides you gently through Awareness, Knowledge and Action.
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