AWARENESS & PROBLEM SOLVING

In my first write-up on Awareness, we focused on the significance of awareness, and its liberating effects on being present & mindful. In second article, we established how awareness is the precursor to learning and a catalyst to behavioral changes. Third one witnessed the traits of self-aware individuals and examined 16 steps to raise our awareness levels. Following one identified the common barriers to awareness after which we explored how being present & mindful takes us to the next level of awareness.

Now, let us examine how awareness can be leveraged for what is a very big part of life – Problem Solving.

When we think about it, a big part of life seems to be all about solving problems in some way or the other. From getting groceries to working on a new initiative at our workplace to scoring a basket in that basketball game…... in every single waking moment of our lives there sure are a lot of problems that we are constantly grappling with and trying to solve. We first recognize that we are in undesirable state, then identify how we would like things to be and then in some way we try to come up with a solution that will get us there. One thing that we are often unaware of is what goes on in our minds during that problem-solving process. If we develop an awareness around the same, we sure will be empowered with the ability to come up with better choices and opt for the best choice in a given context.

Now, let us understand this at a deeper level. Solutions are derived from our “perception” which means that we come up with the solution based on how we were able to see and understand the problem. But this perception is derived from our awareness! So, awareness determines perception and perception determines the solution. This is precisely the reason that different people have different best solutions to the same problem. It is because they have different perceptions as they are coming from different backgrounds of awareness!

So, what happens if you climb us the awareness staircase? Looking from a higher level of awareness, perception expands, and we learn to understand the complex problem in simpler ways which in turn allows us to come up with better or more contextual solutions to our problems.

Let us examine how we can leverage awareness towards problem-solving.

Do away with judgment - Judgment is a monster that gets in the way of problem solving.  It not only consumes our bandwidth and decreases our quality of consciousness, it also degrades the quality of our discernment, and leads us to inadvertently project various beliefs, biases, and misinterpretations on our perceptual space impeding our problem-solving abilities. This further leads to triggering of our fear of abandonment pushing us in a state of vulnerability where we start feeling unsafe & not in control.

What makes things further complex for us is the fact that it plays in our  subconscious/unconscious dynamic, which makes it all the more difficult for us to recognize what is happening set aside addressing the same. If you don’t realize it’s going on, you’re caught up in judgment and reactionary thoughts, feelings, emotions, and further reactions.

Stop suppressing & repressing – We tend to suppress and repress which only leads to temporary displacement of energy without resolving the underlying emotions that caused the suffering. This could accentuate what is being suppressed or repressed causing extreme behaviours. Replace suppression and repression with pure awareness and non-judgmental observation.

Move into the space of non-judgmental awareness - The first step in any process of resolving perceived problems is to shift from judgment into awareness. You can’t solve your problems using the same thinking that first created them – i.e. judgment. All problems come from judgment. We perceive ‘what is’ as a problem. Once we’ve perceived ‘what is’ through the lens of judgment, and it’s become a problem, we get into reactive projection mode. The desire to transcend something is the beginning of resolving it. It’s our awareness and intention to be free of something that has caused us, or is still causing us, pain that allows us to start the process of understanding, deconstructing, and ultimately dissolving it. Awareness and intention are key to real understanding.

Observe with the intention of understanding – Being mindful & Present - Instead of reacting to the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and prior reactions we have had in the past, observe them with the intention of understanding. That takes a little bit of practice in not reacting to our pain, and instead holding the space of consciousness for us to observe what is unfolding from moment to moment.

Follow “Divergent-Convergent-Divergent” Thought-cycle – After we have defined a problem which is to be solved, ideate & imagine of all the possible & plausible ways to solve the problem. Complex problems are usually not linear and need us to draw insights from multi-disciplinary approaches. Do a mistake-proofing around all possible derailers & pick up the best one that serves the purpose. After, you have executed the solution, imagine of all the possible situations where this approach will work & deploy this everywhere to extract the best ROI.

However, all this is easier said than done, simply because those patterns and dynamics are playing in our sub-conscious & un-conscious minds. Navigating this zone of our mind-jungle requires us to operate in higher levels of awareness & emotional dynamics. What is comforting is the fact that although this may be difficult yet not impossible.

Would be curious to have your views here.

Watch out this space for more on awareness…..