It can be easy for us to feel frustrated when we see a thought or belief or reaction pop up in us that we’ve been working with for a while, that we’ve been watching and working to release for a while.

We can feel frustrated that we still have it, that it’s still there, that it still exists.

But it’s important for us to realize something.

Change can take time.

It doesn’t necessarily happen immediately (though it can).

Change can happen in a few different ways.

Sometimes change can happen immediately—a moment of insight, an understanding, can shift something within us instantly. There’s a before and after and some part of us will never be the same.

And then sometimes we don’t even realize that change has happened until we suddenly realize that something is different, we’re different, our reactions are different. We can look back and realize how far we’ve come, how much we’ve changed, how much something within us has changed.

And then change can happen slowly, over time, bit by bit. It can be like peeling back layers slowly, or a gradual opening. We see the little things that are different, the slightest hint of a change, an alteration, a difference in the way we think or feel or react. It’s a gradual process of transformation.

It can be easy for us to feel like something is wrong if a certain thought or pattern stays with us, if we notice it continuing to exist within our sphere after we first noticed it, after we’ve been observing it or working with it for a while.

But change is a process, and transformation can take time.

And if our awareness is expanding, if we’re becoming more aware, then we are transforming.

One important sign of transformation, of change, of growth is expanded awareness.

We may, for example, begin to see all sorts of different ways a limiting belief shows up in our lives. Maybe we first noticed it in some inner reaction to a particular situation. But then we notice it showing up in different areas of our lives—such as work or relationships or our interactions with others. Every small, even seemingly imperceptible, expansion of awareness, of understanding, is growth.

With awareness, we have an ability to move with intention, with purpose.

Instead of automatically reacting due to our unconscious thoughts or beliefs, we see what’s happening within us, and we can choose how we want to act. What was once unconscious is now conscious. We can see things we hadn’t seen.

With awareness, we discover more about ourselves, and we can move more intentionally in the world.

This doesn’t mean these layers or beliefs or reactions will automatically dissolve, necessarily, but now we can observe what’s happening, and with this awareness, we can learn from it. We can be with it, inquire within, and discover what lingers within and beneath it.

Each moment is an opportunity to awaken, to become aware, to see.

Each moment is an opportunity to watch, observe, and learn.

Each moment is an opportunity to expand our awareness, to connect more deeply to ourselves, to become more conscious.

Expanded awareness is a sign of growth, of transformation, of inner transformation.

Awareness alone may not change everything, instantly, but it’s powerful.

And it’s a sign of transformation and growth.

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