The value of consciousness
By Cecilia Camacho, Founder and Editor of CC/magazine
There are moments when life seems to move on its own. Days that pass in autopilot mode, decisions made without real awareness, words spoken without thought, habits repeated without questioning whether they still reflect who we are. And while this way of living allows us to keep going, it can also gradually pull us away from what matters most: ourselves.
We often confuse self-esteem with external confidence. We think having it means being successful, having a firm voice, clear goals, or even a flawless image. But genuine self-esteem is none of that. It doesn’t shout, it doesn’t impose. True self-worth is quiet, calm, and rooted in consciousness: in the ability to be present, to know who we are without masks, to stand up without attacking, to choose without running away.
When we disconnect from that inner presence, the ego steps in. The ego is not the enemy, but it is persistent. It pushes us to react, to compare ourselves, to protect what doesn’t need defending. It lives in the past or the future – in what was or what could be – but rarely in the now.
And that’s where the key lies. Consciousness lives in the present. In the pause before we respond. In the honest recognition of an emotion. In the choice to act with intention rather than impulse. It’s that subtle space between what we feel and how we respond, between what happens and how we decide to live it. A trained consciousness doesn’t eliminate challenges, but it sheds light on them. It helps us see what patterns we repeat, what roles we play, and at what point we stop being true to ourselves.
This way of being – more awake, more aware – doesn’t happen overnight. It takes courage. Because looking inward isn’t always comfortable. Asking difficult questions, admitting that some of our habits no longer serve us, takes honesty. But that’s also where real power is born: in the ability to observe without judgement and to choose with freedom.
Now, as we enter the heart of summer, the timing feels right. With its slower rhythm and the natural distance from work or routine, summer offers a precious opportunity: to pause, to observe, to reset. To look more clearly at the habits we’ve adopted out of inertia, and which ones we truly want to keep. To ask ourselves how much of what we do comes from a place of awareness, and how much from fear, expectation, or the need to fit in.
It’s not about big revolutions. Sometimes a small pause, a walk without distractions, or an honest conversation with oneself is enough. Consciousness doesn’t demand haste, only presence.
Because if there’s something truly transformative, it’s learning to live from a more awake, more intimate, more real place.
At least for me, returning to that space of presence is what sustains me. When I get distracted or lose myself in the noise – my own or others’ – I try to return to that quiet centre that reconnects me with what truly matters.
Happy summer!
(*) Cover photo: Jeffrey Czum.
