Remember who you are. Renew how you respond.
What if the way you respond to life could change simply by changing the place from which you respond?
We often move through life reacting to circumstances, people, thoughts and emotions without stopping to notice what is happening within us.
Something happens - and we react.
Someone says something - and we react.
A situation changes - and we react.
But what if there was another possibility?
What if, before responding, you could pause, reconnect with yourself and remember who you are?
This is at the heart of the Remember & Renew Approach.
Remember Who You Are
Remembering who you are isn't about remembering your name, your job, your achievements or the roles you play in life.
It is about reconnecting with the person underneath all of that.
The part of you that can feel, breathe, move, be still, become aware and choose.
Before the thoughts, beliefs, expectations and conditioning take over, there is something much simpler:
You are here.
You are breathing.
You are feeling.
You are aware.
You are present.
And when you reconnect with that place, something can begin to change.
You may start to notice that you don't have to automatically believe every thought you have or act on every emotion you experience.
You can pause.
You can feel.
You can become aware.
And from that awareness, you can choose.
Reconnect Through the Body
One of the simplest ways to reconnect with yourself is through your body.
Notice your breath.
Notice your posture.
Notice how you are sitting or standing.
Notice whether your body feels open or contracted.
Notice what you are feeling.
You don't necessarily need to analyse it.
Simply notice.
Your body is always in the present moment.
Your thoughts, however, can be somewhere else entirely - replaying the past or imagining the future.
The breath can become a bridge back to now.
A moment of awareness can bring you back to yourself.
And when you reconnect with yourself, you may begin to see the situation in front of you differently.
Renew How You Respond
This is where the second part of the approach comes in:
Renew.
Once you have remembered and reconnected with yourself, you have an opportunity to choose a new response.
Instead of automatically reacting from old patterns, conditioning or unconscious habits, you can ask:
“How do I want to respond from here?”
Perhaps you need to speak.
Perhaps you need to listen.
Perhaps you need to say no.
Perhaps you need to take action.
Perhaps you need to do nothing at all.
The important thing is that your response is no longer simply an automatic reaction.
You are choosing from a more conscious place.
And from that place, you may find greater clarity, certainty, calmness and confidence.
A Different View From the Mountain
Imagine standing at the bottom of a mountain.
Your view is limited.
You can see the immediate landscape around you, but you cannot see what lies beyond it.
Now imagine climbing higher.
The further you go, the more you can see.
From the top of the mountain, the landscape looks completely different.
The mountain hasn't changed.
Your position has changed.
And so it can be with consciousness.
When we are caught up in a situation, emotion or habitual reaction, our view can become narrow.
But when we pause, breathe, reconnect with ourselves and become more present, we can create a little distance from what is happening.
We can see more.
We can understand more.
We can choose more.
The view from the top of the mountain is different from the view at the bottom.
And sometimes what we need isn't to change the mountain.
We simply need to change our position.
Remember & Renew in Practice
The Remember & Renew Approach can be as simple as:
Remember.
Reconnect with who you are.
Breathe.
Come back into the present moment.
Feel.
Notice what is happening within you.
Become aware.
See your thoughts, emotions and patterns without automatically becoming them.
Renew.
Choose a new response, perspective or approach.
This isn't about becoming someone else.
It is about becoming more connected with who you already are — and then choosing how you want to move forward.
Working With Individuals, Communities & Businesses
I believe this approach can be valuable not only for individuals but also for communities, organisations and businesses.
Through Personal Alignment Sessions, I work with individuals to help them reconnect with themselves, become more aware of where they are and explore how they might choose to respond differently.
I also offer bespoke talks, workshops and retreats for communities, organisations and businesses, creating experiences around self-awareness, presence, personal responsibility, resilience, connection and conscious choice.
The intention isn't to tell people who they should be.
It is to create the space for them to remember who they are, reconnect with themselves and consider what might be possible from that place.
Because sometimes the most powerful change doesn't begin with doing more.
It begins with pausing.
Taking a breath.
Feeling.
Becoming present.
Remembering.
And then choosing again.
Remember who you are.
Renew how you respond.
Change your position.
Change your view.
Change what becomes possible.
Johnathon Martin is a self-awareness speaker, facilitator and creator of transformational experiences helping individuals, organisations and young people reconnect with who they truly are.