From the intimate to the universal: Succeeding in your life with awareness: Elisabeth Carrio

THE life path and consciousness are at the heart of our humanity.

We are all born with a body, a soul, and a spirit. These three dimensions are not separate: they form an inseparable whole that shapes us as unique human beings. They color our perception of the world, our reactions to events, our way of loving, fighting, or dreaming. And in this, we are similar.
Yet, faced with the same situation—a breakup, an injustice, a loss, or a betrayal—everyone reacts differently. Some will be overwhelmed, others will see it as an opportunity. Some will cry in front of a painting, others will remain unmoved.
This is how the human being is: united in his fundamental structure – emotional, bodily, cognitive – and unique in his expression.

All this to say that we all have a unique life path. Mine led me from an environment where everything was planned to a deep commitment to peace and the recognition of diversity.
Born female, my destiny seemed set: to get married and have children. But life—and my personality—decided otherwise.

My path to women's diplomacy

I was born in a country at war. Very early on, I was confronted with the absurdity of organized violence: its ravages, its injustices, its scars.
I grew up in a lineage of women who suffered in silence. Strong, dignified, but constrained women, often submissive to men whose only benchmarks were authority.
This silence, passed down from generation to generation, has long haunted me. Until the day I chose to no longer remain silent.

But before that, I had to undertake a path of awareness: recognizing who I am, my strengths and my weaknesses, my impulses and my rejections.
This path led me to women's diplomacy.

What is women's diplomacy?
It is an approach that links the quest for peace to the recognition of fundamental rights – particularly those of women, children and the excluded.
It is a way of inhabiting the world differently, based on listening, alliance, intuition, cooperation rather than domination.
What attracts me to this approach is its transversality: it embraces the struggles for democracy, peace, social justice, and even against global warming – all these challenges which, if not addressed, worsen poverty and exclusion.
Women's diplomacy opens up a space for expression for the voiceless.

Authors such as Riane Eisler, Madeleine Albright, and Valerie Hudson have shown that lasting peace cannot emerge without a radical transformation of power relations—particularly by valuing what patriarchal traditions have long devalued while simultaneously benefiting from them: care, connection, cooperation.

An approach based on expanded awareness

What guides me today is not a dogmatic belief, but an expanded awareness. An awareness:

that everything is interconnected – both beings and systems. Acting locally already means influencing global dynamics;
that we are responsible, not only for our actions, but also for our way of being in the world;
that deep commitment begins with an inner question: What is meaningful to me in the life cycle I am living?

Not everyone can (or should) engage in activism. This article is not intended to prescribe a model, but to remind us that our actions are part of a larger story—personal, familial, collective—and that our choices are not as free as they seem.
They emanate from our innermost being. And they evolve over time, through experiences and the expansion of our consciousness... or not. Because we can also choose to stay in our comfort zone.

But then, how can we answer the question of the meaning of human life?
Is it accumulating goods, “enjoying”… or fulfilling one’s soul’s mission?
What is succeed in life ?
What are your criteria for a fulfilling life?
The answer is up to you.

Three keys to living a successful life with awareness

Here are three keys from my own path:

Anchoring yourself in your own history
True commitment doesn't come from a slogan or an ideological stance. It emerges from lived experience, from a bodily memory, from an inner calling. It is this truth that empowers action and gives justice to your choices.
Clarify your intentions and limits
Before committing, it is essential to ask yourself the right questions:
What are my resources? My wounds? Am I driven by a sincere quest or by a need for recognition or power?
Experience shows that certain commitments can be exploited. It is important to name these abuses to better protect ourselves against them.
Unite to act
It is vital to find your community: allies, women and men who share the same vision of the world, the same ethical standards, the same desire to act... without sacrificing their sensitivity.

In conclusion
And you, what is your life path?
What part of you aspires to build bridges where others build walls?