From Beware to Aware

My consulting company may be called Worry Proof, but this summer I am focusing on the second half over the first, emphasizing the proof over the worry, being aware over beware. I don’t think I will ever look back.

Being ware – if that’s a thing – isn’t bad. But everything about “beware” connotes negativity. Beware of the monsters, the toxins, the rules, the haters. In my life as a pediatrician, I have taught kids and their parents to beware; as an author I have written about it endlessly; and holy smokes, as a parent I am constantly flagging my kids to take heed.

But beware is selfish: it’s about you and what you can do to protect yourself. Okay, maybe you can expand the warning to family or friends, readers or followers. But inherently, it’s narcissistic. Awareness, on the other hand, is often massively bigger than yourself. It is wide-eyed, alert, and generally positive or at the very least proactive. Awareness is the A side of the album, the best first listen, first impression, first step. Read More