Real-life Tools for Transformation

Now we are at a critical point where a personal evo-leap in awareness is desired. It comes at different times and different ways, but it comes nevertheless. It is one thing to understand the principles of personal growth and your ability to access inner wisdom. It is quite another to actually perform the process with any regularity.

Many years ago I began to take inventory of what was going on inside. It was a by-product of the psychotropic period, but nevertheless very powerful in assessing and choosing my emotional, mental and spiritual state of being. In those deeply quiet moments I had many opportunities to observe my inner nature and begin to configure some repeatable thought patterns that kept me centered and serene.

As many who’ve journeyed into the inner spaces through whatever catalyst or mechanism will attest - one comes face-to-face with their demons, their fears, their nightmares and their choice to succumb or transcend. All the self-help gurus eventually take their students to the same place – face to face with their fears – with the expectation of transcendence.

It took years to get to the place where I could manage my emotions effectively without being intimidated by outer circumstances, let alone breathe and center in the moment. In time, though, I was not only able to learn but my discoveries were echoed in some way through every ‘successful’ author or seminar leader. I saw how many of them allowed their ego to surface, probably unaware of it initially, but nevertheless obvious. I saw that as a potential I did not want to reflect, so I remained quiet.

There was more to the process that needed some work. It wasn’t just about the fears. It was about the choices we make internally and the awareness of inner and outer concerns.

The following is a series of questions designed to help you focus on matters that matter. Personal results will vary, but the process provides a framework for transformation. It provides a door to our natural ability and faculty for taking advantage of situations and creating a beneficial outcome. Serendipity is not just happenstance, it is the result of ‘framing’ thoughts and feelings.

One can use the answers to design a personal growth or relationship path, change an employment track, or launch a project beyond procrastination and resistance. The best results can be achieved through working with a transformational life coach who can help you track the results and adjust. Pay particular attention to the internal process you have during the next exercise. You’ll gain a new awareness.

Let me respectfully remind you, life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost.

Each of us should strive to awaken.

Awaken!

Take heed, do not squander your life.

The Evening Gatha

Exercise:

Answer each question authentically. Journaling about your answers offers a huge advantage in transforming your experience.

There is a distinction between ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ perspectives in the exercise that offers greater awareness and perspective.

Inner: thoughts and feelings.      Outer: how it shows up.

What do you value in life and how does it show up?

Examples-   

Inner: Self-confidence           Outer: Speaking my truth

Inner: Integrity                        Outer: Others’ trust in me

Inner:

Outer:

How do you currently act on or express these values on a daily basis?      (Ethics are values expressed in action.)

Examples –

Inner: Trust Intuition                             Outer: Willingness to ask tough questions

Inner: Listen to Guides                         Outer: Speaking my awareness

Inner:

Outer:

What negative feelings do you hold and how do they show up in your daily experience?

Examples –

Inner: Low self-esteem          Outer: Put downs from family/friends

Inner: Fear of intimacy          Outer: Shallow relationships

Inner:

Outer:

Now that you have identified specific scenarios you can begin to change them. Aligning one’s outer activity [change] with an internal shift [awareness] is a key factor in creating fulfillment. As you being to ask the question of ‘How?’ the prudent path will appear as a matter of course.

What would you change in your behavior?

Examples –

Inner: Self-esteem                  Outer: Respect from family/friends

Inner: Intimacy                        Outer: More authentic relationships

Inner:

Outer:

Whether you believe it yet or not, you have all the answers within you now in order to change past patterns and transform your life. These questions will help you determine your answers. Self-honesty and self-reflection lead the way to recognizing the need for change and adopting new patterns of living.

Changing patterns is a challenge at first, but once you get used to the process it can become quite engaging and fun. The process is very similar to that of a change management scenario in business known as ADKAR. The acronym stands for Awareness of the need for change; Desire to support and participate in the change; Knowledge of how to change; Ability to implement required skills and behaviors; and Reinforcement to sustain the change.

What do you know you need to do in order to affect these changes internally / externally?

Examples –

Inner: Trust Intuition              Outer: Act on gut feelings

Inner: Intimacy                        Outer: Be more authentic / real

Inner:

Outer:

There are certain things that one looks for when seeking guidance, going further into self-awareness, or discovering those deeper unconscious patterns that have been learned in life. Without the aid of a coach or mentor these patterns continue to affect the actions we make, also unconsciously.

This is what happens in life and love and we don’t always realize that there is help available. Even when help is available we prefer to go it alone in most cases, hence this offer and its timely appearance in your life now. We like our secrecy when it comes to exposing our weaknesses and feeling vulnerable.

Ascending through personal tragedies or traumatic experiences is what generally leads a person toward becoming compassionate and understanding. Likewise, in order to receive what we desire from others we often have to give it first.

The lower road we sometimes take is to allow these experiences to infect our emotional and mental health, greatly inhibiting our capacity for faith and trust. Faith is tough for some; trust even harder for those who’ve been betrayed or who carry feelings of animosity toward their own failures. We all need a support network for change. Your Mentor Council works well here, too. If you like the above, perhaps you'll want to take it a step further.

The natural order of things includes us, and its laws are our laws. We are an endless moving stream in an endless moving stream.

Jisho Warner