Stepping into Meaningful Transformation

This newsletter equips you to be a more conscious leader and live a more connected and conscious life. Our destiny doesn't happen by chance. It is the result of the decisions we make along the way.?Each moment gives us the opportunity to begin right where we are to shape our destiny.?Thank you for inviting me on your journey and for joining me on mine.

“Nothing is permanent, except change.” ~Buddha

Change and transformation are inevitable parts of life. However, whether we initiate change or respond to it, it can be hard, painful, emotional, and messy.

As I often remind my clients, it is hard to see the picture when you are in the frame. When we are in the midst of change that we didn’t initiate, we are unable to see a clear path forward. We cling to a present state that is no longer working or to a past part of our life that we can’t seem to release.?So how do we relinquish our grasp, grieve for what is no longer, make peace with the changes that are before us, and find a way to become excited about the unknown?

? Examination of What Identifies Us

As someone who has reinvented themselves personally and professionally several times,?(now running my 5th company), I’ve learned that one of life’s most beautiful gifts is the ability to evolve. My conviction is rooted in the perspective that no matter where I am in my life, I am at “base camp” – the base of a mountain of limitless growth potential before me.

I have learned that the purpose of all that I have experienced in my life is to prepare me for what is ahead of me, to teach me, to help me grow, and to better equip me to help others.

?And I have learned that my identity is not defined by any single event or any role in my life. I am not my company. I am not simply a mother, a friend, a daughter, an aunt. I am not simply a coach, a teacher, an author, a speaker, a mentor. All of these experiences and roles are gateways that allow me to express who I am, but they are not me.

The reason why it is important to distinguish our identity from our vocation or our roles is because all of these things are impermanent – even when they feel permanent. When we cling to an assigned role or to something we have created outside of ourselves, we lose sight of who we are at our core, independent of anyone or anything else, which never changes.

? “You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose

something that you are.” ~Eckhart Tolle

Our attachment to anything outside of us naturally creates a sense of fear of loss. “Who or what will I be if _________ disappears from my life?”?This is a very hard question to answer if we are not connected to who we are at our core.

I've been coaching a business owner who recently sold his company. In our work together during the past 10 years, I've coached him through the growth that created a culture that made his company an attractive acquisition. Because of my own experience selling my previous company, I was able to coach him through the acquisition process, relating to his inner struggle of identity as he moved through the transaction.

?As he moves into the next season of life, I continue to coach him as he explores and uncovers who he is without his company and his default behaviors. Learning to examine his own needs instead of serving others else first, he can discover what brings him true joy outside of his company.

This is our work together, and it is a sacred process to peel away the roles, help him find both his inner silence and his inner voice, and contemplate what joy means for him. He is choosing to evolve, not simply change.

Examination of What We are Attached To

?One of my favorite spiritual teachers is Don Miguel Ruiz. In addition to living by “The Four Agreements,” I also deeply resonate with his book, “The 5 Levels of Attachment.” Ruiz teaches that our attachments create our reality, and our beliefs create our identities.

?We live in a world filled with social constructs and systems. From the time we are little, we are told what to believe and how to think. We are taught what is “good” and what is “bad.”

?When you look in the mirror, whether you realize it or not, you silently speak and loudly hear a judgmental narrative of what you see - a definition of self in the form of an identity that is based on your identity “agreements”—the thoughts and beliefs you have said yes to.

“You must unlearn what you have learned.” ~ Yoda

When was the last time you examined what you believe? Do you actually believe it or was the belief impressed upon you by a person or a system?

How often do you feel that you are taking action – or not taking action – because you don’t want to go against what you’ve been taught or because you don’t want to disappoint another who has imposed their expectations upon you?

These examinations are courageous and hard work. This is the work I have done for the last 30 years as I’ve evolved my spiritual path. It is no coincidence that as I’ve done this work, that I’ve become more aligned with my inner knowing – my intuition – and I’ve shed the circumstances in my life that do not align with my inner spirit.

This is how I have naturally overcome the fear that often accompanies change, and often paralyzes us… hindering our ability to evolve, grow, and enthusiastically move into the unknown. I have learned to shed the walls around me that external belief systems and social constructs created when I was not ready or consciously able to question them.

“If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall

into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned

for you? Not much.” ~Jim Rohn

Deepak Chopra teaches that of all the ways to unfold your inner potential, by far the most powerful is to use the flow of evolution.

“There is only one thing you need to do to align with the force of evolution: Participate in your own consciousness. Pay attention to being alert and aware. As you do, you will develop new skills in awareness that will affect every choice you make in life. The most evolved choice is the one that benefits you the most in body, mind, and spirit.”

?When you adopt evolution as your main goal, there are practical questions you can ask every day as you check in on your progress:

• How can I move forward today?
• Is my personal growth accelerating?
• Do I know myself better?
• Do I enjoy my life more?
• Am I becoming more positive as self-judgment falls away?
• Do I feel connected to a higher vision of life and a higher power that makes this vision come true?

Knowing that our expansion and evolution are lifelong processes allows us to move from a fear-based state to a trust-based state, where we can trust both the process and ourselves.?

How does this article resonate with you? Please share your insights and thoughts about the process of evolution and moving through transformation. We are all connected, we are evolving together, and we can learn from one another.

About the Author

Marissa Levin is a 5x, 30-year entrepreneur, speaker, best-selling author, mindset expert, and globally recognized growth & spiritual strategist. She was recognized as one of the Top 200 Biggest Voices of Leadership globally for 2023.

She is CEO and co-founder of i5 Conscious Leadership, a leadership education, coaching, and consulting firm. Guided by a mission to elevate the consciousness of the world through leadership, i5 Conscious Leadership bridges self-consciousness and organizational consciousness for leaders that are ready to embrace higher level leadership to achieve exceptional employee engagement and business growth.

She is also the CEO of Marissa International, her global speaking and coaching platform to help individuals step into their highest potential. Marissa is passionate about educating and empowering leaders, teams, organizations, and communities through her speaking. Reach out if you believe your people, members, and communities would benefit from guidance and wisdom to live a more empowered, conscious, and joyful life.

** No AI/Chat GPT search/copying was used to write this article. All content flows from the author's own insights, creativity, and commitment to an authentic human connection.