Week 10 – Evolve

 Consciousness is the ultimate way to evolve.

 It’s the basic tool of life. Being conscious means being aware of some aspect of reality. Through it we are able to manage ourselves. Without it we cannot evolve. We have to understand what consciousness feels like, how to live more purposefully and how to develop mental strength.

What consciousness feels like 

Living consciously means more than merely seeing and knowing, it means to access elevated states of mind.

• It means making choices and acting in accordance with our internal values and visions. 
• It means having a mind that is active rather than passive, being in the moment without losing the wider context. 
• Being concerned to distinguish between facts, interpretations and emotions, noticing and confronting any impulses to avoid or deny painful or threatening realities.  
• Being relaxed in the heart but alert enough in the brain to know where we are relative to our various visions and goals and whether we are succeeding or failing
• Being concerned to know if our daily actions are in alignment with our visions, searching for feedback so we can adjust and react where necessary.
• Persevering in the attempt to understand when confronted with difficulties. 
• Being receptive to new knowledge and willing to re-examine old assumptions, being willing to see and correct mistakes
• Possessing an unwavering commitment to growth and learning as a way of life
• Having a concern to know not only our external reality but also the internal reality of our needs, feelings, aspirations and motives so that we are not a stranger or mystery to ourselves, gaining an awareness of the values that move and guide us as well as their roots.

 We tend to be more conscious in certain areas of our life than others. In order to improve that, we have to identify the areas of our life where we are most conscious and least conscious. Through this it becomes possible to reflect and understand in which areas we have difficulty keeping our mental focus. We then know in what areas of life we are least conscious. 

Live more purposefully

We all possess the tendency to drift. Without cultivating our purpose, we are at the mercy of chance. Random events, phone calls or encounters can make us bounce along aimlessly and be endlessly reactive. For us to become more proactive, we need to live in alignment with our vision. We live a life of purpose through achieving our goals.

Whatever our goals are, whether it be to become learned, to build our assets, to build our character, to build our relationships, or to create wealth, it’s our visions that energise our existence. To live purposefully is to live productively, to translate our thoughts into reality. We then evolve. 

Purpose that is not related to a plan of action does not get realised. It exists only as a frustrated yearning or daydream. If we want to enjoy a high control over our lives, we need to live and act by intention. We have to learn to master the balance between the ability to have a respect for the present that does not disregard the future, and a respect for the future that does not disregard the present. We are then able to think and plan long range, we live our purpose by turning our dreams into reality. 

Develop Mental Strength

To evolve is to understand the difference between mental toughness and mental strength.

• Mental toughness is about suppressing your emotions, mental strength is about acknowledging and coping with your feelings.
• Mental toughness is about saying failure isn’t an option, mental strength is acknowledging that failure is part of the process. 
• Mental toughness is about masking your insecurities, mental strength is about acknowledging them and being vulnerable and real.
• Mental toughness usually focuses on reputation only, mental strength focuses on character.
• Mental toughness insists on never quitting (that’s ego-driven), mental strength involves letting go of things that are not serving you well (having the courage to quit something that’s just not right for you).
• Mental toughness is about tolerating pain, while mental strength is about learning from it.

When we find ourselves trying to be mentally strong, and we find the self-awareness to  pause for a moment and ask ourselves, “am I actually being strong or am I just trying to look tough?”, we know we are evolving.

Acting tough has been drilled into us for so long it can become second nature. To evolve is to challenge mental toughness and to work on becoming mentally strong instead.

Constantly elevating our consciousness, living with purpose and being mentally strong means that we are able to evolve.