Sitting: the new smoking

If you consistently flake out on someone, they're not going to feel valued! If you struggle with following through, ask yourself what hurdles you face and why. Consider what each hurdle might tell you about your needs, priorities, and boundaries. Who did you connect with today? How does encountering the Levels of Consciousness affect you? Courage is the critical factor at which point we tell the truth about ourselves: here arises the willingness to stop blaming and accept responsibility for one's own actions, feelings, and beliefs. What has been your experience of this? What is a negative level (below 200) that trips you up sometimes? Though Dr Hawkins says that it's extremely rare for anyone to calibrate at the level of Love (500) and beyond, he also says that many people have glimpses of those states. What was a moment in your own life when you glimpsed the realm of Love, Joy, or Peace? What else speaks to you from this article? What is an example from your own life of having-doing-being? The ego is not an enemy. How does Dr Hawkins explain this? When you begin to live more out of your true self, you are going to pass over that old piece of ground again and feel the fears of your first alienation experiences. Fortunately that fear now is only an illusion because you are no longer helpless. When you hit the alienation stage, which can feel like existential abandonment for a little while, the first thing you do is congratulate yourself. Just as if you had succeeded in finally finding a trail you had lost while wandering in the woods, you now know that you are on your way back out. Unfortunately, not many people know to congratulate themselves or others at these moments. They are too busy being afraid and thinking discouraging things about themselves.

Even therapists sometimes mistake these moments for going backwards instead of going forward, because the client's anxiety is so convincing. However, if you have been working on finding your own true self and the life you were meant to live, the alienation sensation means you are on the right track. Give yourself credit. Things are really happening. How and why did you commit to making yourself available to this person? How will you overcome any hurdles you might face with following through on commitments? Express gratitude Being truly grateful for someone is a beautiful thing that can make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sharing your gratitude gives those warm fuzzies to someone else, which can transform their entire day, not to mention their self-perception and relationship with you. This practice also benefits you ; You might even lead that person to think about and share why they're grateful for you. Reflect on the connections you mapped out on day 91. Visit or call one person today for the sole purpose of expressing your gratitude. Be specific as to why they mean so much to you. What would it be like for you to apply this truth unconditionally to your life? There is no point to being impatient with the evolution of consciousness. The best way to contribute is the quiet, diligent work of inwardly becoming a more loving, kind, and self-responsible person. In contrast to popular views, Dr Hawkins says that we contribute more to society by our inner work than by outward activism. As Gandhi said, Be the change you want to see in the world. What is your inner work right now?

What is the inner change you would like to contribute to the world? Dr Hawkins says that life emerges perfectly according to Divine Will, which is innately compassionate and just. We may ask, Then why do bad things happen to good people? He says, `Good' and `bad' is your perception. When your feelings are finally validated as legitimate, real, and reasonable, you may feel emotional pain. This is the pain of re-assimilating a part of yourself that has been forced off into the shadows for years. Reintegration of a lost piece of your soul can really hurt at first. Seek out the help you need during these difficult times. Such moments are what the mystics used to call the dark night of the soul, but they really are encounters with the truth. The painful truth is that until now, those around you have not been able to understand you or give you what you needed at the soul level. When this truth is finally realized, whether painfully or with relief, you become free to form new relationships or to reinvent old ones based on who you really were meant to be. Getting Along With Everybody Perhaps you have sought intimate relationships with people you do not even like. Instead of using your natural ability to know whom you like and do not like - every child's innate ability - you have learned to get along with everybody even when they hurt you. Let that be the first thing you share (without complaining or asking them to help you move! Who did you call? What did you express gratitude for? How did this experience make you feel? How did the other person respond? How might expressing gratitude benefit your other relationships?

Reconnect with a friend Some friendships naturally stagnate when people move away or go down different paths. Other times, friendships fade from years of neglect, carelessness, or lack of follow-through. It's important to recognize the current condition of the relationships you value and to engage in those you want to maintain. Adversity can actually be seen as a gift. What else speaks to you from this article? Dr Hawkins says: The good news is that aligning yourself with just one powerful truth can make a big difference in your life. In health, this powerful truth is the shift from I am a body to I have a body. Is there an area of your life where you would like to make this shift? For example: appearance, sexuality, aging, self-image, athletics, food, and/or any other area. Dr Hawkins says this is the core truth and law of consciousness that unravels our projection of fear onto the outer world. As we let go of our beliefs that something out there will harm us, our bodies' reactions clear. What are examples of unconscious beliefs that have operated in your life or that of your family? Is there anything going on right now with your body that might be asking you to uncover an unconscious belief? Lila, a lovely, softhearted lady I worked with for several years, used to come into my office and metaphorically wring her hands while saying, Why are they so mean to me? Lila was highly sensitive, a person who thought of other people's needs as naturally as breathing. In fact, she felt other people's needs sometimes even before they did. She watched what she said, did not impose, tried to think of others, and yet found herself routinely flattened by the full-bore insensitivities of her husband and her bossy siblings. After each of these squashings, this sweet lady would wonder how they could act this way, since she placed such high value on getting along with everybody. Finally, though, Lila began to ask the right question, which was not Why do they keep doing this, but Why did their actions keep catching her by surprise?

Slowly her denial of her loved ones' egocentrism and lack of empathy began to lose its power over her, until one day she was able to admit: I guess I've never gotten it through my head that people can be like that. This was because she had been taught--brainwashed perhaps - from the earliest stages of her interpersonal consciousness that they weren't selfish and insensitive, she was. Given this upbringing, how was Lila supposed to see the truth of their egocentrism? Because her family denied the essential fact of their own self-centeredness, Lila was always missing the piece of data that would make sense of the story: her family really did not care how she felt, and worse, they did not regard her as a substantial person worthy of being considered. Think about a friend or connection you've drifted away from. Reach out to this person today to retell a shared story, express gratitude for their friendship, or simply touch base to let them know you're thinking about them. This is not an invitation to rekindle an unhealthy relationship from the past. Reach out to someone who was and will be a positive influence in your life. Who did you reach out to? Why is this person's friendship valuable to you? What does this reveal to you about the characteristics you value in friends? Send a letter Taking time to express thoughts and feelings of gratitude in a handwritten letter benefits both the one writing the letter (that's you! Not only will this exercise deepen your appreciation for the person you're writing to, but it will also brighten their day to receive something in their mailbox that isn't a bill or flyer. Try the Steps of Self-Healing. How did it go? To liberate ourselves from unconscious beliefs, Dr Hawkins advises using the phrase I am an infinite being, not subject to _______, filling in the blank with whatever disease or substance the mind has programmed us to view as a danger. What are some of the things you'd like to put into the blank space? What else speaks to you from this article? Reread the story at the beginning of Part II, of the musician who shifted from I can't to the courage and willingness to share her musical talent with others.