By: Kyle McMillan
If there’s one thing we know beyond any
doubt, it’s that all of life is an evolutionary process. Everything, from the
smallest particle in existence to the universe as a whole is in the process of
evolution. Immutability is the only truth. Expansion is the point. The only
question is whether or not it’s happening consciously or unconsciously. As is
the case with any pursuit — whether athletic, intellectual, or spiritual —
certain signs will begin to show up after a particular amount of practice has
been put in, and they will come out, as they should, in your behaviour. If they
don’t, then you haven’t condensed the full understanding yet– the concept has
not made its way fully to the level of action.
While there is, in reality, no actual
‘higher’ level of consciousness (this is an egoic idea based on comparison)
there are, undoubtedly, different modes of seeing the world, resulting, of
course, in different modes of being in the world– modes of being that open us
up to more relaxation, harmony and balance, even as the external world
continues on in the manner it always has. There has been an inner shift.
How do we know when we’re getting it? Here
are 5 behaviours that show you are reaching a higher level of consciousness.
01: A Loss of Interest in Gossip
Once you begin waking up, negativity becomes
far more noticeable, particularly when it arrives in the form of gossip. It no
longer has the power to seduce you the way it once did. You can hear the
self-seeking in it– the judgement and unconscious need to feel superior on the
part of the one doing the gossiping, and the power of the gravity it has to
pull others in. The difference between someone stating facts, for a reason, and
someone blowing hot-air in service of their ego is quite clear, and you slowly
find yourself participating in it less and less.
02: A Loss of Interest in Destructive Habits
The difference between short-term and
long-term gratification starts to reveal itself. Certain things that make you
feel ‘good’ in the present moment (as with the habit of gossiping) don’t lead
to a happier mind-set in the long run, and you begin to realize this. The
pointlessness of everything from worrying (as opposed to thinking
constructively) to over-eating to watching television that has a negative
effect on the mind begins to come clear, and you start simply leaving these
habits behind.
03: More Work (Play), Less Stress
You get more done. You’re simply more
effective than you once were, because you’re more present. You’re not resenting
the moment or thinking about what you should or shouldn’t be doing, you’re just
doing what needs to be done, and doing it well. There is an inner sense of
‘play’ that accompanies most things, alleviating stress and bringing more joy
to yourself, and others around you.
04: More Co-operation, Less Competition
The need to ‘prove’ oneself begins to
diminish. Because the tendency to compare everything (looks, income, skill
level) has lessened, whatever task you have at hand becomes more clear– even
the task of life itself. Because there is less of a need to “win”, co-operation
begins to show up instead, and you realize that in the act of helping others
you are also helping yourself.
05: Appreciation
Following on the last point, though you don’t stop pursuing goals, you
are less focused on the ‘happiness’ their completion will provide you with, and
instead find yourself appreciating many of the little things you only took as
stepping stones before. You begin to see much of what’s right with world, along
with what’s wrong with it, and this gratitude grants you the energy and vision
to continue the work of ‘correcting’ both it, and yourself.
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