Benefits of Consciousness Shift

The benefits of the consciousness shift are really too numerous to describe on a web page or all the books ever written...this is a short of list of benefits that I came up with off the top of my head.

Benefits of Consciousness Shift:  Improved Health and Fitness

When I was young, I was always slim...not really fit or athletic (that was my brother...I was playing the computer geek role at that time).

When I got engaged, I remember weighing myself at 185 pounds and thinking...wow I'm FAT!

I would love to see 185 today...that would be great!!!  

During my whole marriage I stayed at somewhere between 190 and 210 pounds...which caused me great amounts of stress because I was an Active Duty Air Force Sergeant at the time.  My weight shifts got me in some trouble because the Air Force has weight standards that I didn't always meet.

I have to be grateful to the Air Force however; because, due to those standards, I did develop a life-long love of exercise and fitness...

...I learned that I could always lose weight and pass my fitness test from any starting weight.

Then, when I retired, I did still workout...but my workouts changed and my diet went crazy, along with drinking beer and smoking cigars and using smokeless tobacco.

After about a year of "hard living" I noticed that I weighed 225 pounds and worse than that my waist measured 44.5 inches...WOW!

You can read more about my journey back to health on my page called You on a diet.

When I seriously committed to eating right and doing a smart exercise plan, I lost 25 pounds and 4 inches off my waist in about 4 months...a serious benefit of the consciousness shift.

Benefits of Consciousness Shift:  Open and Honest Relationships

Of all the benefits of the consciousness shift that I have experienced, some of the most wonderful and amazing come from the real growth and expansion of close relationships.

My wife and I are more open and honest to ourselves and each other than ever before...she doesn't really buy into all of my beliefs, but she does appreciate the changes in me...most of them anyway...

Sure, we still have conflict...sure there are still secrets...but we will work them out.

This benefit really taught me that in order to tell anyone the truth about anything, you must first come to know the truth yourself...I have to be true to ME first...then I can share that truth with others...

Again, this is a life-long process...I hope there will be new truths that are revealed to me all the way up to the day I die, so I can say..."Hey! THAT's new!   <insert death rattle>".

Benefits of Consciousness Shift:  Facing Truth

Truth in relationships, truths about ME, truths about my situation in life...all of these are empowered by a consciousness shift toward truth...

I still believe that there is a real "absolute" truth that is beyond my knowledge while in this body...I use that unknowable truth as an unreachable lighthouse on the horizon to guide me in the right direction.

Everyday truths about myself, and my situation are then more readily faced and accepted even if I realize that there is nothing with in my power NOW to change the truth of the situation...

The benefit of accepting and facing a truth even when you know you are powerless to change it is that you can intend to shift yourself in order to want to change it...

For example, quitting tobacco...first I accepted that part of me wanted to use it...so I knew even though I didn't think tobacco was the best choice for me...I decided to accept it use until I could honestly walk away from it...

...then I realized one day that I really wanted to quit...using tobacco made me fell sick and tired and I didn't want to do that to my body anymore...

...also I felt two-faced...typing this web page and asking people to grow when I was stuck on this myself...

...it was not the easiest thing to dot, but I got through it...with beer!!!

Yeah, that's not a joke...I like to pit vices against each other...so I drank more beer than I should have over a long weekend...those brews got me through the toughest 3 days of nicotine withdrawal...

...I don't recommend doing this...it's silly and I gained weight, but hey...it worked for me!

Benefits of Consciousness Shift:

Cultivate Good Habits

Empowering habits that keep you working on goals are another huge benefit of the consciousness shift.

I starting listening to a paraliminal called, "Automatic Pilot" earlier this month, and my goal was to set writing web pages on automatic pilot...so I would WANT to write web pages and enjoy doing it...the whole process...not just feel stuck about what to write next

...this month has been my highest traffic month yet.

The idea is when you find a habit that you don't like, you want to unplug that and install a new empowering habit in its place.

I wrestled for months trying to get this web page going, but I didn't want to write or work on this business after work...

...after work was when I "HAD FUN"...

...Turns out all this fun that I was having was not really all that fun anymore!!!

I would watch TV...read, relax, eat dinner, walk and talk with my wife and then go to bed.

I wanted to work on my business in the morning before work...but I wanted to do everything before work...meditate...work out, eat, and work on my web business...there just wasn't enough time in the morning to get it all done.

Then a friend asked me...what do you do after work...

...and I said "I don' t do SHI(F)T after work..."

Then I realized that I was really just being lazy...I could work on my business after work for a couple hours or so and still relax and eat and walk and talk...maybe just less time watching TV...big deal.

This habit shift really turned up the energy level on this business...it is now only a matter of time before the traffic starts to really snowball...that snowball is a consciousness shift!

Benefits of Consciousness Shift:  Detachment from Outcome

I love this benefit of the consciousness shift...learning that I have 100% control of what I do, say, think, and believe...but after my action or doing or talking is complete...

...I have NO control over the outcome...I detach my identity from the outcome...I accept all outcomes as equal...

No winning

No losing

No success

No Failure

Just outcomes...

...if the outcome is what I want then my current actions might produce more of that outcome...

...if the outcome is NOT what I want then my current actions will need to shift somehow in order to change the outcome...shift-act-check outcome...rinse and repeat...what a great consciousness shift.

This makes life a little less interesting when it comes to sports that I am not participating in...since I am only observing...my actions and words don't affect outcomes much at all...I am already disinterested in winning and losing, so I just can't make myself care too much about other peoples outcomes.

I did notice recently while playing beach volley ball that I was able to model some other players and get on my knees in time to get some "digs"...which was fun...I don't think I ever tried to do that before and it was fun to watch the outcomes...most not really that bad...not great but not all bad.

How can you fail when there is no failure...if you fail to ACT, say or think...then you will not get any outcomes to check to see if you need to adjust...so as long as you keep acting and adjusting "success" is just really a matter of time.  

Benefits of Consciousness Shift:  Trusting your Power

I spent about 30 years thinking that I didn't know what was best for me.  In many cases, this was true...I was young and stupid...but I grew.

Now, I think we all can learn to trust our inner selves about things that are most important to US.

This shift means listening closely to each different voice in your head...

Like for me, my mother is always early to everything...my dad too...they never want to be late.

In my life, for certain events, it's better to not be first...like at parties...Hey, this consciousness shift might make you look cool!  :-)

I listen to those voices for job interviews and important events when being early is beneficial...

...and when it doesn't matter I ignore the that voice.

This is what I mean when I say I have learned to "Trust my Power".  

Even if you get an outcome that you don't really like from trusting your power, at least you don't have anyone else to blame for the decision.

I try not to advocate power, but I still do in situations that don't matter much to me, and I would rather just follow along...but I still hang on to the responsibility...I just agree to follow, but I won't blame anyone for leading my astray.

Benefits of Consciousness Shift:  A Soft and Open Heart

I have figured out that pain and joy co-exist in the same place...in my heart and in my whole being...this is a sometimes painful consciousness shift...

I need to open my heart and feel the pain and learn to live with my pain and the world's pain (yeah it's deep!) in order to be open for the world of joy...otherwise I am closed off to both...

I have learned that this benefit is most definitely another aspect of being human that we all must learn to accept if we are to really experience growth.

The alternative choice is to do what I did (and I am still doing I suppose)...which is to close of my heart to all emotions...

...I remember seeing RAM DASS on video trying to console a friend and he was brought to tears by her pain...and I was amazed!

At the time, I was working on mindfulness and being at peace...I was also very much like SPOCK...no emotions at all.

This is a work in progress...a life-long process...but I get better everyday...I feel things now and I listen for the messages that my heart and my body want to tell me.

Benefits of Consciousness Shift:  Willingness to Connect

This is another benefit of the consciousness shift...and it applies to people, ideas, and new situations.

I am curious again, and not completely fearless, but definitely more willing to try to experiments, just to see if I can make today's version of ground hog day just a little bit more fun or more fulfilling than yesterday...

This comes up at work all the time when I want to try to do something that I might have shied away from in the past...if I think I can help someone now...I am really good at it...

The person that is overwhelmed needs to relax and figure out what is important and get started (THANKS KEN!)...

...Lot's of people are interested in why my clothes look so baggy...I need to buy new clothes, but I still want to lose more weight!  I will point them at my diet and exercise plan.

This goes for ideas as well.  If I see a great plan, in the past I might have gotten stuck on some steps...I still do, but I am more willing to keep trying and keep connecting until I get the outcome that I want.

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