The more conscious we are at any moment, the more power we have to ‘shape’ OUR reality to conform to OUR wants, wishes, hopes, goals, and desires. In other words, living consciously is exciting, and rewarding, because we are actively thinking about, and working towards, achieving the stuff WE consider will fulfill us.
The alternative to this is ‘normal life’ where we are living on auto-pilot for most of the time we are awake. This is where we live out our lives conforming to predictable patterns and habits that we have acquired over time, which require very little conscious or original thought. Living on auto-pilot is not exciting, not stimulating, and definitely not fulfilling!
So, if you want your life to be fantastic, fulfilling, abundant with love and joy, and lots of other good stuff, you’ll need to become consciously ‘present’ more often!
So, what is conscious living all about? It’s about becoming more aware in the moment, IN THIS MOMENT, (the only moment we can affect) as current awareness allows us to make the BEST POSSIBLE DECISIONS and TAKE THE MOST APPROPRIATE ACTIONS to ACHIEVE THE BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOMES.
What Is Conscious Living?
How do I achieve better outcomes in my life?
All it takes to make dramatic improvements in the quality of our lives is to BECOME MORE AWARE, MORE OFTEN! You don’t have to pay millions of dollars, donate an organ, or even sacrifice a child! You just need to actively engage your minds to think about what is happening NOW, what you are doing NOW, and how that makes you feel NOW.
Does this sound like something you can do? Yes, it is, and you can start now! But I have to tell you that it is not something that you can achieve instantly. This is because your magnificent mind is already conditioned to operate a certain way, and it is comfortable operating this way. Our minds will therefore require some ‘gentle persuasion’ to encourage them to change tactics to allow us to utilize THE POWER THAT BEING PRESENT IN THE MOMENT brings.
I’m talking about the power to take control of our lives so that we will, with conscious effort, achieve our goals and dreams. It’s a journey of self-discovery that we will need to embark on as there is no quick fix when it comes to changing our subconscious programming. OUR LIVES ARE THE JOURNEY, and it’s made up of all the steps along the way, and it never ends.
There is no fixed destination point, so there is no hurry to ‘arrive’ anywhere! The direction we go, (our goals) is our choice, and it’s a sensible choice to enjoy the whole journey, all the small steps along the way, that will get us to where we want to go.
Where is it that you want to go?
I think it’s a no-brainer that most of us really, really, really, want to achieve certain stuff in our lives. It could be as simple as wanting to win a running race at the local sports club, buying our first house, or meeting a great person and falling in love. Others may dream of building their own company, owning a super yacht, or attaining financial freedom.
Different dreams require that we think different thoughts and take different actions. However, not all of us will achieve our goals. So, what determines our overall success compared to someone else?
We may talk about or dream about being wealthy, but does this make being wealthy a goal that we are ‘consciously’ working towards? Are we already taking conscious steps in our daily lives to make our desires a future reality? Or is it just something we say in passing without any real drive, emotion, or actions attached to the idea?
To set our magnificent minds into action to work for us, we need to set clear goals and then bring our conscious thoughts and conscious actions into alignment with our goals.
How can you practice becoming more consciously aware?
We don’t need to be conscious about everything at all times…. (For now, we can leave this to the monks who live in the snowy mountains in Tibet, or caves in India). But being conscious more of the time can enhance our lives in so many ways that we may currently not be aware of.
Let’s try a simple exercise, to try and make this point, using our immediate environment.
Most of the time, we think we are familiar with our surroundings but have you ever really just stopped and taken a moment to become REALLY AWARE of all your senses when sitting outside in your garden (for example)? (You can even do this sitting where you are now if there is nothing else fighting for your attention.)
Sit with your eyes closed, and listen to all the nearby sounds for a few moments. What do you hear that is new or that you haven’t paid attention to before?- Now move your attention to sounds that are further away. Just notice the sounds, there’s no need to think about what’s happening. How far away can you stretch your awareness?
- What about your sense of feeling? Can you feel the sun, wind, or rain on your body? Are you covered in clothes, and what do they feel like on different parts of your skin…. Tight, warm, or maybe itchy?
- Your eyes are closed, but you may still get impressions of colors, images, moving specks of light, and geometric shapes. Are they warm, cold, heavy, light, fun, or annoying?….. Just notice them, you don’t need to understand them. How do you feel?
- How are you breathing? Is it relaxed, forced, more in one nostril or the other? Where do you notice it the most, the rising of your chest, your belly moving in and out, or can you feel the air passing in and out of the tip of your nostrils?
- What smells are you able to detect? Are the flowers out, is the neighbor cooking, are you near the sea and can smell the salt air? Just become aware, without judgment.
Becoming conscious provides us with a lot more relevant information about ourselves, our environment, and about others we are interacting with. Relevant information is the key to making the best possible choices at any given moment.
How will conscious living improve your life?
So, by doing the above exercise, did you notice anything about your immediate environment that you have previously been unaware of?
If you repeat this exercise often, you will train and strengthen your senses to become more deeply aware of your thoughts, your feelings, and your environment. And you will learn ‘what makes you tick.’ This is important because if we are not enjoying our journey, if we are not happy with our current life circumstances, becoming conscious of how we arrived at this point is the starting point that enables us to change what we are doing, and how we are reacting.
From now on, we can use our developing awareness to begin to change the direction our life is heading, to CONSCIOUSLY steer ourselves in the direction we want to go.
There is one thing for sure, and that is: If we continue doing the things we did that got us here, our life is not going to change, and it will be impossible to achieve our goals and dreams. TO ACHIEVE A DIFFERENT OUTCOME, WE NEED TO CHANGE WHAT WE ARE DOING, AND THE MORE CONSCIOUS WE ARE ABOUT THE THOUGHTS WE HAVE, AND THE ACTIONS WE TAKE, THE MORE LIKELY WE ARE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.
How can you begin implementing more conscious living into your daily life?
Consciously living is living with an awareness of whatever it is we are doing at the moment.
- We may be taking a break and just relaxing. Become aware of what thoughts are going through your mind. Are you thinking about something that you are choosing to think about, or are random thoughts just passing through? Typically, unconscious thoughts are about the past or future, and are more often than not, a repeat of thoughts we have had many times before. Do these thoughts support your goals for a better life? If not, maybe it’s time to consciously choose different thoughts.
- Have you consciously set goals for yourself that you really, really, want to achieve, or do you just live life day by day and hope for the best? If you have goals, are your thoughts and actions supporting you in achieving these goals, or is your mind unfocused and sabotaging your dreams?
- When we are bored or unchallenged it is easy to slip into auto-pilot mode (unconscious thinking.) So, to remain conscious we can choose to be doing activities we really enjoy or learn new skills and information that we have not been exposed to before. If the mind is challenged or enthusiastic, we will remain conscious. Interestingly, the number one activity for people to remain conscious is engaging in sex! Great idea! Other good ideas may include talking with a close friend, surfing when the waves are big, walking the dog in a different neighborhood, cooking something new, and then enjoying all the sensations when eating it.
- We can become more conscious of our bodies. Is there any tension in my body now? Where is it and is there an obvious reason why it’s there? What does it feel like, and if I focus my awareness on this area, can I consciously will it to relax? (Yes you can.)
- Become more aware of the decisions you make in your daily life. I.e. if you are saving money for a house deposit, does it help you reach your goal if you are out every night having a few drinks with friends? Is it a conscious decision to go to the pub and drink, or is it an unconscious habit? Is this habit helping you achieve your goals for a better future? What are you going to do about it? (or how serious are you about achieving your goals?)
So, what to do next?
Every day we have many choices available to us. Most of them we make unconsciously, by default, based on our past conditioning and habits. These habits got us to where we are now, and they are not able to help you achieve the new goals and dreams you may have set for yourself.
New desires and goals require the input of new ideas and new ways of acting and reacting in the world. We have to change what we are doing to change the results we are getting. The first and most important step to doing this is to begin conscious living more of the time!
Take some time to consciously think about your life as it is now, and how you want your future to be. Writing it down often helps to make your vision clear, and reviewing it often will help cement the goals into your mind.
Setting goals is a crucial step that requires conscious attention to detail. For without a defined direction to work towards, without knowing what we want, we will never be able to achieve it!
Constantly review what you are doing, and how you are feeling. Is what you are doing now leading you closer to achieving your goals? (Will this extra chocolate help me lose the extra ten pounds that I’m carrying or not?) If not, what is the reason for you wanting to eat it? Consciously think about your habits, because if you don’t, they will defeat you because your mind is just replaying your ‘go-to’ previously programmed responses. Your unconscious mind can do nothing else. The unconscious mind cannot think for itself and just like a computer is running a set of programs. So, if you want different outcomes in your life, you have to invest time into reprogramming your mind!
There is no ‘quick fix’ but there are awesome tools available to help achieve your goals and dreams.
As I said at the beginning of this article, there is no instant fix that will allow us to become super conscious all the time. However, recently some technologies have become available that allow us to DIRECTLY reprogram our subconscious minds to support our desires for better life outcomes.
When our subconscious is reprogrammed with abundance and wealth-building ideas, thoughts of gratitude, self-love, and appreciation, etc. these beliefs will filter through and become the new thoughts that are prevalent when we are unconsciously moving through our day. So even if we are living in auto-pilot mode, our new beliefs will be supporting our goals and dreams for a better future.
These technologies include ‘Brainwave Entrainment’ courses that plant new beliefs directly into our subconscious minds by way of subliminal messages embed within audio tracks. I use and love this technology because it is currently the quickest way to reprogram ourselves to achieve any goals we may have. We may just want to quit smoking, become more confident, or be super-wealthy, it doesn’t matter what our goals are, the truth remains that: If you haven’t already achieved your goals, or making steady and significant progress towards them, your subconscious mind is harboring beliefs that are preventing you from achieving them.
The only solution that will work is to upgrade our current unconscious beliefs so that they align with the new life we wish to create for ourselves.
For more information on how these technologies have worked for me and can work for you, you can check out a couple of my previous posts here: 
How The Medici Code helped me change my life.
The Raikov Effect: How can I hack my brain for success?
I wish you all the best on your journey and hope you realize that you have the power to choose the direction you want your life to take. You can have more wealth, better friends, a fantastic career, live in the house of your dreams, or anything else you desire. It is only our subconscious beliefs that reveal themselves as unconscious thoughts that have been holding us back, and if we take the necessary steps to change our minds, we will change our lives!
When I meditate (almost the first thing I do in the morning) I use an app for guided meditations. There often are exercises of awareness included, much like you describe. For me, it’s marvelous as long as it is about seeing or touching. It gets more complicated when it’s about hearing. I have tinnitus and most of the time I am accepting that which makes it a background sound. But as soon as I make an effort to hear what sounds are around me, I hear the beep in my ears the most. 🙂
I am training to smell better. My nose, and hence my taste, is not as good as for instance my husband’s, making it a challenge. But an interesting one!
It’s interesting, isn’t it, how shallow our notions are if we are not actively trying to be mindful of our surroundings. And even more interesting to see how quickly we can improve once we put our mind to it.
You mention programs to improve ourselves. Do you also have a tip for guided meditations?
Hi Hannie. Most of the apps That I have used are auditory. If they are uncomfortable for you, it’s a good idea to just continue with what you are doing, focusing on seeing and touching. I also have tinnitus and have had it for about twenty-eight years already. However, even though the ringing can be very loud at times, it doesn’t prevent me from listening to any of the Brainwave Entrainment audio products that I use.
Our bodies are a miracle! So much so that it is impossible to comprehend all of the processes that are going on inside of us at all times to automatically sustain our lives. On top of all of the functions that our fifty-trillions cells are performing, our subconscious mind is also processing forty-million bits of information every second…..WOW. Our conscious mind is way less active but is the aspect responsible for learning new things, and yes, it’s incredible how much we are capable of learning when we apply our conscious attention to it.
For most people, our vision is our predominant sense just because it is the one we have focused on using the most. However, we are able to develop all of our senses with practice as you have suggested. It’s interesting to note that blind people generally have much keener senses of hearing and smell than sighted people. This is natures way of giving us what we are asking for…. The law of Attraction at work in our lives…..What we give our attention/energy to expands!
For personal development, I have used several programs with great success, and I have reviewed them HERE with the hopes that others will also benefit from them.
I like to be general with my meditations and believe that if we develop ‘all aspects of ourselves’ it’s far better for us in the long term than just focusing on either wealth creation, relationships, health, or any other single aspect. After all, what good is lots of money to us if we are alone and unhealthy?
Having said that, some of the programs I’ve reviewed in my ‘Awesome Products’ category do place the majority of focus on financial wealth and abundance, and yes, they do profoundly help us achieve a different mindset that will help us achieve our goals…… We live in an ‘Attraction Based’ universe, where what we focus on is what we will realize/come into our experience. So when we can change our subconscious programs to think like a wealthy person, we will become that!
Hi Andrew,
This is a really informative and insightful article, and it is very inspirational. With the way of the world at the moment, we need to be a lot more conscious in our lives. Not just in taking care of ourselves but also in taking care of others. With the current pandemic, it has made me realise that we need to put others first in certain situations and be conscious when we are around them.
I am going to try out your exercises and see if they really do help me in being conscious, and I will let you know my thoughts and if they help me. I am pretty sure they will.
Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work.
All the best,
Tom
Hi Tom. I know the exercises work because I use them often. My favorite time is when I sit on the beach and listen to all the sounds, smell the air, feel the sun, and the breeze…… It’s just so relaxing. I can will my body to be at ease and it’s as if all the ‘weight of the world’ has been removed from my shoulders.
It’s always beneficial to be conscious of other people we are with. It allows for a lot more intimacy with all of our relationships, and also allows us to be really aware of what is going on and then to act and react in the most appropriate ways possible.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. have a great day,
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
I became much more aware of “conscious living” through my first encounters with mindfulness.
It was only then that I realised that I do so many things on auto-pilot that sometimes I don’t actually spend time enjoying the simple pleasures in life.
It could be something as simple as eating one of my favourite meals. This should be a truly pleasurable experience, simply because I rate it as something I truly enjoy.
However, I have sometimes got to the end of the meal, I’m satisfied in terms of hunger, but I never actually took time to savour every bite, to get ultimate pleasure, typically by using my senses in the way you describe.
I know it probably sounds a little strange (to some), but I still remember the first time I actually “stepped into myself” and savoured every single bite of a favoured meal – the aroma, the taste, the textures, how it made me feel physically and mentally.
It’s something that I’d typically always taken for granted, but using the “senses” and being in the here-and-now took the experience to a totally different level.
I know this is just a very basic example, but I’m learning more each and every day to sometimes stop myself in my tracks and really take in what’s going on around me, as well as in my mind.
It’s actually quite a humbling experience.
Additionally, I totally agree with you about often doing things because of prior conditioning and previous habits.
I frequently find myself having silly inconsequential negative thoughts, “Well, I can’t do such-and-such because this always happens, etc.”
However, nowadays I regularly catch myself when saying these types of things, which allows me to approach what I previously saw as a blind-alley with a far more “What’s the worst that can happen” or “If this doesn’t work out it’s not the end of world” attitude.
It’s certainly helped me become a more productive and happier person, and I guess have a more positive outlook on life.
A great read as always my friend, and so much to ponder and think about.
Partha
I know what you mean when you say that being present brings any experience to a totally different level.
Just imagine what it would be like if we were fully present all of the time….. I actually think it would be very overwhelming, and too much for us mere mortals to handle, haha! So, beginning by being present, (or more consciously aware of what we are doing, how we are doing it, and why we are doing it,) more often is a really great start to living life purposefully.
Regarding food, I’m amazed at how many people use heaps of condiments while eating. Herbs and spices are great and can enhance the natural flavors of foods, but when half a tube of tomato sauce is smeared over everything, we can’t actually taste the food that has been prepared for us!
I’ve always preferred to enjoy the natural taste of the foods that I am eating. If we add our awareness to what we are doing, as you have said, it really heightens the experience and we can enjoy, naturally, what nature has provided for our overall wellness and pleasure.
I like your approach of ‘whats the worst that could happen?’ For the vast majority of the times when I’ve gone ahead and tried new things, I’ve always gained from the experience. The only times I haven’t is when I ignored the little voice of intuition that said…. ‘this is a bad idea’…. haha. And that’s a whole new story!
As always, thanks for sharing, and I wish you a happy day 🙂
Andrew
A really thought provoking piece! I found truth in your comment that if someone is not happy with current life circumstances, becoming conscious of how you arrived at that point is so important – if you are to effect change. This can be what makes the difference between someone who is highly successful and another who is not.
The Raikov Effect: How can I hack my brain for success? is one of the technology solutions you recommend. I most certainly will be listening to this solution!
Ceci
Hi Ceci. Many thanks for commenting on my post. It’s taken me many years to work out that we operate according to a set of programs, much like a computer does. And if something is not the way we wish it to be, we just need to install a new program that will direct our powerful subconscious minds to draw together the necessary components to begin creating the desired reality…… We can be successful in all areas of life if we take the necessary steps!
I think we are very fortunate that we have technologies, like The Raikov Effect, available that make this process a lot easier now than it has ever been before in our known histories.
I wish you all the best on your journey,
With respect,
Andrew