Mental Fitness for the Future:
Step Two — Transformation
A Feedback Loop to Energize Growth
By Brian R. Martens | Posted 11/26/20
Good luck if you think transformation will just happen to you without any awareness. Yes, it has happened with sages, wise men or wise women, but those events are rare.
Transformation is being able to eat the bowl of cherries because you have done the work of awareness. As we found out, awareness is the work of paying attention to what is happening in the world around you and discovering what it has done to you, how it has affected you, and the transformation part is taking action and accepting what the awareness has told you.
What does transformation look like? Transformation is the result of realizing and knowing what has been happening in your life and wanting to change the things you can change. Awareness knows the difference between the things you can change and the things you can't. Knowing that can save you much stress and discomfort.
Transformation is also about allowing. With the knowledge you have arrived at through being aware, you have to accept what you see and what you have learned. Some transformations may happen over time and be gradual and you may not notice the slow progression. This is another aspect of the work.
In such a case, if the transformation is slow and gradual you may not believe anything has happened. Your job is to use awareness on a continual basis to think and feel whether your situation has changed, as you wanted it to change. For example, in the case described earlier you may ask yourself if your relationships have been more fulfilling, have you appreciated your boss and job more, and have you felt more peace within your own body, because you have been more thoughtful and caring to others and to yourself.
Remember, a good life is a balanced life. Giving to others is a sure way to strengthen your relationships, but you have to take care of yourself to feel good about helping others. Otherwise, resentment will work its way into your critical voices and you will hear things like, "Look how I helped my neighbor all weekend, and I missed my chance to do some swimming and boating, now I'm sad." You have to feel good about yourself to be able to give without regrets.
Awareness and transformation work together to keep your life moving forward as you explore new ways to access higher levels of joy and accountability. This is called "updating" or in computer terms continually "downloading" the best operating system. This "updating" is great feedback to keep you interested and cognizant that being more aware is getting you more results.
If the transformation happens quickly then you will obviously feel it and realize, yes, it is working and you will more energetically pursue more awareness. Like most things in nature, there are cycles and waves of experience. We all go through growth spurts and lulls in growth. The key is to realize the long-term benefits of paying attention to your body, mind, and spirit so that nothing is left out and you are transforming on all levels. If one of those areas becomes deficient, then expect that this deficiency will affect other areas of your life. For example, if you are not aware of your body and diet and become ill or out of shape, it can and usually will affect your mind and spirit. The effects can cascade into your work environment and relationships.
Transformation may feel less active and more about accepting the results of your awareness, but it can be a huge generator of next steps and more movement towards your goals and dreams.
Again, transformation can be the feedback loop to energize more growth. As you are transforming as a result of your new and improved awareness, fine-tuning is a next-level skill that keeps your energy and positivity going. But simply accepting that a transformation has happened in your life can lead to stagnation and thinking, "Well I got this new job or this new relationship, so I am set" — beware of that thinking. It can shut down your awareness skill that has got you here. So please remember, nature and life are constantly growing and evolving. If you are not growing and evolving, then you may be decaying. I don't think anyone wants to go there.
I trust this doesn't sound like too much work, because it really isn't. The main difference is that you are using your mind for you, not against you. You are using a gift that was given to you; maybe you just haven't opened the manual yet.
Trust the process. Humans have been on the planet for at least hundreds of thousands of years and many have made huge impacts by being aware of their circumstances and finding ways to change and transform their lives and the lives of others and the world.
Next, the fruits of your labors will start to come to fruition, maybe not cherries but something more valuable: deep intuition.
©2020 Brian Martens. All rights reserved.
Brian has always been a poet.