Tag Archives: decision-making

Holding Your Centre & How You Can

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Has anyone not felt discombobulated during the past few years?

The energetic effects of chaotic times…

It’s hard to make good decisions in the midst of confusion and disorder. In fact, it can be difficult to make any decisions at all. We lose trust in our ability to respond appropriately. We literally don’t know what to do. And this state of powerlessness propels us into fear.

In a world of disrupted energy, we can easily be pulled off-centre. Then…

  • we feel discombobulated,
  • we can’t think clearly,
  • we don’t know what to do, and
  • we feel powerless and afraid.

And in that state, we revert to our habitual coping mechanisms—pretending it isn’t happening; consoling  ourselves by shopping; distracting ourselves by scrolling through social media and watching endless YouTube videos; or __(insert yours)____________. These ways of coping may make us feel temporarily better but do nothing to improve the situation.

It’s ironic because navigating chaotic times is when we most need to be fully present to think clearly and make good decisions.

What can we do to function better?

From an energy perspective, the trick is to be centred in yourself and hold that presence even when there is chaos around you, whether physical or mental.

The fundamental step is to find practices to re-centre yourself whenever you’ve gone off-kilter. These include…

Here’s an exquisite example of sound healing with crystal bowls. I find it both soothing and uplifting—a perfect antidote to feeling discombobulated.

Listen with headphones if possible.

Internationally renowned, Ashana is credited with  pioneering an entirely new genre of healing music with crystal bowls. She offers concerts, crystalline activation meditations, retreats and workshops, and her music is available on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, youTube. More on her website.

Expanding consciousness…

Another very effective strategy is to work with your consciousness—expanding it to hold the disturbing situation with compassion.

Don’t know how to do that? Intend it and trust it will happen.

Consciousness is the foundation of our being. It is infinite, and we humans are the physical vehicle for a small amount of it to be expressed. Because we are connected to our larger consciousness, we have the ability to expand by accessing ever-more of our consciousness. And over time, we increase our capacity to remain in that state for longer periods of time.

That’s what spiritual growth is.

And that’s why our sincere intention can make it happen.

Humanity is in a growth spurt…

The chaos around us, which is causing our discombobulation, is giving us an opportunity to expand our consciousness—the opportunity to express a more mature level of humanity. That’s what I was alluding to in my previous post when I said…

What if the potential for ChatGPT to run amok prompts us to look deeper within to see what we value and what makes us human?

And what if, instead of worrying that AI is going to take us over, we teach it our values, just as parents do with their developing children?

Fundamental values…

One aspect of consciousness is awareness of our highest aspirations. In his research to discover the human values that we can all agree upon, Mo Gowdat discovered that

  • We all want to be happy.
  • We have the ability to make others happy.
  • We all want to love and be loved.

If we would keep ourselves centred and live by these values, we would be credible role models for our future AI companions as well as our children.

By staying centred and expanding our consciousness, we have a chance of creating the more beautiful world we know is possible.

If you found this of value, please share it with someone.

Conscious Consumption in Everyday Life

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As I pointed out last week, the consumer culture is structured to propel us to buy, buy, and buy even more, without thinking. From the consumer side of the equation, it’s so easy to react mindlessly to the demands of the culture and then find ourselves dealing with the consequences of excess.

Why does overconsumption matter? Because there’s too much collateral damage when purchase decisions are dictated by businesses that have a vested interest in getting us to buy more than we ever thought we needed.

Collateral damage from the profit-at-all-cost paradigm

  • Over-indebtedness, which leaves us with no capacity to cope with emergencies such as interest rate increases and job losses. In March 2017, Statistics Canada reported that the country’s average household debt-to-income ratio hit a record high of 167%. This means that Canadians owed $1.67 for each $1 they generated in disposable income, In everyday terms, this suggests that many Canadians are living beyond their means or, at best, are just making ends meet.
  • Environmental impacts, in more ways than most of us can imagine. Air pollution, climate change, and overpopulation are familiar issues, but a list of 25 on Conserve Energy Future reminds us about others such as light and noise pollution, urban sprawl, and medical waste.
  • Chronic health issues, caused by stress on many levels. Overconsumption leads to the emotional stress of over-indebtedness, the physical stress of eating food contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals, and the mental stress of trying to sort through overwhelming amounts of information in an attempt to figure out what to do to remain financially and physically healthy.

What can we do?

We can start by taking responsibility for our part in this dysfunctional system. As long as we continue purchasing what corporations sell, we are reinforcing their bad behaviour and they will continue doing what they’re doing.

We get the products we deserve. Continue reading →

The Paradox of Choice

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Last week I wrote about the dilemmas of too much information. It strikes me that too much information is like having too much choice. It complicates things, even though there’s a good side as well.

The paradox of choice caught my attention when I was teaching college classes about consumer issues. In the TED Talk below, researcher Barry Schwartz speaks about choosing consumer goods, but his findings can also be applied to health and wellness decisions. Continue reading →