Levels of Change
Do you want to make positive changes in your life a little at a time, or do you want to make big changes fast? Many people put their toe in the water of personal change by effecting change at the level of environment: move to a new town, change jobs, find a different girl/boyfriend, hang out in different bars, avoid "negative" people and only hang out with "positive" ones. Significant change is not available at the level of environment because, well, you know the old saying: Wherever you go, there you are.
Lots of people move up to the logical levels of behavior or skill: exercise more, quit smoking, learn a new language, eat raw, get a degree, earn more money, etc., and get significant results, but are surprised and disappointed that it takes so long and makes so little difference, relative to what they expect and hope for.
Some people move up the ladder and make changes at the levels of attitude, values, or belief, and create change in their life that knocks their socks off, and does it very quickly.
And some very clever people make changes even higher up the ladder, at the levels of identity or even spirituality/purpose, and those are the people who have access to seemingly magical power to make positive changes for themselves and for the world, extraordinarily quickly, easily and effortlessly. When you make change at the level of identity or spirituality/purpose, all the lower levels just fall into place without your having to consciously change them. It all just shakes out.
If you'd like to get better and faster at making changes in your life, practice thinking new thoughts about who you are and what you're here for. Or, if you prefer, just start moving up the ladder, and begin to practice thinking new thoughts about:
What you need to change
How you can change it
What's important to you (why you want to change, and what inner conflicts you have about it)
Deliberately changing who you are means deliberately changing your beliefs about who you are. Most people have it backwards: they're willing to believe they're who they want to be once they're being it. This takes some time and effort. You, on the other hand, can be a sorcerer -- install an effective belief (by practicing thinking deliberate thoughts) and see how easy it is to live it -- in the blink of an eye.
Posted by Angela at 11/16/2009 3:59 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: purpose logical levels identity logical levels of change belief
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: purpose logical levels identity logical levels of change belief
Ya know... I just saw on my facebook where I had put "conscious animator and conductor" after you & I worked together. I had *forgotten* that's what I am! And I've seen it before, and kind of dismissed it... but didn't delete it! Today, I breathed, and read it, and thought, "Yeah! That's me, the TRUE me, that I accessed with Angela. Yup." SO empowering! How will I act in the world, remembering this? This post was right on time, chickie!
Reply to this
I think, therefore I am. This has been the principle of my life. I we truly want change in our life, we must first let go of our mind.
Reply to this
I agree with your conclusion... but I think it can be a mistake to write off the power of changing your environment.
Mainly due to the people around you finding it easier to enforce your old behaviours rather than accept new ones, but also due to psychological associations you will have with your surroundings; moving can be a way of breaking free of old patterns.
Whenever I have changed job or moved in the past I've experienced a sudden jump in the amount of positive feedback reality gives me based on whatever personal change work I've been doing.
I'll agree that the personal change definitely comes first though.
Anyway... just a little food for thought
Rich
Reply to this
Good article, never looked at our personal development as happening at different "levels" before.
Gotta agree that all things come into place when you change your identity and purpose. Those provide the backbone or foundation for the other areas of your life.
How quickly they happen is all relative though. I think the better you get at making changes, the quicker it becomes for you.
I agree with Rich's assessment about the environment being an important part of lasting change.
Reply to this
I really liked this post. Im going to check out your other posts. Keep up the good work.
Reply to this
Hi Angela,
Great post! Lately, I have been asking myself the question, "Can people (can I) really make massive and lasting changes quickly?"
For me changing my environment and 30 day trials have not been very successful. I believe the reason is I never changed my way of thinking and my beliefs.
My first step will be to change my belief to 'Yes, I can make massive and lasting changes quickly.'
Next, take each individual area of my life, decide exactly what I want, what kind of person I want to be (feeling the emotions associated) and install those new beliefs. By installing the new beliefs I will create a disconnect with my current actions and behaviors and it should be easier to create new habits, actions, etc...
In the past I have been my own worst enemy. I'm ready to become my own best friend.
Ok, I'll stop rambling. Thanks for the post!
Reply to this
Thanks, Jennifer -- I love your ramblings!
"What would your own best friend do?" is a question I'd suggest asking yourself. You know that old WWJD thing, it's actually a great question to ask your unconscious mind for your highest benefit, but you don't have to ask it about Jesus -- you can also ask it about your ideal self, in any context.
For instance, if you choose to take on the identity of being, say, an Athlete, many of the behaviors and attitudes of an athlete simply fall into place in your unconscious mind. An athlete doesn't ask herself, "hmmm, how am I going to motivate myself to work out today?" -- she simply exercises without even consciously thinking about whether or how she'll do it, like brushing her teeth. Or maybe you're inspiring identity is Loving, Fulfilled Mate -- even if you haven't yet met your ideal loving fulfilled mate or partner. You can simply take the actions that your unconscious mind presents to you inside of this new identity. Would a LFM go out with this guy who is clearly unavailable for loving, fulfilled matehood, or would a LFM just say, "Thanks, I'll pass!"? Would a LFM mope and fret about being single? Ich don't theeenk so!
Like dat.
Reply to this
That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!
Let me give you a simple example of something i've been struggling with. I have a goal of becoming a very toned athletic person weighing between 125 and 130 pounds. I have weighed around 140 for a very long time. Every time I begin to loose the weight, something will happen and I'll get back to 140 lbs or if I start to gain weight I can always loose those few pounds very easily. It's like my mind says your going to weigh 140 and that's that. How do I change this?
Or, here's a doozy - for my entire life (30 years) ever since I can remember, people have labeled me as a shy person. I tell myself that I am a shy person. This has held me back in almost every part of my life. How the heck do I begin to change this part of me?
Thank you! Oh, by the way, I found you on steve pavlina's forums.
Jennifer
Reply to this
Close your eyes, relax, and imagine yourself as toned, athletic, looking and feeling at your ideal weight (you may want to forget about the number on the scale for the moment, and just allow yourself to see and feel your ideal body. Imagine yourself freely engaging with interesting people -- really generously listening to what they have to say, and fully expressing yourself, with all kinds of people you want to be with.
Reply to this
Wow! Angela! I was just surfing the net kind of having a question in my head - how can I be more successful in finding my soulmate and more important - how can I stay focused and positive and "feeling" as if I already have him when I'm single? and here I read this ( You can simply take the actions that your unconscious mind presents to you inside of this new identity. Would a LFM go out with this guy who is clearly unavailable for loving, fulfilled matehood, or would a LFM just say, "Thanks, I'll pass!"? Would a LFM mope and fret about being single? Ich don't theeenk so! ) Love this!
Although any other advices on this? I've been pretty sucessful with changing belifes about myself recently and I absolutely love the effect, but when it comes to finding my soulmate it's hard to not get frustrated... Although I've met couple guys recently that were close to my ideal picture (didn't work with them, but makes me think they were my "alphas"
thanks!
Reply to this
Hi, Anna, and thanks! You might want to take a look at what your inspiring identity would be if you were feeling great, satisfied, and fulfilled, regardless of whether or not your partner had yet arrived on the scene. If you weren't feeling frustrated, and you were feeling wonderful being your own loving partner in life until that other person mosies into the picture, even enjoying it - who would you be being? Try the visualization exercise I described to Jennifer, above, in which you are imagining yourself as that person. Really enjoy how it feels to be your own partner in living a life you adore, and then allow some men to wander in and be drawn to that incredibly attractive, good-feeling person. What are they seeing, feeling, and hearing that is so attractive?
Reply to this
Thanks Angela!!
Reply to this