Category Archives: Consciouness

Uncertainty, Fear, and Anxiety

I hope that you, your families and your friends are managing to stay safe and well, and, whatever your circumstances, are surrounded by love.

I know many of us are experiencing heightened levels of anxiety during these unprecedented times. Anxiety arises from fear and uncertainty. During this Covid-19 experience, we know there is and will continue to be uncertainty and it is quite normal to feel the fear. It is easy to say we need the courage to face the fear, even embrace the fear, but we also need tools to support us and calm our anxiety, and maybe even learn from our anxiety.

Answering the question, What has your anxiety taught you about yourself?” Kevin Hines, who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge intending to end it all and yet survived, answered it this way on Twitter: “That I can always survive the pain.” What can we learn from our anxiety and how can we move from surviving to thriving?

For my heightened anxiety, I like to apply Rhonda Magee’s S.T.O.P. Practice:

S — Stop: a moment of mindfulness, a purposeful pause, putting a stop to that negative inner voice

T — Take a conscious breath: just breathe, focusing only on your breathing

O — Observe: notice what’s going on inside of you – become aware of thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations. Bring in self-love and compassion, let go of the tension and anxious thoughts

P — Proceed: with intention, taking the next step consciously and with increasing confidence. 

Read more about the STOP Practice on mindful.org. For my Moment of Mindfulness guided meditation on audio or video, visit The Conscious Leadership Blog Post.

Fear and uncertainty may linger, but the anxiety may subside. Be at peace with yourself. Begin to move from surviving to thriving.

Raising Consciousness through Art

As part of the research for our upcoming book on conscious living in the second half of life, I was fortunate to have a wonderful conversation with Greg Peters who lives in Long Beach, California. Greg’s philosophy is, during the first half of your life you go and investigate what it is that you enjoy doing and the second half of your life you try and do it. He has put this philosophy into practice. After a 28-year career in the aerospace industry working in commercial design and communications, Greg chose to pursue his passion for fine art. Greg painted the picture above and it is included with his permission.

During our conversation, Greg said, “I strongly believe that each of us comes to Earth with a mission to learn so that we can raise our consciousness and use our mission to raise everybody else’s consciousness.” Raising consciousness is part of the reason we are writing this book on conscious living. Raising consciousness begins with awareness.

Raising consciousness through art is Greg’s life purpose. In his book, The Vanishing West, Greg and co-author Johanna Lerwick combine interests in history and the American West, as well as Eastern and Western philosophies, to raise people’s consciousness about what has been going on in the western United States. They have told the story with inspirational quotations and beautiful images, helping people to connect with history through imagery. If you have a story of transition you would like to share, please contact us via the contact page.

For your free copy of The Vanishing West, a colorfully illustrated ebook featuring artworks from Johanna Lerwick and Gregory Peters, go to https://www.gregorysfineart.com/

Consciousness and Mindfulness

Preparing for the new year requires us to reflect on the past and envision the future although not necessarily to spend equal time on each. As I approach the new year, my focus has been sharpening on the meaning of consciousness and mindfulness. I commend Ron Pevny’s new book, Conscious Living, Conscious Aging, as a good read for those wishing to age consciously and purposefully. I found the stories, examples, exercises, and practices described in this book to be most helpful in living and aging more consciously. You may not be ready for conscious eldering but we can all focus on living and aging more consciously.

I resonate with Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness: “awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” but I have yet to find a definition of consciousness that really aligns with my own thinking about conscious leaders. Consciousness and mindfulness are both about having a clear purpose and greater awareness but, as conscious leaders, we are also about intention, actions, and making decisions for a sustainable future. If you have a definition of consciousness, please share it with me via the contact page on this web site.

From all of us at 2Young2Retire we wish you a mindful, conscious, and purposeful new year.

– Paul G. Ward, Principal