Category: Inspirational

Notes On ‘The State Of Being’

Neera

Last week, in My Commonplace Book, I wrote Notes On Four Levels Of Consciousness, a concept I learned from Vishan Lakhiani’s book “The Code of Extraordinary Mind.”

This week I want to continue with it.

Just to recap:

First Level Of Consciousness

At the first level of consciousness, we are a part of the Culturescape. Our goals are given to us by the society and the culture that we are part of. “Get good grades.” “Get a good job.” “Become a doctor.” “Make a lot of money and live comfortably.” “Invest, build a portfolio.”

As we are achieving those goals, at some point, we question society’s norms. We question other people’s expectations of us, whether they are our parents or spouses or bosses.

We question religion. And we realize we don’t have to follow what we have been told all our lives and that we can choose our own experiences in life.

That is when we move to the second level of consciousness.

Second Level Of Consciousness

At level two, we look for a purpose for life, a way to contribute to this universe. This is when our goals come from inside us.

Third Level Of Consciousness

At level three, we discover we are a part of a greater whole. We see everyone else as part of us.

We begin to see things differently, act differently, and react differently. We experience ourselves in a brand new way, a way that can change our lives forever.

We start re-coding ourselves, and we find ourselves at the fourth level of consciousness.

Fourth Level Of Consciousness

Everything changes at level four. When we work from the fourth level of consciousness, our goals come from a completely different place.

They come from a higher source called — the Inspiration.

Some call it God, or Universe, or Supreme Being, or Higher Power.

But when we realize we are much more than just a body, Inspiration becomes our unlimited source of creation.

We become a part of the ‘whole.’

When we feel connected to every living being and become a part of the universe, Inspiration starts whispering to us.

It talks to us in the form of intuition.

When you get an idea of a book in the shower or a theory in the bathtub, or a complete melody in a dream, it is not you; it is the Inspiration talking to you.

You need to make sure you’re tuned in when Inspiration whispers because if you are not, it will go to someone else.

And if it finds you listening and up to the challenge, it will give you the Intention (courage to act)

It will remove all the roadblocks.

That is the state you want to be in as creator.

I have covered these concepts in my previous two articles.

Everything Changes When You Start Working From The Fourth Level of Consciousness

How To Make Sure You Listen To Inspiration When It Whispers

There is a connection between the concept of ‘Being’ and the concept of ‘Four Levels of Consciousness.’

What Is The Concept Of Being?

In his book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle talks about a concept called ‘Being.’

There is an eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad of forms of life that are subject to birth and death. Many people use the word God to describe it; I often call it Being. — Eckhart Tolle

‘Being’ explains nothing.

Nor does the word God.

According to Eckhart, ‘Being’ has an advantage over the concept of God. ‘Being’ is an open concept.

It is open because it does not reduce the infinite to a finite entity.

God has been given several forms already. Each religion has given it some symbol, shape, or image. In many mythologies, God looks like humans.

But it is impossible to form a mental image of ‘Being’ because ‘Being’ is not a noun but a verb.

So what is ‘Being?’

According to Eckhart, ‘Being’ is your very presence. It is your true nature. Your own deepest self.

It is accessible to you all the time.

It is accessible to you now as a feeling of your own presence.

Which is only a small step from the word ‘being’ to the experience of ‘Being.’

It is a hard concept to understand.

If you try to understand it with your logical mind, you may not.

If you try to give it a form, you will not be able to.

Because ‘Being’ can’t be seen, it can only be felt.

That too, when your mind is still, and your intention is fully in the present.

‘Being’ is not only deep within but also beyond. It is in every form as its innermost invisible and indestructible essence.

‘Being’ is also the pathway to gaining enlightenment. Enlightenment is not some superhuman accomplishment. It is simply your natural state of oneness with ‘Being.’

To regain awareness of BEING and abide in that state of feeling-realization, is enlightenment. — Eckhart Tolle

So ‘Being’ is a state of connectedness with something big. Something that is essentially you, and yet it is much greater than you.

It is you. Your true nature, beyond the name and form.

So what is the connection between the concept of ‘Being’ and the concept of ‘Four Levels of Consciousness.’

At the fourth level of consciousness, when we feel connected to every living being and become a part of the universe, Inspiration whispers to us.

So when we are in the state of ‘Being,’ we are connected to the Inspiration.

Eckhart says it this way.

When your consciousness

is directed outwards, mind and world arise.

When it is directed inwards,

it realizes its own Source

and returns home into the Unmanifested.

In this state of inner connectedness, you are much more alert, more awake, and fully present.

As you go deeper into this state of pure consciousness, you feel your own presence with such intensity and such joy that all thinking, all emotions, your physical body, as well as the whole external world, become relatively insignificant in comparison.

Yet it is not a selfish but a selfless state.

It takes you beyond what you previously thought of as “yourself.”

That presence is essentially you and at the same time inconceivably greater than you.

So Being is the higher state of consciousness, and you can reach this state by simply incorporating a practice of focusing your attention on the ‘Now.’

By feeling your very presence.

By connecting to your true nature.

By connecting to your own deepest self.

By connecting to the universe.

A commonplace book is basically a scrapbook where you collect things that fascinate you. It could be quotes, proverbs, poems, letters, recipes or anything. I have several such scrapbooks.

Recently I realised there is so much good stuff lying in my bottom drawer.

I was looking for a way to share my commonplace book.

I was thinking of publishing it in book form. And then I realised a Medium publication would even be a better idea.

Notes On Four Levels Of Consciousness

Neera

In 1968, Alan Watts, a British writer, speaker, and Zen master, appeared on CBS with a group of students to teach a unique zen philosophy.

He asked the students three questions:

  • Who am I?
  • What do I desire?
  • What do I know?

The three questions sound simple enough, but they go very deep.

According to Alan, if you ponder these questions long enough, they will unlock many new meanings in your life.

Your answers to these questions depend on what state of consciousness you are in.

Vishan Lakhiani, a writer and CEO of Mindvalley, explains in his book “Code of Evolution” four levels of consciousness.

At each level of consciousness, you react and shape the world in different ways. — Vishan Lakniani

Level 1 — Culturescape

Culturescape is the tangled web of rituals and beliefs, and ideas that come from the culture. Whether we live in a tribe in a developing part of the world or in modern tribes such as a corporation, all of us are part of Culturescape.

We believe in what our parents, teachers, priests, politicians, media, advertisements, authors, books, and thought leaders tell us. But we don’t see it just like fish swimming in water.

The rules by which each tribe lives do not apply to everybody, but they apply to that tribe. The problem with Culturescape is that it feels real. We become a victim.

At this level world happens to us. We suffer breakups, business failure, being hospitalized, book launch failure, newsletter failure, not-being-able-to-build-a-subscriber-base failure. You get the point.

A vast majority of people exist at level 1.

At this point, we give this kind of answers to Alan’s questions:

Who am I? — I am a writer. I am a three-book author. I am a bestselling author.

What do I desire? — I want to get better at writing. I want to make a living from writing. I want to write a book. I want my book to be a megaseller. I want to earn big royalties.

What do I know? — I know I am a kind person. I know God is on my side. I know if I put in 10,000 hours, I will get better at writing.

But at a certain point, people start waking up. That is when they go to level 2.

Level 2 — Awakening

At this level, people start going back to the childhood nature of questioning. They question their parent’s expectations; they question religion; they question the social- norms, and they realize they can choose their own experiences in life.

Life doesn’t happen to them, but it starts happening from them. It emerges from them. This is when they start creating their own rules.

They don’t follow society’s so-called normal professions and start following their passion. They do that because it is fulfilling. They might become a coach, or set up a business. They still identify themselves by what they do, but their desires are in line with their inner being.

At this level, they really start embracing personal growth.

When they do that enough, they go to level 3 — Recoding Yourself.

Level 3 — Recoding Yourself

This is when you realize the world is not just outside you; the world is inside you as well. And you start paying attention to your inner world. You start listening to that tiny little voice inside you.

When you start going within yourself, you start recognizing that you are more than just a physical body.

At this level, the big shift happens at question #1.

The answer to that question becomes:

I am a soul having a human experience.

Level 4 — Becoming Extraordinary

As soon as you go within, it opens you to level 4.

And level 4 is when you become extraordinary. An important shift happens that really transforms how you live your life. It puts you in 1–5% of human beings who are truly fulfilled and happy.

You realize you are so much beyond your body. “You” extend to all other human beings and all the life on the planet. “You” become a part of a great “whole.”

The more you expand your circle of compassion to other people, the greater the opportunity the universe gives you.

At level 1 our society teaches us to have goals and the goals are given to us by Culturescape. At level 2, the goals come from our souls. But when we get to level 4, the goals come from a completely different place.

According to Vishen Lakhiani, they come from Inspiration.

Call it Inspiration or God, or Universe, or Supreme Being, or Higher Power, but when we become a part of the “whole,” Inspiration leads to intention.

Inspiration leads to intention.

We might think we came up with the brilliant idea for that book or that song or that business, but we are simply a conduit.

When we say we got inspired, what we really mean is Inspiration whispered in our ear.

When someone gets an idea in a dream (John Lennon) or in the bathtub (Archimedes) it was the Inspiration whispering. And when Inspiration has your attention, and you are receptive, it clears the roadblocks and starts moving you towards it. It gives you the intention.

That is how inspiration leads you to intention.

But you got to be listening. Your antenna needs to be attuned to hear the whispers. Whispers can come in any form. As an idea in the shower, or a nudge in a seminar, or as a YouTube video. You never know.

You got to be ready.

As soon as you show you will take the nudge and act on it and you have the confidence to make it happen, luck starts being on your side.

The Inspiration doesn’t just whisper to you. It clears the way for you.

Your job is to listen.

And if you chose to ignore it, the Inspiration goes to someone else.

Four Levels of Consciousness are like a roadmap for growth.

At levels 1 and 2 we keep looking for a purpose for life, a way to make a contribution to this universe.

At level 3, we look for that purpose inside us.

Most of the time, we have no clue what that purpose is. So we pick one thing, something we like and enjoy and declare that this is the purpose of our life.

At level 4, our purpose is assigned to us by a higher power.

That is the state we want to be in.

Building Habits Is Hard—Particularly Good Habits.

Neera

Building habits is hard—particularly good habits.

How can I go to the gym every morning but can’t eat Healthy?

I have been able to nail many habits I struggled with previously, such as daily writing, morning gym, and weekly posting of the newsletter, but then there are other habits I haven’t been able to nail.

For ten years, I have been trying to reduce my sugar intake and control my weight, but I keep falling in and out of healthy eating habits.

Why?

Seems like I found the answer.

According to Gretchen Rubin, habit-building depends on how you respond to expectations. When we try to form a new habit, we set an expectation for ourselves. So it is crucial to understand how we respond to expectations.

There are two kinds of expectations:

  1. Outer expectations — meet work deadlines, observe traffic regulations, etc.
  2. Inner expectations — write daily, keep New Year’s resolutions, etc.

Our response to expectations determines our tendencies to build habits.

Knowing our tendency can help us set up situations in which it is more likely that we’ll achieve our aims. We can make better decisions, meet deadlines, meet our promises to ourselves, suffer less stress, and engage more deeply with others.

In the book The Four Tendencies, Gretchen Rubin hypothesized that to respond to expectations, just about everyone falls into one of four distinct groups:

  • Upholder
  • Questioner
  • Obliger or
  • Rebel
Image Source

Upholders

Upholders respond readily to both outer and inner expectations. They wake up and think, What is on schedule and the To-Do List for today? They want to know what is expected of them and to meet those expectations. They are self-directed and have little trouble meeting commitments, keeping resolutions, or meeting deadlines.

Questioners

Questioners question all expectations. They will meet expectations only if they believe it is justified. They wake up and think, What needs to get done today and why? They decide for themselves whether a course of action is a good idea and they resist doing anything that seems to lack sound purpose.

Obligers

Obligers respond readily to outer expectations, but struggle to meet inner expectations. They wake up and think, What must I do today? Because Obligers resist inner expectations, it’s difficult for them to self-motivate to build a habit. They depend on external accountability.

Rebels

Rebels resist all expectations and will meet an expectation only as an act of choice. They value their freedom and won’t tolerate it for anything. They wake up and think, What do I want to do today? They resist control, even self-control, and enjoy flouting rules and expectations.

You can take a quiz on Gretchen Rubin’s website to find out what is your tendency. It surely helps you know what tendency you are to figure out what measures to take to make sure you build the habit you are trying to build.

Seems like I am a rebel. I resist control. I set up routines and then break them because I get sick of them. I like waking up and asking myself What can I eat today?

It used to be the same with writing as well. I hated to stick with one niche. I wanted to write whatever I feel like. I still do. What kept me in writing and helped me develop consistency is the variety. The more varied topics I write about, the more excited I get.

I have applied the same approach to losing weight. I tried different diets. But that didn’t work. As you know, diets only want you to eat more when you come out of them. And then you gain all the weight you have lost.

I still have to find a way to build a healthy eating habits. And I think the answer lies in Identity Based Habit. I will write about it next.

The Inner Game Of Writing

Neera

In an interview with The Players Tribune, eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi revealed how he defeated then champion Boris Becker.

Becker and Agassi were both at the top of their game in the late 80s and early 90s. Boris Becker had beaten Agassi three times. He was a top-ranking player at the time because of his unique serve, something the game had never seen before.

Knowing he had to raise his game when it came to countering the German’s serve, Agassi managed to develop a unique way of reading his great rival’s serve.

He watched tape after tape of Becker’s matches and realized he did this weird tick with his tongue.

“I’m not kidding. said Agassi, “He would go into his rocking motion, his same routine, and just as he was about to toss the ball, he would stick his tongue out.”

“And it would either be right in the middle of his lip,” he revealed, “or to the left corner of his lip.”

Agassi figured out that while serving in the deuce court, if Boris put his tongue in the middle of his lip, he would either serve at the middle or to the body. But if he would put his tongue to the side, he would serve out wide.

He used this knowledge to predict his opponent’s game and started winning against him. By the time they hung their rackets, Agassi had won ten matches against Becker.

But he had to remain tight-lipped about his discovery.

“The hardest part wasn’t returning his serve — it was not letting him know that I knew this,” Agassi said.

“I had to resist the temptation of reading his serve for the majority of the match and choose the moment when I was gonna use that information on a given point to execute a shot that would allow me to break the match open.”

A few years later, he finally gave away the secret at Oktoberfest.

They went out and had a pint of beer together, and Agassi couldn’t help but say, “By the way, did you know you used to do this and give away your serve?”

Becker almost fell off the chair.

He said, “I used to go home all the time and tell my wife. It’s like he reads my mind. Little did I know, you were just reading my tongue.”

Agassi was able to win because he spent time studying his opponent.

Writing is a game too. Some people are better at it than others.

I often ask myself, if writing is a game, then how do you win it?

My answer: by studying other writers.

Like Agassi, we need to invest time to learn from the masters.

The one thing that holds so many writers back is their mindset. The inner critic is real, and it has far more power than we realize.

If you can learn to silence the inner critic, anything is possible. You can put yourself in a position to win. (Note I said “put yourself in a position to win,” not “win.”)

The way I beat my inner critic is by doing whatever I want. I write the stories I’m passionate about, pick projects that energize me, and focus on having fun. My inner critic doesn’t show up if I do things for fun. It only shows up if I am serious about something.

I have been writing a book on productivity for about six months. I have tried to finish it three times. Each time, my inner critic sat on my shoulder and told me it is not good enough.

I started a project on organizing my files on Obsidian, and my inner critic didn’t bother showing up. It was a fun project. Had it been a serious project, he would have sat on my shoulder again and wouldn’t let me proceed.

I am going to trick my inner critic again. I want to write a book about my trip to UK and Spain. I told my inner critic that I would not write a book but doddle a book.

He blinked and said, “So, how would you publish it?”

“I will not publish it,” I responded. “I might write an occasional post about it on LinkedIn.”

He looked at me as if I had gone mad, though for a second, then said okay and disappeared.

I didn’t tell him what my actual plan was. For a long time, I have wanted to write a book like that of Lynda Berry.

Lynda Berry.

Image from Pinterest

I experimented with it while travelling.

While travelling to unknown places, I notice several things that otherwise I don’t. I want to capture those. If my notes turn out well, I might collate them and turn them into a book.

Like Agassi, I will not tell my inner critic until after.

No one reads books, why even bother writing them?

Neera

“I just spent the past year researching book publishing, and I can sum up my findings in one sentence: No one reads books.” wrote Elle Griffin in her Substack newsletter.

Like me, she wanted to write fiction. She even wrote a Gothic novel and published it on Substack. She tried to focus on her job and writing on the side – nothing else. Then she was chosen by Substack for a fellowship program. She was one of the ten writers selected for the fellowship, and it would have been silly to let the opportunity pass by her.

So rather than spending a year writing her next Utopian novel, she hunkered down on Substack, and according to her, it paid off.

After only one year of starting her newsletter, Novelist, she attracted 4,000 free subscribers and made $10,000 in revenue.

But then she dropped a bombshell. She wrote the article; No one reads books.No one will read your bookAfter I completed my first novel, I had dreams of a beautiful black book, its ivory pages sewn into the binding, the…ellegriffin.substack.com

Her article caused quite a furor. People wrote so many comments. In the Substack writers’ discussion group, people gave their views about her article.

“I think when every word you write is tied to the possible money you need to earn to keep writing works (whether fiction or non-fiction) it can influence choices positively and negatively.” wrote Erica Drayton, The Storyteller.

Most writers indeed want to get compensated for the amount of time and energy they devote to writing. When that doesn’t happen, frustration is inevitable, especially when other ventures are far more lucrative and rewarding.

But that is not the reason we write books. We write books because there is something in us so compelling and urgent that we have to share with the world, whether it is an idea or a story.

“For over half a century, books were considered the ultimate form of writing, wrote Mark Starlin in the discussion forum, “When they were simply a means of communication. The story or information is the important part. The book is just a (much loved) container. Perhaps we need to shift our mindset for current time and technology.”

Now writers have other mediums — blogs, social media, podcasts, videos. Even ebooks and audiobooks have become competitors to physical books.

“The medium doesn’t matter as much as the story, “wrote Mark Starlin, and he is right. In the end, we all are after stories, and we are ready to consume them in any form that is handy. If we are mobile, then through the digital medium, if we are doing chores, driving, or exercising, then through voice, if we are relaxing, then through a physical book.

It is true that we haven’t read 40% of the books we own.

The percentage might be more for some people, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that those who love books can’t resist buying them, thinking they will read them one day.

Our reading habits might have changed too. I like to binge-read books rather than read them cover to cover. It could be because of being time-poor or due to a low-attention span. But I don’t see myself stop buying books anytime soon.

Instead, I now buy books in the middle of the night, at the spur of the moment.

Most writers don’t write books to make money.

We don’t need to do everything to make money. Writing a book is one of them.

Writers write books for themselves.

Ask any writer who wrote their first book why they wrote it, and none of them would say that to make millions. Or even to make a living. Instead, they wrote it because they wanted to tell the story. Or share the idea.

They wanted to see whether they could write a book. It is as if writing a book is like climbing Everest, and you do it not for any reason other than you want to see whether you can do it or not.

I like Mark Starlin’s (another Substack writer) comments in Substack’s discussion group:

“Do we need to be massively popular and earn a lot of money at everything we do? Is that the only gauge of success? I hope not? If you want to write a novel, write one. If ten people love it, then ten people loved something you wrote! That is a good thing.

Sure we would all over to have millions of readers. But if you told a story in a pub to seven people and they all loved it, wouldn’t you feel good about it?

So my thinking is to be a storyteller. The medium doesn’t matter as much as the story. A novel (or a non-fiction book) isn’t the only option. Be creative! And if you can make money writing non-fiction at the same time (and enjoy it) then you have the best of both worlds.” — Mark Starlin

In David Weinberger’s book Too Big To Know, he talks about how knowledge used to be shaped like a book; now it is shaped like the Web.

There is truth in this. Who uses a set of encyclopedias anymore. For most people, information is online.

We have a better medium now than before, that shouldn’t mean we stop writing books.

But poetry, songs, and drama have all survived multiple changes of medium. So can novels and books. They might eventually diminish like any technology and invention. But the hunger for stories will never diminish.

Subscribe to my newsletter at A Whimsical Writer for more tips and motivation.

If You Want To Succeed As A Writer…Conquer your self-doubt first.

Neera

Three years ago, I quit my six-figure job to become a full-time writer.

My youngest daughter had just married, and I had fulfilled all my responsibilities. I could live my life my way.

I created a website (www.neeramahajan.com) and started writing blog posts.
But there were two big problems:
1) Nobody was reading what I wrote.
2) I didn’t know how to write.

It was taking me 7–8 hours to write a 750-words post. I was investing countless hours for no returns. My dream to become a published author was going to remain a dream. I was on the brink of giving up when I decided to join an article writing course.

It was a highly demanding, overpriced, three-month-long course with daily homework. It was my last chance to save my dream.

Three weeks into the course, and I couldn’t believe it — the course wasn’t even hard, and I was not a bad writer. In fact, I emerged as a star student. Suddenly, I was writing the same 750 words article in under 1–2 hours.

I learned the problem was not with my writing but with my thinking.

I had no self-confidence.

I needed external validation.

Lack of self-confidence was keeping me from realizing my dream.

After finishing the course, I made a 100 Day Article Sprint. I wrote 100 articles in 100 days on Medium.

On Day 24 of the Sprint, I was selected to receive a $500 check as one of the top 1000 writers on Medium.

On Day 65, I started writing a book. I wrote and self-published it in one week, writing a daily update of the progress on Medium.

In the past five months, I have written five books. I have already published three of them. The other two are in the publishing queue.

I have overcome the most significant hurdle any aspiring writer could face — lack of self-confidence.

If you want to succeed as a writer (or any other endeavor), conquer your self-doubt first.

Don’t let doubt ruin your passion.

Have faith in yourself and your abilities.

All writers struggle with self-doubt, even the established ones. But they all learn to manage it.

Follow the five rules to overcome your self-doubt.

  1. Retire the inner critic.
  2. Done is better than good.
  3. Don’t compare yourself with other writers.
  4. Concentrate on the verb not the noun of writing.
  5. Show the same compassion to yourself as you would to other writers.

Read my journey from a scared chicken to an author of three books in Dare To Create It is available for 99 cents for a short time. You can get it here.