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Fully Alive, Engaged and Awake: Live at four or five and there’s no stopping you.
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “How awake and engaged am I in my life right now?” If you’re like most people, the answer is likely to be not often or never. In this episode, Cara brings you her Aliveness Scale. A way to measure states throughout the day—the Alive Scale is new. You’re getting it hot off the presses and still somewhat unformed (which is sometimes the best, isn’t it?) Here’s her summary:
The Aliveness Scale runs 1 through 5 as follows:
4 and 5: “F” Words Abound!
When we feel “F”-ed.” To be more explicit, at a five we feel Fired up, Fiercely focused, Fully engaged, Fully awake, and IN FLOW. At a five we experience in FULL, or as I write about in On The Verge, with high definition clarity and high voltage energy.
Four, it’s a lighter version of five. Fours are wonderful micro-flow moments, when we feel content and present. For example, at a four we may not feel as “F”-ed up.” Instead, we carry this delightful sense that all is well with the world—for the moment anyway.
1 and 2: Bring on the “D” words
At a one or two on the scale of aliveness, we feel Dull, Disengaged, Disconnected, Disenchanted, Depleted, maybe even a little Depressed. We’re not very engaged, we don’t feel alive and we’re going through the motions.
3 – Meh
Three is where most of us spend most of our time. Right down the center of aliveness. At three, we are “meh” about life. We’re not great and we’re not bad. We may on autopilot or on speed. We live in our heads more than in the present moment. Stuck in our busy minds and numb to to beauty around us, we become proficient little worker bees. In other words, we get shit done.
Live at a three too much of your precious life and you may find yourself telling others how “crazy busy” you are (like the rest of us aren’t busy!). It’s likely you do not take one second to stop and smell the roses, you’re doing too much and feel stressed out all the time. In other words, if you are always overwhelmed , you’re likely hanging out in three way too much.
How to Live a Four or Five Life
To live at a four or five more often, you need to notice more and notice everything! Notice when you’re disengaged. Notice when you feel dull. Notice when you feel depleted or overwhelmed And then, do something about it! Make a change, switch your state, go for a walk, tell the truth, get creative, take a nap.
The possibilities are infinite. If you want more ideas, listen to almost every On The Verge podcast.
Let’s take this home. The most important thing you can do to live at a four or five more often, is to STOP WAITING for people to be perfect or for situations to improve. It will never happen, EVER! No one can do this for you. And, it’s not going to magically happen either.
So what do you need to do? Start making your state your priority. Rate your state of aliveness throughout the day. Then, choose where you want to live. Do you really want to hang out in a one or two (in the D words)? Or just barely survive and be “meh” at three? How about you slam it and wake up one day committed to living at a four or five FULLY ENGAGED AND ALIVE?
Here’s the bottom line (if there is a bottom line.) When you start living in four or five more often than not, there is no stopping you. THERE IS NO STOPPING YOU!
Finally, I beg of you, don’t spend the rest of your life at a one, two, or three. Go for the four or five. Because what your world needs MOST is for you to feel FULLY ENGAGED AND ALIVE.
Mentions and More
Episode #115: What are you Most Curious About?
Episode #114: A Great Tool to Make Time Your Ally
On The Verge: Wake up, Show up, and Shine by Cara Bradley
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