Ungraduated Living & Learning

Finding Your Way - Through Your Why

Month: August 2021

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Personal Growth – Deciding on a Coach, Mentor, or Consultant

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On August 28, 2021

In #life, self-improvement

The title of “Coach” seems to be a buzz worthy descriptor in the modern era. But what exactly does a coach do and do you need one? Is a “Mentor” just someone that you look up to with more experience that can help you? Perhaps you just want a “Consultant” to give you the best advice possible on your business or personal life. Differentiating between the three terms can be helpful towards your personal and professional personal growth. They all do overlap some in defination, but understanding the key points can help you decide which is best for you.

Defining a “Coach” for Personal Growth

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The term that gets thrown around most in the personal growth space is “coach.” But how exactly does this term relate to your personal or professional life?

A coach is definitely someone that is playing on “your side” in life. They are close to you and know what you are working through. Coaches have a level of expertise and tend to know more than you on the topics you are seeking to understand. A coach is someone that is going to play the game of life with you, not above you or below you.

Coaches “sponsor” you – they help bring you along in life. They work with you on the specific areas of personal growth you feel you most need. A good coach isn’t going to alway tell you how to achieve what you want. Rather, they guide you along your authentic path towards your goals. Often, they have walked similar paths and can provide necessary perspectives.

Ten plus years ago, people that needed coaches were typically behind in their business or personal aspects of life. This has changed in the recent past. People that seek out the expertise of coaches today are some of the most successful and ambitious people. They aim to achieve the highest level of impact, purpose, and meaning in life.

Many of the most successful people today ALL have “life coaches.” This encompasses Executives, Entrepreneurs, Writers, Influencers, and many more walks of life.

How Mentors Impact your Life

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“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.”

Bob Proctor

A mentor is an individual that you will aim to share 100% of your life with. This includes the good, bad, and ugly. They are going to support you regardless. Mentors may not necessarily know more than you around what you are bringing to them.

Often times, mentors are people that are older than you and have more “life experience.” They differ from a coach in this regard because a good coach doesn’t have to have a particular age. However a good coach needs to have a deep understanding of the topic you wish to grow within.

Mentors need not give advice simply on professional careers. Like coaches, they can provide insight and guidance on personal lives too.

You go to mentors with all sorts of aspects of your life. Perhaps before committing too much in a relationship. Or possibly before investing into a certain business. They don’t tell you what to do – but through their experience they help you figure it out.

We need mentors in our lives that we can bring ideas, problems, and needed points of perspective from all aspects of life. They may not always have the perfect answers, but their level of experience often outweighs yours due to the time they’ve experienced life over you.

Does this mean that ALL mentors need to be older than you? Not necessarily – but this tends to be the norm to the definition.

How Consultants fit into Personal Growth

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Coaches and mentors tend to be more personal when it comes to their services and advice. This is one of the delineating factors between those two titles and that of a consultant.

Consultants tend to be “less personal.” You generally aren’t going to hire a consultant to give you personal advice regarding your love life. The relationship with a consultant is more business to business and more “transactional” in nature.

Consultants often have a level of expertise that pertains to certain aspects of business. They are hired to provide you a level of view that perhaps you aren’t seeing. Often they possess a knowledge advantage that can assist you.

Maybe you want more understanding of how to maximize labor in your business? Perhaps better marketing? These are avenues most left for professional business consultants.

You would likely want a consultant when it comes to higher levels of your business over your personal life.

Summary

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The modern world and the smart people within it are always looking for the edge when it comes to achieving their purpose.

As we seek to live more as our authentic selves we should aspire to seek the knowledge others can provide us. It comes down to understanding what you most need and specifically what aspect of life or business you are aiming to improve within.

I define myself as a “Possibility Mindset Coach.” There are many, many different types of coaches out there. The term “life coach” has the most uniform understanding for coaches that aim to help people in different aspects of their lives.

But remember that our lives have many different bridges we are building towards our success. Be sure to identify what specific area you most want growth and coaching in. Ensure that your goals align with those of your coach, mentor, or consultant.

What areas of life do you find yourself needing the most advice, support, or perspective within?

I’d love to hear from you…

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Becoming Present and the benefits in Life

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On August 15, 2021

In #life, Enlightenment, Health & Wellness, self-improvement

Chances are you’ve heard of mindfulness. But what exactly is it and how does becoming present in life benefit you? From seeing life with more clarity to being able to better reflect for future benefit, more and more people are discovering mindfulness. There is power in presence. But how do we achieve it in this ever increasingly distracting world?

To Find Happiness, First Become Present

man wearing black cap with eyes closed under cloudy sky becoming present
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I recently had a podcast guest by the name of Tessa Stowe that helped frame up quite nicely how to find happiness. Tessa is all about living in a high vibration. She mentioned how to find happiness being we first must pull ourselves into the present moment. We can’t become happy without being present. Really think about that for a moment. In most cases, when you remember happy moments, chances are you were deeply entrenched in that moment. Whatever joy you were experiencing was brought to you through exactly what was happening in your life at that present moment.

Quite simply, becoming present means stopping and noticing the world around us. You’ve likely heard the phrase, “stop and smell the roses.” That’s precisely what it means. Stop and “take notice.” The roses won’t last forever and their gift of beauty is meant to be enjoyed.

Too many people think that becoming present is about simply finding awareness. It goes well beyond that. It involves living with less ego. When we can lessen the ego, we have more ability to tap into our higher self. That’s the aspect of life we want to listen to over the ego and the mind. When we listen to our higher selves over ego, we will find more meaning, purpose, and happiness.

Becoming Present through Pain & Suffering

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But what about when we suffer pain and loss in life? That is about the last time we would want to worry about becoming present right? Actually, it is quite the opposite.

While pain and suffering are certainly emotions we want to avoid in life, they are often experienced as lessons. These life lessons teach us important values if we absorb ourselves in the moment. It may hurt to become fully present in times of suffering and loss, but important lessons come from those moments.

It is far easier to simply want to avoid these moments of pain and agony. However, we will grow and be better by appreciating the present moments of pain and suffering.

The human condition is going to involve suffering. By paying attention and becoming mindful in these moments, we are able to engage more fully in all other moments of life. This is how we begin to enjoy the special moments more. Realizing that the principle of polarity in life is going to bring us more swings of the pendulum is an important life lesson. It helps us not get too high in good moments, yet not too low in bad moments.

Increased Intuition in Life

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Increasing our mindfulness abilities helps us with intuition. Our minds become more clear and our hearts become more open. We are more clearly able to see the choices and paths that are laid in front of us.

This is a super important aspect of discovering and following your purpose. If we really want the most from our lives, we need to have guidance. And not just any guidance from any old Tom, Dick, or Harry – but rather guidance from its highest source. That guidance is available to us. All we need to do is be able to tap into it.

But we can’t tap into that life guidance if we are too busy stuck in ego and fast paced confusing lifestyles. Too often we are stuck in our own “monkey mind” of thought. Worried about tomorrow, next week, or next month. Fear from the past that we are brining into our present moments.

Intuition comes to us in many different forms through becoming present:

  • dreams
  • moments of brief insight (like when the lightbulb flips on in your mind)
  • moments of synchronicity and life alignment
  • the books that we are led to read through connections and friends
  • the people that come into our lives for reasons, seasons, or lifetimes

If you want more intuition in life, focus on becoming present in your daily life.

How to Become more Present Everyday

a colorful Rubik's cube to depict life as a puzzle and becoming present is part of that puzzle
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  1. Look at life like a puzzle:

When we become more present, we begin to actually “see life.” What I mean by this is we notice the small things. These small things can play on us in many unique ways. Sometimes for our own learning and other times for us to simply become happy. Birds singing, waves crashing, roaring thunder in the distance. Whatever it is – take notice. It’s all apart of the beauty in life that you are meant to notice.

2. Be with your breath:

This is all about making the time to slow down. If you find yourself deep within any type of uptempo timing and want to come back into the present moment – just breath. What I mean by this, it notice your breathing. Take a few deep breaths. Focus on large inhales and exhales through your nostrils. Notice how the air feels going in and out. While doing this, you mind automatically slows down so you can become present. Then, you can begin to notice the world around you.

3. Generate a morning and evening routine:

Whether it is morning and evening meditations or journaling, begin and end your day in the same way. There is so much to gain in presence when we stick to a morning routine. This routine sets up your day for alignment with your purpose and ends your evening for a night of good dreams and intuition to feed your mind.

What other aspects have you used when becoming more present in life? I welcome all ideas so that we can continue our learning and growing together.

Please feel free to leave a comment and thank you for reading…

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Want More Meaning in your Life? Follow these five steps

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On August 9, 2021

In #life, Enlightenment, self-improvement

The world is going through a human consciousness shift. We are beginning to realize the old way of earning a living is melting away to a higher and more purposeful one. Making an living used to only be about how to best take care of you and your family. In the new world consciousness that will matter too, but also at a “higher collective” level. Living with more meaning is about making a difference in life on multiple levels. Do you want to live as your best and highest most purposeful self? Read on for more understanding and institution of these powerful mindset shifts.

The Different Layers of Meaning in Life

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When we think about making more meaning in life we generally start with us. That’s a good and natural place to begin. But what comes after when we are provided for at a sufficient level? That’s the million dollar question that more and more people these days are seeking the answer to. Let’s sum up the different layers of impact in life:

  • Self (personal)
  • Personal tribe (those closest to you)
  • Outer tribe (those you don’t know on collective level)
  • Global (Earth level)
  • Universal (All consciousness)

It makes sense that we begin with us. We must first have ourselves in order before we seek to make any higher level impact. This is a key attribute through the entire plan of making more meaning in life and those around us. Our health, safety, and financial needs must first be met before we can satisfy the needs of anyone around us.

Once that base need is met, we can look to those closest in our lives such as our families. This is our personal tribe. Our families, friends, and co-workers that we interact with on daily / weekly / monthly levels.

Beyond our closest family and friends comes our outer tribe. These are people that hear of us and find out about our work and purpose. As we look for more meaning in life, we begin to branch out and find ways to make moments of impact in lives of strangers and people we don’t know as well.

After generating more meaning in the lives of others we can begin to care more about the global level. This does not only pertain to the environment, but also all the human, animal, plant, and other consciousnesses on the planet.

Lastly, we can begin to see consciousness at an even higher level that permeates through the entire universe. Making more meaning at this level transcends time and space into all things material and non-material.

Step 1 – Start with your Purpose

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The first question we all must ask ourselves is – “What do we stand for?” How do we discover our purpose?

When it comes to what you do for work, is that work aligned with a higher calling? Can you feel that you are able to make a difference on a level that is greater than yourself?

Begin to ask yourself – what is your vision of this “new earth consciousness?” Define what that vision is and ensure that no matter what walk of life you are earning income in, that you vision aligns with the work you do.

It is ok if your actual job doesn’t 100% align with your purpose or mission. But let me stress that it cannot be 100% out of alignment. For example, if you are passionate about helping others as I am, you can find ways to make impact in your current job. As long as that job involves working with others.

However, it would not make sense to work for an organization that is completely out of alignment from what you want to be known and recognized for. If this is the case, then it would behoove you to find a new place of employment or begin your own venture that aligns with more meaning and purpose in your life.

Step 2 – Recalibrate on how you View your Life

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After we have become crystal clear on what our purpose and mission in life is, then we can move onto recalibrating and watching the life film that is our own movie.

This step involves getting very clear on the details involving our life. For example, what do we say “yes” and “no” to? Who do we allow into our lives and what do we allow to command our time and attention?

Our very most important resource in life is time. Where we spend it and allow our attention to go becomes of the utmost importance at this step. When we are aiming to expand to our highest self, we must aim to “flow” with the universe and aspire to surrender to what comes into our life for good. Once our intentions are made clear around our purpose, the universe will bring those opportunities before our very eyes. We just have to be aware and say “yes” to those opportunities while saying “no” to what won’t serve us or our journey for more meaning.

By “recalibrating” we begin to “allow” more good to come to us. We shift out of the “controlling” mindset so many of us have been accustomed to. In this new mindset, we can begin to see the “micro-moments” of life as we make decisions to allow vs. control. We need not hit rock bottom as it is often believed in order to allow our lives to flow in unison with more meaning and purpose. The old belief of needing to hit your “low point” in life in order to see life differently isn’t necessary. We need only begin to catch ourselves in old habits of micromanaging and controlling others around us instead of allowing life to flow into and around us.

So if you find yourself wanting to have that “controlling” conversation with your family or coworkers, just notice the moment and settle back some. Get back into the “expansion” mindset over the “contraction” version that you may be used to.

Step 3 – Embody your Highest Self

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We don’t always get what we dream of, but we do get what we settle for. This third step is all about shifting your awareness to bring more abundance into your life.

People are beginning to realize what many for generations past didn’t – that time is not linear. We see ourselves living one day at a time, week at a time, month at a time, and years at a time. Yet, the information of our “highest self” and best self is available to us now.

We need not wish to know how we are living 5, 10, 0r 20 years from now – we can call for that insight into our lives now. It doesn’t take some long drawn out super focused meditation, but rather a simple genuine asking and expectation that our higher self embodies into our lives now.

After committing too and living with more meaning and purpose now, we can guarantee that our future self will be all the better for it.

We have the ability to “bend” time and space in order to access our higher self to help us live in “the now” or every present moment. All it requires is for us to geniuinly and compassionately receive this information.

What does this “higher version” of myself say? Who does this higher version of myself associate with and spend time around? What does this higher version of myself say “yes” and “no” too?

This ability embody your higher self is going to help you stay on track towards more meaning, a higher calling, and more purposeful intent in you life.

Step 4 – Redefine your “Minimum Standard” of Living

grayscale photo of the back a U.S. $1 bill
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Ever wonder why the “all seeing eye” is on the back of the U.S. $1 bill? While I’m not completely sure, maybe it has something to do with the worlds currency being tied back to the almighty dollar in some way. Perhaps it is on the back of the 1 dollar bill as this is the first of the paper currencies printed in the U.S. It is the minimum paper standard currency. You can have very few $1’s or very many. Most would like many of these!

Once we have tapped into our higher self and are living in alignment with more meaning, we can begin to work on our self-worth and net worth.

For so long in the old paradigm of the “old world consciousness,” it was – I provide a service and I get paid for that service. My “pay” is only identifiable with what my services provide. This old outdated thinking is beginning to shift.

Now, we can begin to shift our awareness towards the value we bring others dictating our net worth. As we aim to bring more service and value in the lives of others, we will continue to be rewarded for it.

As long as our hearts are in the right place that is. We cannot come from a place of greed. Doing so will not yield good results.

Tell yourself that you are fun of abundance. Make it a daily mantra. Write it down where you can see it. Repeat the phrase daily:

“I am abundant and receive more abundance daily.” You will find that as you serve the greater good with more meaning, you will be rewarded at your standard expectations.

If your minimum standard is “always just enough to get by,” that is what you are going to continue to receive. To serve the world with more meaning, you need more abundant resources.

Continually redefine your minimum standard of living.

Step 5 – Enact Leadership for More Meaning

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This last and final step is all about leading at authentic and genuine levels that encompassess more meaning and purpose in your life. It will be required of you since you only associate and operate at that frequency. You now know your truth and nothing can come between you and it. The world consciousness will vibrate and be in alignment with you.

You become your own currency. The vibrational frequency that you operate within brings you more abundance. Everything is now in alignment with more meaning and you purpose.

The world is full of noise and chaos right now. This is because the old paradigm is breaking down. How the world used to work and operate will end. A new operating system is being generated. This is what is causing the chaos. This chaos is actually a good thing. It is necessary for us to begin seeing the “old system” is no more.

What the world needs is more leaders that are aligned well with more meaning and a new “world consciousness.” The days of achieving more and more money to satisfy ones’s happiness are ending. We are waking up and realizing there is more to life.

The beauty in all this is we just need to continue leading at each appropriate level:

  • Self (personal)
  • Personal tribe (those closest to you)
  • Outer tribe (those you don’t know on collective level)
  • Global (Earth level)
  • Universal (All consciousness)

Don’t jump to another level before you take care of each sequentially. This process doesn’t allow for “skipping” layers. Check yourself in relationship to where you are in each of the above layers. Progress accordingly after ensuring you handle each layer. Lead well within alignment to your purpose at each level.

This is how you find more meaning at all levels of impact in your life and continue to live with more abundance.

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The Meaning of Living “Ungraduated”

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On August 1, 2021

In #life, Enlightenment, self-improvement, Truthseeking

As this blog continues onward and upward, I thought it might be helpful and beneficial to explain my definition of “ungraduated.” Yes, ungraduated is a made up word. It is a word that I have made up that beckons towards the search for truth and meaning. We live in a society that is very quick to tell us how to think, live, and believe. The meaning of living ungraduated is all about doing the work on oneself to remove so many of the limiting belief systems we operate within here in the modern world that often hold us back in life.

Living through your own Education

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From a young age, many of us are taught how to conform, rather than think. We are given a set of criteria that ranges from history and sciences, to health and the arts. Within that curriculum, we are neatly cast. Failure to see things as society has taught, might garner us a failing grade. So instead, we are taught how to pass tests on the material we are taught. We are not taught to rationalize and form our own conclusions, but rather ensure we are keeping to the programming we are given.

Now mind you, some of this programming is necessary for proper function within society. I am all for that. We need to understand basic math, reading, and social skills. But beyond that, much of what is spoon fed to our youth is largely perspectives from those that wrote the books and the teachers that teach them.

Education, in my opinion, should be about exploration and question gathering. That is what real learning is. Not sitting in a building all day being programmed so that we fit into a nice neat ball that plays well in society.

There is so much education we have been given, not all of it correct or good, that there is a great need to ungraduate from it. We are not taught in school about how to attain real happiness, meaning, or purpose. No, we are schooled on how best to produce and function within the man-made hamster wheel of modern society.

The Meaning of Finding your own Religion

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How much trouble can come from something that is supposed to be so good? The bloodshed over religion is one of the greatest embarrassments to the human name. My god is right, no MY god is right. Whatever god does exist certainly does not want us killing in its name, or it is likely not a god worth dying for.

For the most part, we have passed through the darker days in which people killed in the name of their religion. We are certainly not 100% past those days, but at least past the days of starting all out wars over it.

Instead, we now bicker, fight, and call each other bad names over social media or in close family quarters when we don’t agree about ones faith. Still a lot of work to be done, in my humble opinion.

How about this for a novel idea? We stop searching for which religion is right and make our own personal search of truth in faith. We have enough information available to guide us and help us make informed decisions.

This is for those that care to seek for the higher good. Enough to help us understand where our souls may inevitably be heading one day. For those that care not about a higher power – more power to you! It matters not to me. I’m confident enough that life is going to continue on after death. I’m not seeking to prove it to you when I know you will find out when your day comes.

The meaning of living ungraduated when it comes to religion is about doing your own work towards God. Whatever you feel God is, is up to you. It is how you find God that matters and not through the forced nature or threats of another human being.

Ungraduate to your own Politics

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Perhaps one of the more understood reasons of needing to ungraduate, might come from the political spectrum we live in today. What a complete and total disaster it has become.

We can hardly speak to another person that has an opposing political view.

The meaning of living ungraduated in terms of politics is completely putting yourself on a “human level.” It is not about red versus blue or how to better balance the budgets. Living in an ungraduated way in terms of politics is realizing that politics is more of a facade, designed to keep us in lower vibration. Right and left are two wings of the same bird.

Perhaps at one point in time, politics was about “for the people, by the people. But we are a long way away from that point in time. Yes, the world functions on politics, I completely understand that. We need politics in order to “get things done” in the current modality of the world. However, we need not allow politics to bring our level of vibration down.

Despite our differences, our commonality is that we are human. By undraduating from the political spectrum, you are choosing to ignore the political hatred and banter, yet still stay in tune with the world. You look at the world with love, compassion, and concern for its betterment. We may need to still vote in order to get action done, but we need not hate the other side that wins or loses.

Seeing the World in an Ungraduated Way

cold dirty texture wall with words "be curious" on it
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To sum it all up – the meaning of living ungraduated is all about being curious. It is about asking the bigger questions in life and finding your own way rather than walking in the footsteps of others. It’s about removing limiting life belief systems.

When we stop asking questions and take everything at face value we begin to limit ourselves. The human mind is an amazing device when we use it rather than allowing it to be programmed.

What are some aspects of your life where you have become ungraduated? What new perspectives have you gained through being naturally curious? How have you become more of your authentic self?

Would love to hear as many perspectives as possible on the topic. There is so much in life that we need to seek answers for. We may not find them all, but starting with the bigger questions is how we begin to find our way, through our why – our purpose. It’s how we begin to truly define the meaning of living.

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