SUCCESS in life is often hard to measure.
Although with some things, it's pretty easy (for example your weight or the money that's on your bank account), with the more important things it's often a little more difficult.
How do you measure how consciously you're living your life?
1. You complain
When something isn't the way you want it to be, this is your strategy: you complain. Most of the time you complain to people who can't change anything in your situation.
You complain to your best friend about your girlfriend, you complain to your girlfriend about your job. Often times you complain about the same things over and over again.
You also complain about abstract things and give them the blame for something: For example you blame the job market for the fact that you have no job. Or you blame the economy for your bad financial situation.
Or you blame your partner for your miserable sex life. Or you blame your university for your bad social life.
2. You don't question limiting perspectives
We all have limiting perspectives which stop us from making progress. For example, the perspective "I'm bad at talking to strangers" will very likely prevent you from talking to strangers in the first place.
Limiting beliefs act as self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you're not very talented with money, you will keep making bad money choice.
Another example: the belief, "I can't be happy when I'm not in a relationship" will keep you unhappy while you're single - because why even look for ways to be happy when you "know" you can't be happy anyway?
Conscious people question those limiting perspectives when they become aware of them. That way they can dissolve those beliefs and install more productive ones.
If you're unconscious, you might not become aware of your limiting perspectives in the first place. However, even when you do you will not question them.
You will see your perspectives as a given, or even as a reasonable conclusion about the world.
3. You need to be right
You believe that there's one true perspective to life and maybe even only one true way to live your life: the "right way".
You believe for example that everybody should eat meat (or not eat meat) or that everybody should believe in God (or not).
In discussions you will always need to be right. You will rather try to convince someone of your opinion than trying to understand the other person's perspective.
Generally you don't see a lot of value in other people's opinions, if they're opposed to yours.
4. You keep doing things that bring you pain
We all do things that bring us pain sometimes. When you're unconscious you've probably made a habit out of that.
You go to your job every day although you hate it, you stay in your relationship although it doesn't meet your needs, you keep saying 'yes' to things you find painful.
5. You don't do some things because you're afraid of what other people might think of you
You keep smoking because your smoker friends might look down on you when you stop. You don't quit your job because you're afraid that your family doesn't approve.
You hide your spiritual side because you're boyfriend believes spirituality is bullshit.
6. Your life stays the same and patterns are repeating
Are you still living the same life as three months ago/six months ago/one year ago/two years ago/five years ago... ?
Do you still have the same friends? Do you still have the same social network? Do you still earn the same amount of money?
Do you still have the same eating habits? Do you still have the same problems? Do you still have the same goals? Do you still spend your day like you did back then?
The lives of unconscious people rarely change. And if they do, they often change in a negative direction (less money, bigger health issues, unsatisfying relationships, more trouble and worry... ).
7. You've settled for compromise
You think you can't have it all anyway - so you settle for less. On a scale from 1 - 10 (1 = horrible, 10 = awesome) your life almost never gets past 7. Often it's lower, though.
You've gone for an "okay" relationship, for an "okay" job and for "okay" friends, instead of looking for an "awesome" in all those areas.
8. You have a lot of prejudices
You judge people before you get to know them (you think the woman in the short skirt is either a slut or just stupid).
Or you judge activities before you've tried them out (you say you don't like sports but the only sport you know is gym class).
If you keep your mind closed about new things, you stay unconscious. Prejudices will prevent you from meeting new people, finding new places and doing new things - and thus will make you stay stuck.
9. You're never motivated
You're not motivated to get up in the morning. You're not motivated to go to your job or to work on your projects. You're not motivated to meet your friends.
You're not motivated to leave the house. You're not motivated to do anything productive.
Unconscious people live lives that are neither inspiring nor motivating, which is why they have a hard time to do anything at all - as long as they don't feel obligated to do something.
Unconscious people may very well be able to get up and go to work each day but they will have a hard time to get up and work on their own projects, for example.
10. You live like most people from your milieu and age group
You live the life you learned to live. Either from your family, your school or early friend circles. If people in your age group and your milieu are married, you're married, too.
If they're going to college, you're going to college, too. If they're interested in alternative movies, you're interested in them, too. If they like partying, you like partying, too.
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None of these signs can clearly indicate whether you're living consciously or unconsciously. The big difference between the two lifestyles is this:
When you live consciously you live in a way that is headed towards the goals you chose consciously. When you live unconsciously you live in a way that is headed towards the goals and expectations you're adapted to.
Usually, there are some life areas where we are more conscious and other areas where we are less conscious.
Maybe you're really conscious about your food choices but at the same time you cling to a lot of unconscious relationship patterns.
The first step is awareness. The more you become aware of your unconscious choices and patterns, the more likely you will be able to break them.
You can literally become more conscious every day. Start questioning your behavior more. Stop believing in what you always believed. Start leaving your comfort zone and doing things differently.
Becoming more conscious is a process. A good way to become more conscious is to befriend and get inspired by people who live consciously.
You will get lots of ideas from them, if you're open-minded. If you don't find people like that in real life, look around online.
Go to personal development websites, self-help forums and conscious living groups on Facebook. Read books from personal development authors. Get input.
Soon you will have enough inspirations to start your own more conscious lifestyle, which will be way more fun than your old life.
Also, don't forget to read my article about conscious living to learn more about it!
However, becoming conscious is like taking the red pill. You can't un-take it.
Find more articles about self-help on followtheredqueen.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7340855
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