How to Fall in Love with Consciousness (5 Principles)

At 15 years old, my foot was amputated.

I went from being a high-level athlete playing against some of the best footballers in the country to being bedridden for over 9 months.

I had 9 surgeries, 10+ blood transfusions, countless 'minor' procedures, and lots of narcotics.

For months I watched as my foot slowly turned black and necrotic while wrestling with the fact that I'd now be 'disabled' for the rest of my life and would not be able to play the sport I loved ever again.

But something interesting occurred in my mind at this time, that would radically change the way I perceived reality forever.

As I laid on the stiff bed of the intensive care unit (ICU), 3-4 IV drips in each arm giving me the perfect concoction to keep me alive, defecating in a metal tray, peeing out of a catheter, there was a big window to the right of me.

On the other side of the glass, there was a tree.

I spent a little over 2 weeks in that room and each day I'd look out that window in complete awe.

That tree outside the hospital window became my daily solace, I'd watch its branches swaying in the wind, its leaves beautifully illuminated by the sun's golden rays, a living metaphor for the enduring beauty of life.

The enduring beauty I would take for granted every day before my accident.

Then and there, I made a promise to myself that when I got out of the hospital, in whatever capacity, I would never take consciousness for granted.

I began to think, "I will lose my foot, but I'll still have my other foot"

"I'll still have my hands, my ability to see, to breathe, to eat, a family that loves and supports me, etc."

"I may not play football ever again, but I'll make sure that regardless of how 'disabled' I am I'll still be able to walk, run, be strong and athletic."

It wasn't a matter of seeing my cup as half-full, but realizing it still overflowed with blessings.

I've lived a full life since then.

Of course, I'm human and have made mistakes, I've had anxieties, and I have regrets as all do.

But over the past 8 years, after studying philosophy, spiritual teachings, spearheading projects, starting businesses, falling in and out of love multiple times, finding lifelong friends, working at different organizations, improving my family relationships, etc.

I can confidently say that I've fallen in love with consciousness.

I feel more present, serene, and confident than ever before that I will be able to achieve and experience everything I've ever wanted and more.

So my aim in this article is to synthesize 8 years of personal development, and insight from my journey thus far.

1) Everything is Consciousness

How can I write about falling in love with consciousness without first defining it, so buckle up...

Consciousness is everything. It's reality itself as well as your perception of it.

I don't care if you believe we can break everything down to atoms, and molecules, and that's all there is to it, or if you believe God is the creator and everything comes from Him.

Regardless, everything comes from a Source.

From the billions of ordered cells that make up your physiological systems to the tonnes of metal and concrete that make up the Burj Khalifa, the incredible microchip that allows you to have a supercomputer in your pocket, the endless horizon at the peak of a mountain, down to the generational trauma that leads a man to beat his wife.

Everything is consciousness.

It all comes from the Source. Made of the same raw material.

I want you to take a deep breath into your belly, hold it for a few seconds, then breathe out slowly. Do that 3 times.

Look around you, and take a moment to appreciate the depth of complexity and beauty in everything.

The mechanics of a pulley system supporting the window cleaner on top of a thousand-foot skyscraper, the color and design of the font used on a bus advertisement, the droplets of water on the grass in a dewy morning, the artistry behind a beautiful piece of music, architecture, or software that you love using.

From the mundane to the magnificent, there's beauty all around you.

The second we get disconnected from this sense of bewilderment is the second that suffering sets in.

Do this exercise every day, multiple times a day. Give yourself that gift.

Do not let life become mechanical. Do not let it become a series of never-ending tasks and duties, emotional flurries, and petty human bullshit.

If you do you're not living, you're merely surviving.

You get up in the morning because you have to complete tasks and duties, you go to work so your boss doesn’t yell at you, so you can get your paycheck, pay your bills, and upgrade your car.

You go to school so your parents don’t yell at you and you study because being “smart” is valued in society and you don’t want to be outcasted.

You work out and try to eat healthy to avoid getting fat and attract a mate, not from a place of love and desire to discover the beauty and strength of which your body is capable.

Living is a gift.

Something to experience, to savor.

You must keep this at the forefront of your mind at all times.

Change "I have to" for I get to".

2) Reframing Joy

One of the harsh realities of beginning to do any sort of personal development or spiritual work is the self-imposed sense of guilt that comes when you continue to fall into your old patterns of behavior.

In a sense, it's a "once you see it, you can't unsee it" kind of situation that makes it extremely challenging to find any joy in the things you used to find pleasurable.

This can be perfectly illustrated by the Dunning-Kruger Effect:

In the beginning, you start reading self-help books, listening to motivational podcasts, hitting the gym for the first time, doing your meditation session, making your first couple of sales in your business, and it's all amazing.

But then, reality sets in pretty quickly and you enter the valley of despair.

You start realizing how unsexy and difficult this kind of work really is:

Saying no to the donuts your coworkers brought into the office is not easy.

Going to bed at 10 PM every single night is not easy.

Going to parties and staying sober is not easy.

Eating the frog and doing the hardest most important task every morning without fail is not easy.

Reading that challenging book on finance, physics, microeconomics, history, or psychology is boring.

Doing the daily meditation, lifting the heavy ass weight, going for the run, doing the cold outreach, the sales call, filming the video, sending the email, doing the revision, etc.

Is not easy.

Ordering some pizza, buying the newest console, and quick-scoping 12-year-olds on Call of Duty is far more enjoyable.

Going on the 'lads holiday' getting sloppy drunk and sleeping with as many women as possible is far more enjoyable than going on the 10-day solo meditation retreat and sitting alone with your thoughts. (most people can't even ride the bus for 15 minutes without needing their headphones to save them)

But you can't quit at this stage, or think that once you achieve or become X, then the good habits will become enjoyable. It doesn't work like that.

You must retrain your mental palate.

Rewire your dopamine-hijacked brain which equates instant gratification with joy.

And I know of only one way to get off this dopamine treadmill, and it starts with a vision.

The Vision

A clear image of who you will become, down to the gory minute details.

Are you working on your life's purpose every day? How do you carry yourself in your work? Are you energetic, passionate, present? Are you a leader? An artist? A business owner? A loving father or mother? What kind of relationships do you have with your parents? Do you have mastery in a specific domain? How do you dress? How do you smell? Does love flow in your relationships? Do you still want to rip your partner's clothes off 20 years into your marriage? Where do you go on holiday? How is your health? Are you running marathons? Shopping at Whole Foods and doing clean & jerks? How many books have you read? Have you created your magnum opus yet? Are you working on it?

Grab a pen and paper and write down your answers, daydream, add images, heck add a soundtrack if need be.

You then need to gain comfort in the fact that the decisions you'll make to become this person will not bring you the same 'joy' as the dopamine highs from eating junk food, smoking weed, sleeping with your Tinder date, getting drunk with friends, etc.

It's a different kind of joy, a more spiritual and deeper kind of fulfillment.

It's the kind of joy you get when you realize that every action you take is a vote for the kind of person you wish to become, and you're getting closer every day.

(Shout out to James Clear for those bars)

Trust me, I much rather watch a movie on Netflix while cuddling up next to a beautiful woman than read a dense book by Carl Jung, Richard Feynman, or read the Bible cover to cover.

Obviously.

No one likes feeling like an idiot, having to go back and read the same sentence 3 times.

But I have a vision.

An older wiser version of myself who's read hundreds if not thousands of books.

A man who can create connections between them all, who can articulate his thoughts succinctly, explain difficult concepts, and build a code of values from which to educate his children and run both the household and an empire.

And I'm not going to lie, that vision turns me on way more than the thought of a 'Netflix and Chill' date.

You must fall in love with health, growth, creativity, learning, investing in yourself, and consistent execution.

3) Taking on a Perspective of Seriousness towards Life

Now let me just clarify here that I don't mean you have to be serious all the time, that you can't smile, have a laugh, maybe have a drink with your friends every once in a while.

That's not what I'm talking about. I'm not saying you need to act like the Terminator.

This is just to say that life is not a joke. It's not something to take for granted.

When I think about all of the bad things that happen to good people, the injustice in society, corruption in government systems, the illusion of a meritocracy that we're sold, how privileged and blessed I am in so many ways, when I think about my accident and the fact that I could've died.

I can't help but think... why me?

Why am I alive?

Why do I get to live this amazing life with so many blessings, but others never get the chance?

As I write this there is war in Palestine, Ukraine, and the Republic of Congo; there's political unrest in far too many countries to list.

And here I am, safely in Canada, typing my thoughts away on a $2000 Macbook, drinking a $6 coffee.

Why me?

Immediately what follows is an immense feeling of duty.

A duty to do right by those who don't have the same opportunities as me.

A duty to demand the best of myself in every way possible so I can serve to the best of my abilities.

I believe that is our purpose.

Serving others through the expression of our unique gift.

When you truly internalize this sense of duty, our base desires to rest, to have sex, to overindulge in food, to sleep in, to skip a workout, to lash out emotionally at everyday minutiae, to procrastinate, to complain...

All of it becomes so stupid.

Petty human bullshit.

In this way, self-improvement is no longer something you do something you do to attract a mate or make more money.

It is a transcendental duty.

And not demanding the best of yourself is not only disrespectful to yourself, but to God, and the millions of others who don't have the same opportunities as you do.

4) The Art of Conscious Curation

The information we choose to allow into our awareness, and how we act upon it dictates the quality of our lives.

Over 95% of our behaviour is unconscious.

Books. Movies. Music. Online content. Conversations. Friendships. Family. Self-talk.

It's all content. Structured information.

If you haven't realized yet, all of your thoughts and ideas are downstream from what you consume.

And in an age where we are drowning in information while starving for wisdom, your ability to consciously curate the inputs you allow into your mind has a direct impact on your life quality.

You need to be ruthless. Garbage in = Garbage out.

Audit the lyrics in the music you listen to, audit the messages in the movies you consume, audit your internal dialogue, audit your friendships, and the conversations you have.

If you followed carefully, you now have a vision, a vivid image of the kind of person you want to be and the kind of life you want to live.

Now all it takes is aligning all of your thoughts, beliefs, your inputs and actions to that vision.

Sounds simple, but it's incredibly difficult in practice.

One of the most empowering lessons you'll learn from studying Stoic philosophy is that you're in control.

Not of the external circumstances, but of your attention.

You're in control of your mind, your awareness.

No one can take that away from you.

When you understand this, you'll understand how:

"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul"

And regardless of what life throws your way:

"I thank whatever Gods may be, for my unconquerable Soul"

— Invictus, William Henley (1875)

The effect of physical pain, monetary loss, and emotional toils is largely based on how much attention we give it.

When you understand, and become deliberate as to what you allow into your awareness you are choosing to experience heaven on earth.

“Men suffer more in imagination than in reality” – Seneca

5) Understand Pendulums

Sir Issac Newton's 3rd Law:

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"

I've broken down this concept in detail in a previous video on "Effortless Success"

I recommend you watch it to get the full picture on this concept.

I hope these principles serve you as much as they've served me.

Take care of yourself, talk soon.

— Mikey 🧙🏼‍♂️