Leap into “Transcending”
“The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you don’t know why or how.”
— Albert Einstein
The leap in consciousness that Einstein speaks of is about accessing the fullest sense of ourselves. In the whole person wellbeing model I use in teaching and coaching, we refer to this as the “transcending dimension of wellness.” Transcending is about going beyond ourselves, surpassing our darkest moments, and moving beyond the pre-conceived limits we have of our innate capacity to live vibrantly.
There are three accessible pathways to transcending and moving into our fullest selves: overcoming, flow, and connection.
Overcoming relates to the experiences we all have in life that challenge the very core of our being. Once we’re on the other side of these life-altering experiences (e.g., divorce, serious illness, trauma, addiction, loss of a loved one, job or home) we have the opportunity to see life from a new lens. If we’ve survived what we thought wasn’t possible, we’re left with a stronger understanding of our inner strength. This new perspective of our own resilience helps us realize that we’re stronger than we knew.
Too often, we measure success from where we are in the present moment compared with where we want to be in the future. If we instead measured from where we are in the present to where we’ve come from in the past, we’d see growth indicative of an inner strength and toolkit we could confidently apply to future challenges — big or small.
Flow describes being fully engaged with an activity to the point of losing track of time and being completely absorbed without effort. Flow is in part dependent on mastery, so each of us experiences it in different types of activities or situations. Some might experience flow when absorbed in meaningful work, others while playing music or writing, and others while cooking, knitting or running. The possibilities are endless, but the more often we’re in a flow state of being, the more likely we are to feel happy and satisfied with life.
Connection is an essential ingredient for human health and wellbeing. Researcher Dan Siegal says that human beings are neurologically hardwired to connect with other humans. His term for this is “mindsight,” and it refers to mutuality, insight, and empathy. Essentially, when we feel completely seen and understood by another person, we feel connected. Connection can also come from the expansive sense of self experienced in the splendor and awe of nature, or from spiritual practices that create connection to something much bigger than yourself.
Regardless of the pathway that most resonates with you, I hope you’re eager to take a leap into transcending and to move into your fullest self — and into happiness and satisfaction. If you need a nudge, I would love to support your efforts with coaching, yoga, and retreats. Feel free to reach out to me at any time.