Your life is a sacred playground.
Modern work culture may compel us to believe that goals and tasks come first and that relaxation and inspiration come later, but is this really true?
I've spent the past 7 years testing the hypothesis that stepping off the treadmill is a viable path to a fulfilling life.
For the last 3 years, I've taken offline, solitary retreats every summer, letting go of work and business outcomes as a solopreneur (scary).
What did I discover?
Life goes on, things get done, and we naturally return to the groove after switching off completely – usually with a heightened sense of purpose and enhanced vision.
The Mystical Origins of Boundaries:
Most people think boundary setting is about saying ‘no’ and protecting their time and energy, or rebalancing a relationship dynamic when they’re getting close to burnout or divorce.
But they're rooted in ancient wisdom discovered over 30,000 years ago. During the Upper Palaeolithic and Axial Revolutions, humans started using boundaries to break routine and create ritual spaces that helped them make sense of life and adapt to change.
Boundaries are a potent transformational tool to consciously design your life. Realising the power of boundaries to remodel your reality can shift you from fatigue and confusion to channeling your energy into the work and relationships that truly matter to you.
7 Ways to Harness Boundaries:
Here are 7 deeper perspectives on boundaries to supercharge their effect:
1. Boundaries and mysticism: Mystics have long used boundaries, or 'renunciation,' to attain altered states and enhance cognitive functions. Cognitive science confirms that boundaries are potent 'psycho-technologies' that foster 'enhanced cognition.' They create a special or sacred space in your life, expanding your consciousness and amplifying your sensitivity to patterns, intuition, and insight-based problem-solving.
2. Altered States of Consciousness: Effective boundaries should evoke feelings of fear, excitement, disorientation, and liberation, creating an altered state of consciousness.
3. The Boundary Setting Process: Setting boundaries will take you on an emotional journey. By preparing you'll make it through. Here are the stages:
a. Intention: Decide on a boundary, e.g., checking your phone less frequently.
b. Resistance: Face the urge to break the boundary.
c. Intensification: The urge intensifies.
d. Insight: Realise the urge's control and your power to soothe it.
e. Release: The urge subsides.
f. New Understanding: Recognize that all urges can be managed, allowing you to master your energy and time.
4. Start Small: You don't have to make drastic changes. Begin with something meaningful (even if small) and attune to your feelings and the significance of your choice.
5. Ripple Effect: Even a small boundary change can have a profound impact. For example, reducing phone use today can lead to increased clarity and lead you to a confident decision about a project or opportunity.
6. Unwinding Anxiety: By remodelling your daily reality with boundaries, you allow your nervous system to ultimately relax a little more. Dive deeper into this process with Judd Brewer's book, "Unwinding Anxiety," which combines neuroscience and mindfulness.
7. Embrace your inner-shaman/magician: As you grow more accustomed to the boundary setting process and the art of altering your perception, you'll find it increasingly effortless to engage in self-transformation and instigate change in your life. Warning: You might start to live in a place of wonder and awe.
Photo: Connecting with nature can also create altered states. Meeting a Portuguese horse.
Understand the transformational power of boundaries and reshape your reality.
Boundary setting goes beyond saying 'no' to meetings or opportunities. It's a conscious remodeling of your life, plugging energy leaks, and activating higher cognitive functions.
When you set boundaries, you:
· Close habit loops that no longer serve you
· Reduce the need for stimulation or fleeting pleasures that drain you
· Master your energy and time
It's a transformation of self and reality.
By understanding this, you can appreciate your power to re-engineer your life in alignment with your vision, creating a quantum leap in health, wealth, relationships, and mission.
As we continue to navigate times of uncertainty, pandemic recovery and massive social and ecological transformation, your enhanced abilities are needed more than ever.
Have a great week,
Amina
What’s happening this month in my business:
Exploring Collaborations: I’m working on exciting collaborations to bring you transformative tools for creating the career and life you truly want.
RSA Event – Sept 12th: Join me for another RSA event as we explore where your highest impact will be in 2024 amidst late-stage capitalism. Free registration here.
World Trade Conversation - Sept 19th: If you’re affiliated with a London Guild, join me for Unlocking Power: Mastering the Art of Uncomfortable Conversations about Money, Power and Politics at Quilter Cheviot Investment Management. If you’re affiliated with a London Guild and would like to come, reach out to be added to the guest list.
Faculty of Public Health Careers Panel – Sept 21st: Join me for a live podcast panel. If you’re an emerging leader in public health (registrar or new consultant) and/or are interested in innovation, join the "Back to the Future" conference online or in person. Details here.
More soon.
