This past weekend I was at a conference and the speaker talked about three types of lifestyles.  As I listened and took notes it occurred to me that this information would be very useful to you my reader.  It is amazing as the speaker spoke how many times I found myself bouncing back and forth between each of these three levels.  Each of us has been back and forth in each level at some point in our lives.  The goal is to stay in the third and highest level.  That is not to say that there won’t be times when you are in level two or even level one; that is normal.  I’d like to explain them in my own words now….

Level One:  Caged or Trapped

In this level you feel as if you are truly stuck and have to do what you do and there are no other options.  Think about being in a dead-end job, or being a primary care giver for someone (even if you are doing it because you want to; you still feel trapped), or being at home with no future to look forward to.  Think about the tigers and lions in the zoo; all day long they pace back and forth peering out at the world but stuck behind bars.  Think about the last time you moved.  Did you feel trapped living in all those boxes?  Yep, me too, this past summer, but then I moved up to level three and liberated my house in one long burst of action.  I was compelled to get out of the boxes.  Have you ever been in a snow storm, or a wild bout of weather with no electricity?  Yep, me too, many times.  You feel trapped even if it is a couple of hours or a day or two.  You feel trapped and you have to escape.  Taking care of loved one who is ill, or incapacitated in some way also can put you in level one.  Being in a dead end job with no chance for advancement and only dreading the day you reach 65 and then you will be trapped again. Being a teenager can also make you feel trapped at home under your parent’s rules and you just want to escape.  What is your cage?

Level Two:  Comfortable  

Level two is about loving where you are and being very comfortable, like being on the couch on a cold winter’s night, covered up in your favorite blanket, in front of a fire watching your favorite movie.  There is no reason to move.  You are so comfortable where you are and you do not want to “rock the boat” as the saying goes.  For the majority of the population in the US this is the case.  We get used to being a certain way, we get used to living at a certain level and we do not want to change.   Even if you are out of a job, as long as there is someone who is keeping your life easy, why bother to get up and do anything at all.   The most common phrase for this person is:  “…..I just don’t feel like it….”  Have you ever heard this out of your mouth or someone in your household?  It is time to “rock the boat”!  Sometimes we are in a place of “bliss” and we just don’t want this moment in time to end, so we keep it going.  Have you ever been in someone’s home and it looked like time stopped when you look at their furniture.  That’s comfortable.  Where are you too comfortable?

Level Three:  Forwarded or Charged Up

Level three is all about jumping out of bed in the morning with a forward energized purpose for getting up.  Each day is met with excitement and being fully ready to meet and complete whatever comes your way.  This lifestyle is exciting and when you feel yourself getting a little low on energy, knowing what to do to get yourself fully re-engaged.   You can take a break once or twice an hour.   Not going and doing something else, but rather, get a glass of water, go to the bathroom, stand up and do some deep breathing, a little bouncing, cupping to open up your meridians, a fast way around the house (outside) or block or up and down the stairs.   Just something to get your brain oxygenated and blood flowing again to keep you sharp!  Sit up straight and correct your posture.

Now that you know these three levels, where are you today?

What can you do to move to the next level or directly to level three?

There are times when we will live in all three levels for a short period of time.  That’s normal.  There is a time to take care of others and to be helpful.  It is our attitude that needs to be adjusted at these times.  They will not last forever, even though at times it may feel this way.  There are times when we love everything about our life and we don’t want anything to ruin that special feeling, like when you were first married, or got that dream job, or moved into your first home which was all your own.  That’s normal too.  Feeling excited and meeting the day with conviction and full of energy and charging full steam ahead is an entirely different feeling and level of living your life.

What level do you live at?