"The Shift" : Are you ready?

"The Shift" : Are you ready?

               Strip back your very identity and challenge yourself to create a happier healthier you.

Rattling, thought provoking, educational and an extremely humbling experience. Words can't begin to describe the feelings I have right now. But I'll try.

Dr. Wayne Dyer speaks about ego, both yours and mine, in a way that I had never heard before. He strips back our very nature and habitual tendencies in order to expose the impurity that is the ego. He says it takes hold of our lives from the day we are born and manifests itself into what can only be described as an unwelcome soulmate.

This soulmate is responsible for a number of things like the emotions we feel when we long for those new shoes or that brand new sports car. It's telling us we are valued by what we own and possess rather than what we should be grateful for. It makes us think twice before going out wearing the same dress again or speaking openly about feelings for the fear of being mocked and belittled. It makes us think that we are complete individuals, so special that we see ourselves completely separate from everything and everyone else, including the higher powers that be. (nature/god/buddha, universe, etc....)

Finally, it makes us value ourselves based off of our accomplishments and successes in life such as owning millions in property or having the biggest ring. All these traits and the feelings that grow around them are increasingly influencing our lives.

As a population, we have become so materialistic and consumer driven that I really think we have neglected the things that matter most in life. These are Respect, Honesty, Kindness and Service to others. If we were to live our lives without our ego's and instead focus on these virtues we would live much happier lives and possibly take one step closer to the much coveted utopia.

Nobody's perfect, but having watched this movie and through deep engagement with the content I was able to rediscover that explosion of happiness in my belly. The explosion I'm referring to effects many people who are lucky enough to give back to others. It's a sense of elation and many people thrive off of it. The best way to describe it is to compare it to the warm fuzzy feeling of anticipation a child would have right before he opens his gifts from Santa.

This feeling brings me back to a time I spent in Puerto Rico with my partner working as volunteers for a non-profit organisation called All Hands and Hearts. I went there as a young headstrong man set in his ways and ideas of the world. There was almost an arrogance about my presence, but this was quickly changed. The joy on locals faces when we arrived at their houses every morning, the food they used to cook (even though they had very little but wanted to give back) and the amazing community experience all helped mould me into a much better, kinder person. It awoke in me, many of the virtues that Wayne speaks about.

Respect was shown all throughout the 2 weeks but none more so than by the volunteers. We knew the severity of some of the damage but nobody was willing to do a half assed job because we all understood how lucky we were.
We had to be honest with each other because there's no hiding anything when you live with 60 other people!!! I found it intriguing and tough to be honest and I opened up to people in ways I hadn't done before. I found that by spending time with other people from all corners of the globe who all wanted to achieve the same thing (repair the local houses) I forgot about my ego and experienced something of a communal contentment. In hindsight, this had a profound effect on my development, especially as a team player. Kindness and service to others were mixed throughout also. Weekly chores and responsibilities were a group effort with some younger volunteers stepping in to support the older ones. It was't something anyone said but that communal contentment certainly had a role in what we did as a united group of strangers.
It's funny how time affords us the liberty of thinking about these things.


As regards the movie itself, I found myself asking a number of questions:

- How does society define me and why do I care so much?
- Is the fear of change better than the reality and implications of that change?
- How do I discuss this movie and its impact on me with my family?
- Can we ever reverse the egotistical nature of society today or are we destined for a complete dilution of peoples moral values?

These are just some of the questions I've begun to ponder and I would encourage anyone to at least give the movie a go for themselves. I'm a firm believer in putting yourself out there and trying to get outside your comfort zone, hence why I started this journey.

A final thought from the movie, or a take home message as I like to call it in my profession:

Don't go with your song still inside you,

Let it guide you

(Ethan Lipton)