Reentry to Consciousness
REENTRY. Sounds big. Scary. Even this monumental moment of the turning of tides. But it is? Let’s process this.
First, I think of the broader scale of reentry where likely most humans categorize and define the word. Again, those big, monumental moments. Coming back from maternity leave for instance. Emerging from the shadows after the death of a loved one. Maybe even reentry into civilization after a vacation away from peopling (sigh).
However, when you boil down reentry, as a human you potentially go through it a hundred times a day or more. As an example, the moment you reenter a conversation after being interrupted by a Slack message. “What did I miss?” Eyerolls ensue. Maybe a shift in the energy from where those fully engaged in the conversation once were. Even thinking of reentry from one room to the next. A simple transition through a doorway triggering memories which reenter thoughts you couldn’t find minutes before.
Lastly, let’s talk about the more subtle moments of reentry. Those related to consciousness. I’m in the midst of reading The Power of NOW by Eckhart Tolle, likely making this subject very top of mind for me. We slip into moments of unconsciousness and reenter consciousness. Although I’m learning we are not in the conscious nearly as often as we would think or like.
Wherever your definition of reentry resides right now, I want to give perspective on this concept of reentry into consciousness.
CONSCIOUS REENTRY
For some perspective, I’m a life and leadership coach. Therefore, on the daily, it’s still amazing to me the amount of people who have an ah-ha moment over a seemingly simple conscious moment. A snap of clarity that was frankly there all along but surfaces to create a shift.
Truth be told, I say this holding my own gigantic mirror of reflection. Staring at a woman who walked through years of unconscious living. Going through the motions, for instance, because it’s what you are “supposed to do.” Focused almost entirely on the future and achieving goals with snippets of past thinking and what ifs mixed in captivated the mind space almost entirely.
Moments of being fully present fleeting to non-existent.
Arguably, living in this manner becomes habitual. Adrenalin driven for future growth. As a culture, this appears to be our gold star standard. Must improve. Must obtain. Scarcity mentality at its finest.
And yet, it’s the reentry into the present where we find peace.
PEACE IN REENTRY
I experienced my own reentry into consciousness after almost two decades in a corporate environment. To be fair, I loved what I did in that space for a long time and definitely experienced my share of consciousness, joy, and connection. But if we’re looking at the experience as a whole, somewhere in there, I lost my own identity.
To be clear, I lost the awareness of what it was that I, myself, enjoyed without the job defining it.
Through a ton of self-reflection, which to be brutally honest was HARD to do, I began to emerge out of auto pilot and connect with the present.
The thing I believe gets lost in statements like ‘being present’ and ‘conscious living’ is it can sound hoity-toity to someone not ready to address this part of their reentry yet. Case in point, me.
As a recovering achievement addict, focus on the future and how to get there overwhelmed my ability to stay present and satisfied in the present. Feeling like presence and consciousness all sounded like “nice to haves” but not really moving the needle to get me to my goals.
Would you agree?
Ironically though, it was in the pause of career and doing the deep dive to seek my identity outside of the job that I found peace. Reentry into consciousness.
CONSCIOUS REENTRY
Consciousness is defined as the state of being awake and aware of one’s surroundings.
Think about this for a moment. Have you ever driven to work, walked in the door and then realized you don’t remember the drive whatsoever?
It’s a bit frightening, right?
“How did I get here and why do I remember nothing of the journey?”
In a similar fashion, this is what living in an unconscious state can be like. And it’s only when we have the moment of conscious clarity, we can snap ourselves into the present. Reenter into the joy right in front of us. And wow, can it be powerful.
The next time you read something about being present and find yourself rolling your eyes about who has time for such an endeavor, take a pause.
Maybe, just maybe, this is the doorway of reentry for your consciousness. Subsequently, bringing you the peace you didn’t know you wanted in your constant quest for achievement.
