Most people are waiting around for the government, non-profits, activists or artists to solve the problems or make a change in the world while they carry on fussing with nonsense; thinking 95% of the same thoughts every day, living on a diet of blandness, blahhhness and B.S.

In the “spiritually minded” or “conscious” communities, many are subtly waiting around for a guru, spiritual teacher, prophet or extra-terrestrial to come to take them away, solve their problems and save the world. Or they are waiting for the now legendary 21/12/2012 to arrive—or for some galactic alignment to make the shift for them—as they anxiously sit on the side lines and watch the grass grow. These people are waiting for their own destruction, and I sincerely hope you are not one of them.

The wake-up call

The very first and singly most important spiritual lesson for a leader in the new paradigm is the lesson of taking 100% responsibility for our lives. This means if we want something to change, if we want to feel better, live better, awaken spiritually, change the systems of the world, it has to start with US. And it has to start RIGHT NOW, right here. Today. No questions. No excuses. NOW. Literally RIGHT NOW as you read these words. NOW.

“Whatever happens, take responsibility.”—Tony Robbins

Are you ready to take 100% responsibility for every single thing in your world from RIGHT NOW?

If you said NO—you may as well throw this article aside now and go back to watching the grass grow.

If you said YES—you are living a completely new reality! And, every day, your journey is going get even more magical.

Those who have not realized that massive personal change is needed are still sitting about, peeking over the wall occasionally to see the action, while slowly the grass and vines of their old dysfunctional life twists around them, suffocating them and leading to a slow, painful death. I don’t intend to be harsh here, just look around and see for yourself how many people are slowly killing themselves with the same poisonous habits, medications, relationships, thoughts, and addictions they have had for years as they wait and hope for salvation.This chronic global epidemic can be solved. And it starts right now with you. As you change, your world changes and you inspire others to change.

If you are still reading this, then you must be one of the rare souls who recognizes, deep inside you, that it no longer serves you to sit and let the grass grow around you, but it is time to do something—fast, and with your heart and soul.

Now that you have broken the myths and realized WHY you, personally, are essential to help change the world, it’s time to align your whole life quickly and effectively to this mission, so not even a second is wasted and you truly become a leader in the new paradigm.

So, what is the new paradigm?

Over the last two decades the words New Paradigm and New World have been used and over-used almost to the point of cliché and irrelevance. I am even hesitant to use them myself, as the more we hear something, the less we can see what it really is. However, we are indeed creating a new world and we are seeing through a new paradigm. More importantly, let us clarify what this really means and see how close we are to it. Knowing about something is only the first step. Becoming what we know is where the real power is found. These descriptions will help you see where you are.

Body conscious: You think you are the person you see in the mirror. You worry about what people think of you and how you dress. You are afraid of death, illness and pain. You see others as human beings and are attracted by the appearance of some, repelled by others. You judge people by how they look.

Mediocrity: Your life is similar to that of most other people. You are not passionately inspired by life. You watch TV, gossip with others and have time to kill. Nothing is especially exciting and you look forward to vacations, weekends, drinks, drugs, meeting people. Everything is much the same, month after month, and you are not filled with deep inner joy, love and bliss. In fact, you don’t remember the last time you really felt deeply alive.

“I HAVE TO” syndrome: You find yourself saying, “I have to do . . . I have to.” You feel a sense of obligation to people and doing your daily duties. You’d rather be doing something else a lot of the time, but “you have to . . .” In your ideal world you wouldn’t be doing most of the things you do, but you just “have to . . .”

Work or play dilemma: You see a difference between work and play. Some things you have to do, other things you enjoy. You work sometimes to be able to play sometimes. Your life is divided up between the things you are obliged to do and the things you want to do. You get the things you don’t enjoy out of the way as best you can so you can get on with enjoying the other stuff. Most of your life is spent in anticipation of something better.

Ruled by the five vices: In India, there is a mythological figure called Raven that represents all the negative and demonic traits of human beings. He has ten heads, representing the five vices of men and women. Each head has its own desires and, from his rule, everyone is slave to the dictates of these unending desires. If you are living in the old paradigm, even though you don’t like to admit it or look at it, your life is ruled by these five vices: lust, anger, ego, greed and attachment. In small and big ways, lustful thoughts and actions inspire you to think and act. You get angry and irritated by little things, sometimes acting on your anger. Your ego, the idea that you are a person and that you are ”so and so” is your central identity and it can be threatened. You want more and more praise, things, food, and success. You are emotionally dependent on people, things, ideas, and image.

Excuses: In the old paradigm “it’s not my fault.” You blame others for your misfortune. You complain, you gossip, you have a long list of clever reasons and excuses for all the problems in your life—none of which are your fault. You are so convinced of this that the thought of changing your life and taking responsibility doesn’t even arise.

Anything resonate here?

I realize this may come over as being a bit blunt, but if the new paradigm was the same as the old paradigm, it couldn’t really be called new, could it?  So it’s important to say it like it is, blunt or not.

Soul conscious: Your identity is “I am a spiritual being. I am a guest in this world. My home is a world beyond. My natural state is peace, love, bliss, power, and purity. I am immortal, lovable, wonderful, light and easy. Life is sweet and I am eternally safe. Everyone is family. I am pleasantly amused and entertained by this wonderful play I am in and life is fun.”

Living your dharma: Living your dharma means you have a clear purpose and mission. Your purpose is divinely ordained. It is bigger than you and is your life’s work. From this place, there is no distinction between work and play. Everything is the same. It’s always play and it’s always work. Your work is your play. Your play is work. No matter whether you are on a beach at sunset embracing the glistening ocean or sending an email—it’s all the same thing. You love what you do and do what you love. You have no obligations—ever. You either do it with love—or you don’t do it at all. Life is seamless and beautiful.

Pure vision & lifestyle: Your life is beautiful. You no longer need the intense stimulation you used to need. You feel contented and happy with yourself and enjoy the simple things in life. Your diet is pure; your mind is clear; your heart is clean and full of love. You look on others as spiritual beings of the same eternal family. You feel love and benevolence to all. You are free of lust, anger, ego, greed, and attachment. You are in the world, but not of it. People love you. You love them. Life is sweet.

Everything belongs to you: In the new paradigm you know you are living in your own world and there is never even the thought of complaining or blaming others for anything. “It’s my world and I love my world,” will emerge from your heart. You act as if you are a benevolent trustee of everything and either solve a challenge when it can be solved, or let it be when it cannot. You do not sit on the side lines and blame, even for a second.

We don’t live in a black and white world. For us, we live somewhere in the middle in varying shades of grey. Most people are in a transition between these two states and it’s very useful to know where we are and be able to check ourselves. In this transition period, we witness ourselves from a higher place, as we may succumb to our old tendencies and habits. We find it amusing that we still get annoyed and needy sometimes. We watch ourselves with compassion and let the emotions pass. We are committed to moving forward no matter what and do not beat ourselves up when we fall. I am in this space personally, and progressing toward residing 100% in the new paradigm. In the meantime, I am happy with life and focused on remaining awake and able to move forward, no matter what. Having this intention is essential. The next step is making it very practical every moment of our lives and truly becoming a leader in the new paradigm.

What’s next?

In the next article you will learn “The 4 Golden Keys to Leading Your Tribe in the New Paradigm.”

Michael Mackintosh is a spiritual teacher, consultant, author, and creator of courses designed to inspire people to experience their highest potential. Having spent half his life dedicated to expanding consciousness, he now lives his dream life in Hawaii. He is founder of Living in Magic and co-founder of SuperHero Training and Mood Foods Raw Chocolate. Visit him at michaelmackintosh.com and superherotraining.com

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