The State of Being

May 8, 2024

This article is going to be provocative. We are going to talk about business, but from the position of Toltec teachings. Be ready to become a lifetime “Unsubscriber”, or who knows, you may like the topic, share the article, and hit like.

A Nice Sunny Day

A few years ago, early in the morning, I was sitting under a palm tree in a small park in Antalya, Turkey. There was no rush for work. It was one of those calm days when you can just relax and take it easy.

I was gazing at the water fountain in front of me. Parents were playing with their kids, and birds were singing. I sipped from the cup of coffee I held in my hand and decided to try a mind exercise that can also be classified as a type of meditation.

I shifted my mind and body to a different daily state. That state — I imagined — is what I actually feel on a day-to-day basis, a way of feeling and perceiving the world. Let me describe it to you so that you have an idea of what it is like.

The Shift

I owe so much money that I don’t have to worry about anything material — how to provide for myself, my family, and my relatives. I don’t have to worry if I can cover expenses in a hospital if necessary or worry about the bank loan, taxes, and so on. These worries are no longer essential factors in my life.

I can simply stop working for as long as I need. If I want to write a book right now, share valuable experiences that can benefit readers, or if I want to invest my time volunteering or traveling — I can because I am financially secure.

When I was doing this exercise, I wasn’t just imagining it. I believed in it. We can say that I dove into this illusion with my whole being. I allowed my body to feel it — my muscles, my arms, my shoulders, my eyes, every single part of my body.

I felt a palette of sensations.

I felt relaxed and calm — I could perceive reality as it is, here and now, without any worries about the future and past.

I felt strong — nothing from outside could distort me unless I decided to.

I felt more confident than usual — because I didn’t care.

I felt free.

Then I thought, in this state of being and considering my current life, what would I change and do? The answer was simple and came straight away — my life would look completely different.

This state can be classified as freedom — stopping the exhaustive survival rat race, which, let’s be honest, most of us are in.

I realised that I would change how I behave, what I do day-to-day, what I say when speaking, what I give to people, and what I take from them. I realised that this state of abundance and relaxation would give me the foundation to achieve a lot, including success in business, if I decide to start one.

The Toltec Teaching

If you dive into Toltec teachings, you’ll read that on daily basis each human being is fixated on a particular state.

Let me give you a metaphor. Imagine a vast ocean with millions of small islands. Each island represents a different perception of the world (also known as a state of being). Each island has a set of attributes like beliefs, opinions, fears, feelings, etc. For example, right now you are standing on top of your island, which has its own attributes — these are, in fact, your beliefs, fears, hopes, feelings, and so on. My island, on the other hand, has its own set of attributes.

As I’ve said, these islands are different states of being. Some states are similar, while others are very different, to the point of having nothing in common.

Whether we are awake and dreaming, our being is fixated on a particular state with its own attributes. That shapes how we behave, what we say, what we do, and consequently, what our life looks like and what it will look like.

We are all like sailors traveling on the ocean of life, and which path we will take depends on the tools we have on our islands.

We may think we have free will, but that’s not quite true.

According to Toltec teachings, a human can shift between different states. For the average person, this usually never happens. In fact, as we age, our fixation on a particular state becomes more stable and strong — we become rigid and difficult to change.

For instance, when young, person A, is relatively flexible and can shift from one state to another. This is when we form our worldview, we are open to different opinions, are willing to try different things, and take risks.

Unfortunately, as time progresses, person A becomes more rigid, losing flexibility. If as a young person, A used to stand behind certain beliefs, we may notice that when A gets older, he or she will fiercely defend these beliefs and values to the point of even fighting for them.

According to the same teachings, if I am an extraordinary person with the right set of tools, I can shift myself to a different state. I used the word “extraordinary” on purpose because, as I said earlier, people usually never shift to a different state. But if I manage to do that, it will change the way I feel, the way I speak, the people I decide to interact with, the way I behave, and even my body language. As a result, the sequence of events I will encounter in the future will also change.

Entrepreneurial Position

The shift to a different state, I described above can most likely be achieved when having a lot of money. But I want you to ask yourself a question: Which comes first, the mindset or the wealth?

Which comes first, an internal abundance and feeling of wealth, followed by certain actions and results, or a lack of feeling abundant and feeling incapable, followed by actions that may lead you to the point of being wealthy, and only after that, changing your mindset to feeling abundant and capable?

Let me put it differently. Would you do business with a person who is not confident in themselves, who does not accept the fact that they can be wealthy and live a life full of joy and opportunities? The answer is most likely no.

Therefore, the mindset comes first.

This, of course, does not give you a 100% guarantee for anything, but it certainly will give you more chances to start a profitable business or, at least, try.

That being said, the mindset I described — or any other of your choice — could help achieve business goals or simply live a better life.

How Do I Shift?

I am fixated on a certain perception of the world. Then comes the question: How do I shift to a different state and fixate there?

According to Toltec teaching, that can be achieved by following a certain set of practices, but this topic is so vast and huge that even if I write 100 articles, that won’t be enough to explain it and bring any actual results for you and me.

Therefore, forget about this. We can try something different.

To shift to a different position, we have to remove, add, or reorder the attributes on our island.

Environment

Start meeting people you would like to be like or whose lifestyle you like. For instance, if you admire a businessman who has achieved things you admire, meet that person occasionally. Being around certain people, listening to them, watching how they behave, will slowly but surely shift your perception and your position.

If you hear somebody telling you, “I meet famous people every day by reading their books,” smile and keep silent because, unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. You must be in contact with these people. You have to interact with them physically, exchange ideas, talk, etc.

One more thing to keep in mind — and it may sound harsh, but it’s true — being around people whose state of being contradicts the one you’d like to achieve can prevent you from shifting. Therefore, it is advisable to minimise contact with them. To put it another way, let’s say you enjoy mumbling. Speaking honestly, would you advise somebody to hang around you?

Practise the Shift Exercise

Try the exercise I described at the beginning, or if you don’t like that one, try another of your choice. Another way to make a shift is to shift frequently and stay in the new state as long as you can.

The more often you do that, the more your being adapts to the new state and fixates there.

Take the drink you like most — tea, coffee, or something else — find a beautiful, inspiring place, relax, and ask yourself a question:

Stealing a State

There is a third approach, which is a combination of the two above. Each state of being is characterised by a set of feelings. For instance, right now, in the state you are in, you could name a set of feelings you have about the world in general. This set is the thing that accompanies you your whole life.

Therefore, if you know the set of feelings characterising the state you’d like to shift to and fixate in, you can recall these feelings and shift, stay there, and repeat that as long as necessary until you are completely fixated there.

This set of feelings you can “steal” from a person you admire by simply being around them. That person will slowly shift you and make you feel a certain way. Remember these feelings and use them later, as I described above.

Key Takeaways

• Throughout their lives, human beings are fixated in a certain state of being that includes a set of beliefs, opinions, and perceptions of the world. More often than not, the average person does not change that state throughout their entire life.
• By fixating on a new state, you will change the way you see the world, the way you speak, act, and interact with others. Consequently, the people you meet and future events will change. By changing your state, you become the architect of your own future.
• Ask yourself a question: “What would I do if I had all the money in the world? All of my worries in terms of physiological needs and safety (water, food, shelter, security, employment, resources)… they are all covered because I have a sufficiently large amount of money and legacy. What would I do, what would my life look like — what do I actually want?”