What are my 4 ‘C’s?

• Creation
• Connection
• Conditioning
• Consumption

Mindfulness around the proportions of energy allocated to each of these 4 ‘C’s is something that I cultivate in order to be more intentional in creating my life.  Consciously creating, connecting, conditioning, and consuming is my intention, rather than unconsciously going through life in a trance.

The consumption culture that is fostered in many ways through advertising of physical goods and from the ubiquitous nature of content available through TV, podcasts, video streaming, and books, creates a scenario where the proportion of our energy spent consuming, can become very high.

I encourage you to pause, and take an honest assessment of your energy allocation proportions as it relates to these 4 ‘C’s over a given time period, such as the last 24 hours or the last 7 days.  Perhaps you may find that consumption is higher than you desire.

Let’s take a look at each of these 4 ‘C’s in more detail.  I will describe the ways in which I orient to these terms, as well as how there can be overlap.

Creation

Creation can invoke the idea of developing art, such as paintings, sculptures, music, or video productions.  Creation can also be about developing ideas for writing that could turn into a book.  We can create a new healthy habit.  In a more macro sense, creation can refer to developing a vision for an entrepreneurial endeavour, a new home, or a new family.  Allocating energy towards creation, when done consciously, helps us move towards the life WE want to create.

Connection

Connection can be cultivated with family, friends, animals, nature, our bodies, and with our Self.  In order to develop deep connection, we must allocate energy towards connection.  It sounds simple to say, and yet I witness many who do not remember this basic tenant.  While technology connects us in many ways, the depth of connection is still directly related to the amount of energy we put in to the connection.  Texting, voice notes, video calls do help connect us with friends and family and yet these modalities cannot fully replicate the felt experience of meeting in the physical.  This often takes more energy to facilitate, and a resulting expanded depth of connection often occurs.

Animals and nature do not speak back to us in the same way as another man or woman and as we develop our connections with them, we can also develop further connection with our Self.  What I mean by this is that animals and nature can “speak” to our Soul through the precious gift of silence.  As we connect in this silence with animals, and more so with nature, the more we are able to develop connection with the spiritual realms.  Similarly, as we sit in the gift of meditative silence, we are able to further develop connection with our Self.

Conditioning

This ‘C’, Conditioning, can become a very unconscious ‘C’ if we allow it.  Psychological conditioning is very prevalent in society through unconscious use of media, whether it be through watching movies, TV shows, or listening to music while our conscious mind is elsewhere.  The depth to which this psychological conditioning goes is beyond the scope of this piece.  On the other side of the coin, there are many ways we can consciously condition our psyches to produce outcomes that we desire, such as a physically healthy body.

Physically conditioning our body through regular exercise is a great way to allocate our energy and it overlaps with the connection ‘C’, as we become better attuned with our bodies.  A regular yoga practice can also cultivate further connection with our bodies as we simultaneously condition it.  As we condition our bodies to be physically fit, the more efficiently our bodies can process energy and function in this world.

Consumption

Consumption relates to many facets of our lives and as we choose to consume consciously, the more we live an intentional life.  What we physically put into our bodies in terms of food and drink is an important part of the consumption pie, and yet the aspect of consumption that can be overlooked, is the type of information and media we consume.  Of course, eating healthy, non-toxic food is important, and if we are not cognizant of the advertisements or product placements in TV shows or sports productions that we consume, we can set our selves up to consume poor quality food and beverages.

Another phenomenon that I have witnessed and experienced myself, is overly indulging in “good” content by consuming hours and hours of inspiring and insightful content without allocating the requisite intentional energy towards CREATING similar results to what is presented in this “good” content.  This can be a trap of inaction, even when it feels like action to listen and consume so much of the wonderful available content.

With that being said, I encourage you to become more conscious about how you are allocating your energy amongst these 4 ‘C’s. 

At our core, we are Creators and if you find your allocated energy is needing a shift towards Creation, may you make that choice, to create your own conscious life.