P: To create the conditions for an awakened life, I can shift the current arrangement of my values from a primary emphasis on the fears and desires of the separate sense-of-self?

MQ: Yes. When you alter your decision-making structures to a primary but not exclusive focus on such values as development, evolution and liberation, a life of joyful expression enters the realm of possibility.

P: I do this as part of giving up my attachment to the ego-mind?

MQ: Yes. Remember the values you held in your college days? Where have they gone?

P: Nowhere, really.

MQ: But, the positions of those guiding principles have certainly shifted.

P: This is true. So if I want my consciousness to continue to grow and expand, a reorganization of my existing values is necessary.

MQ: Yes. It’s fairly straightforward.

P: But often when I look for direction in life, when I look to what’s most important to me, my internal compass seems to spin wildly, pointing in different directions at different times, rarely settling on a stable bearing.

MQ: Can you see now why that might be?

P: Yes, because the ego has significantly infiltrated the composition of my values.

MQ: Exactly.

P: Therefore, these arrangements are designed to support conceptual-free-will, which of course I cannot use to free myself from all unneeded emotional and psychological conflict. So before realigning my internal compass—the values I use to make choices—I have to first gain clarity on those values and their arrangements.

MQ: That’s it! Such conscious decision–making is not a new concept. The following paragraph is a reference to conscious decision-making, published in a bestselling spiritual book in the ‘90s.

“When you make any choice…ask yourself two things: First of all, what are the consequences of this choice that I’m making? In your heart you will immediately know what these are. Secondly, will this choice that I’m making now bring happiness to me and to those around me? If the answer is yes, then go ahead with that choice. If the answer is no, if that choice will bring distress either to you or to those around you, then don’t make that choice.  It’s as simple as that.”²

P: But, it’s not really that simple! Isn’t a little distress an integral part of making important life-changing decisions? I’ve made several significant choices that have caused a wave or two, but simultaneously opened up a whole new world of potential for me. Does the Second Insight offer an alternative to the wisdom you quoted here?

MQ: Yes, it does. Conscious decision–making calls you to delve deeply into the mechanics of choice and into the formation and configuration of the guiding principles that will direct your intentions for transformation. Feathers will always be ruffled, whether you choose to hold tight or spread your wings and soar to infinite possibilities.  

MQ: There is, however, a big difference between this finite quantity of necessary suffering and a lifetime of so-called ‘unavoidable’ personal conflict.


Understanding Your Choices
MQ: The Second Insight is a behind-the-scenes look at the way you make choices. It frees you from the anguish that so often accompanies major decisions and the complicated outcomes that can result from making ‘incorrect’ choices.

P: So if I am making decisions without a clear understanding of the underlying processes, I will eventually crash?

MQ: Exactly. It’s impossible to see beyond the choice you don’t understand, so sooner or later you will ‘crash’. 

Real-Life Example: I will share this story as an illustration. I once had the opportunity to visit a simulator that is used to train commercial airline pilots. While at this facility I asked my friend, who was the head-trainer, if we could simulate an emergency situation. The scenario was that both the captain and first officer were unable to fly the plane and I, as the only willing passenger, had to land the plane by listening to instructions from the ground.

Sitting at the controls of this jetliner was overwhelming! Slowly but surely, my friend guided my attention around the cockpit, through a dizzying array of switches, dials, knobs and levers. Every time I made an adjustment, based on his request, the plane immediately responded. After a series of about fifteen separate instructions, the runaway finally came into sight. Then he told me to put the wheels down and make an additional adjustment to the flaps. It was a great relief to hear the familiar sounds of wind rushing through the ‘gear’ and to be able to finally make out details of the ground in front of us. Now we were on ‘final approach’. I asked him if I needed to take the main control—the joystick—in my hands. He said that would not be necessary, which really surprised me. We were fast approaching the runway, when my friend guided my attention back to the control panel and instructed me to set the brakes on ‘max’. Then he said, with a big smile on his face, “Now, put your belt on and enjoy the ride.”

The plane landed perfectly and shuddered to a stop. I could only imagine the emergency vehicle rushing out to meet us on the runway. “Well done!” my friend said, “you just landed a jet with three hundred passengers on board!” Then he added, “This particular simulator is based on the most technologically advanced jet in our company. As you can see, the plane flies itself.” As I recalled the many steps needed to bring the airplane safely to the ground, I realized that as I was making all of the adjustments, I had no idea about the process he had taken me through. I asked my friend about this and he said, “You managed to land the plane, but without knowing what you were doing or why. One wrong turn and it would have been over, for you and all of the people who were in your care!”

P: So as I approach important choices, I want to be sure that I am not running on conditioned autopilot.

MQ: Exactly! You want to understand the choices you are making so that you do not cause a whole lot of damage, too!


The Choices You Make
MQ: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of the bestselling book Flow, said, "Through the choices you make, you create the future." Your future, therefore, is a reflection of the values upon which you base those choices. Whenever an important decision is required, you order your values according to your priorities and the options at hand. This means that every time you make major life decisions based on a conditioned arrangement of values, you recreate that conditioning in the future.

P: If I am unclear about the composition of my values, I will always be unclear about my destiny.

MQ: Well, other than the fact that it will be a replica of the past! But, the opposite is also true. If you are clear about the composition of your values, you will always be clear about your destiny.

P: But, I believe that, because of the way I was raised, my values and their arrangement are sufficient to create and sustain my awakening to authentic joy.

MQ: Such conviction is great, but it is also good to test that belief. If you have confidence in the purity of the values bestowed upon you as a youngster, then you will also find the following four statements to be true for you:

   1)  Your parents or primary caregivers are, or were, exemplary models of autonomy, selfless compassion and insightful creativity.

2)  Their actions revealed a profound sense of trust in themselves and in the process of life.

3)  They instilled in you every possible confidence, inspiration and encouragement.

4)  They raised you to believe that the evolution of consciousness is one of the most important aspects of life.

MQ: If you answered ‘no’, or ‘maybe not’ to any one of these statements, then it is likely that the unhealthy-ego is influencing your values and their arrangements. This means that the options from which you are choosing and the possible outcomes of those decisions are also restricted.

Liberating Your Value Structures
MQ: The Second Insight liberates your awareness and radically revitalizes your interactions with the new world in which you are expressing yourself. It allows you to transcend and include conceptual-free-will as part of a newly emerging conscious-free-will. Awakened clarity eventually permeates every area of your life - nothing is left out. Freedom from all unnecessary suffering unfolds and the ability to come together with other people in relationships of nonviolent communication is also possible.

P: The Second Insight brings the evolution of consciousness within my volition.

MQ: Yes. You rearrange your values so that you can directly access conscious-free-will. This reveals a fascinating relationship between your intentions, your values and your destiny. 

                          “Your beliefs become your thoughts,
                            Your thoughts become your words,
                            Your words become your actions,
                            Your actions become your habits,
                            Your habits become your values,
                            Your values become your destiny.”     
                                                                                                                 (Mahatma Gandhi )

MQ: Awakened choices produce awakened results. To achieve this, the Second Insight helps you select a primary value, which places your interest in awakening marginally ahead of other important values. By placing a value such as development, evolution, or freedom over and above all other values on a single hierarchy, you can perfectly guide your intention to awaken.

MQ: You will, of course, freely select this primary value to be assigned within a unified life domain – the awakened life. This new arrangement fully supports other aspects of your life, since subsequent values will include money, security, family, hobbies, learning and so on. There is no limit to the number of other values you can have.

P: Variety is also the spice of the awakened life!

MQ: It certainly is!  As you enter the domain of awakened choices, it is important to note that not all choices are relevant to your awakening, just, as not all your relationships are relevant.

P: This is great to know! An example, please?

MQ: Sure.

©Excerpt based on the book: The Uncommon Path, O-Books, June 2009.

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© 2008 Mick Quinn, All Rights Reserved
Mick Quinn is the author of The Uncommon Path and Poder Y Gracia and the founder of Choice for Enlightened Living Foundation. Mick's work is quoted in The LA Times, Yahoo!, CNN Living, and Woman's World.  Gary Renard, the best-selling (Hay House) author said this book is "informative and gripping". Raquel Torrent – Psychologist and founder of the Spanish Integral Association said, “Mick Quinn’s style is clear and direct - like silence making music”. Mick lives in Utah with wife Debora. For upcoming events visit: www.mickquinn.com  

² Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. New World Library, 1994