The LifeQuake™ Phenomenon is a process that begins with an inner “quaking”, a struggle between the dying of an old self and the emergence of the authentic self. I call this a LifeQuake™ because for many people there are fault-lines running through their inner foundation based in the belief that change means loss. Internal pressure builds and depending on how much you resist change may determine the magnitude of the seismic eruption emanating from your soul. The LifeQuake™ Model is a comforting, structured guide that gives you the road map for achieving your authentic self without relying on crisis as a motivating force for moving forward.

The following is a condensed version of the seven stages of LifeQuake™. It highlights each stage and its symptoms, providing a clear and simple understanding of the links involved in the LifeQuake™ cycle. In my coaching and seminars I give you the tools that help you master each stage, thus building a “fault-free foundation” that allows you to intuit how to make changes in a timely fashion. This model can be used for individuals, organizations, and to understand the global LifeQuake unfolding.

• Stage One
Stage One is the hardest stage to identify because it is characterized by vague emptiness. You feel bored with your life; this boredom breeds restlessness and the beginning of addictive behaviors. And though you feel the hazy desire to have more meaning in your life, you can’t pinpoint the source of these feelings, let alone what is missing from your life. Think of it as a spiritual itch that you can’t quite scratch.

• Stage Two
The low-grade boredom you felt in Stage One deepens in Stage Two. Whether you realize it or not, certain addictions or distractions are intensifying to insulate yourself from the ensuing chronic emptiness. In Stage Two, these destructive habits become readily apparent; they aren’t sustaining you anymore. As you continue to go through the motions of your life, a pervasive sense of numbness can leave you actively depressed. You may notice yourself getting sick more often. As your old self is dying, your outer energy is zapped by your soul’s attempt to get you to withdraw from how you are conducting your current life. This prepares you for the new cycle that awaits. 

• Stage Three
The chronic numbness of Stage Two reaches critical mass in Stage Three. It does so in the form of some kind of upheaval or crisis. The depth of this eruption is in direct proportion to your need to “wake up.” The more unconscious you’ve been, the greater the fallout. As you are forced to let go of your former self, you begin to learn adaptation to change. It is time to consciously deconstruct the parts of your life that are no longer viable.

• Stage Four
Stage Four is limbo. You are in transition; you’ve cleared the hurdle of your old life, but you’ve not yet landed anywhere definable. Stage Four requires simplicity, allowing you to focus within. Your attention will be directed to parts of you that are being kept submerged. I call this your Cellar Self sub-personalities. These sub-personalities include both fear based aspects such as rage and shame, as well as denied aspects of higher consciousness, such as intuition and creativity. By compassionately addressing and accepting all that is kept in your Cellar Self, you emerge with a sense of calling.

• Stage Five
The void of Stage Four gives way to the blueprint of Stage Five. Here we begin the reconstruction phase. However, constructing a blueprint for an authentic life is a trial and error process. You must be willing to reframe failure, not seeing it judgmentally as it pertains to the results of your efforts. You begin to experiment with choices involving lifestyle and profession. The changes you make will reflect a new understanding of what really interests you. It can impact every aspect of your life; what you do, how you do it, and whom you do it with. This may include finding a mentor or an apprenticeship in a new vocation. By engaging what has meaning and vitality, you cultivate faith that the new design is meant to be constantly changing to adapt to what you need at a given time.

• Stage Six
The new life that started to take form in Stage Five crystallizes in Stage Six. Here you develop your fertile spirit. The inner work you’ve done bears fruit in forms that are both tangible (i.e., fulfilling work, intimate relationships, better health habits) and intangible (i.e., joy and gratitude); you find grace in every aspect of your life. Judging yourself in old terms of success and failure becomes a thing of the past, as your focus becomes the journey, not the destination. Your sense of responsibility to yourself expands to include your friends, family, and local community. You realize that a truly abundant life is not possible without the humility of interdependence.

• Stage Seven
Brimming with the fullness an authentic life brings, your awareness spills over to embrace the global family. Your definition of selfhood now includes the world. You understand how the daily choices you make now impact you and the planet at large simultaneously. It is now time to give back and become an agent of change for others while you discover the tremendous mental, emotional, and physical health benefits that altruism brings.

If you identify with any of the first five stages of LifeQuake™ and wish
to further explore this as a model in a workshop or through individual coaching, please contact me at 310-712-2600 or click on “contact”.