A person’s self-perception is influenced by his or her thoughts and energy. Individuals functioning at a high level of energy have better outcomes than those that do not. What people believe impacts what will happen to them. People’s thoughts determine their feelings and emotions, and their feelings and emotions shape their actions.
According to Bruce Schneider, a person’s energy level is similar to a stock price in that it fluctuates throughout the day. Thoughts and feelings such as being nonjudgmental and joyful increase the value of the stock. Their counterparts, such as victimization and anger, lower the stock’s value. At any given point in the day, a person is functioning at one or more of the following seven levels of consciousness:
- Level One: I Lose (Victim). This person believes he or she is a victim of circumstance. Functioning in Level One causes a person to avoid taking action because it does not matter anyway. He or she has a low level of energy and goes through the motions just to survive.
- Level Two: I Win, You Lose. Everything is black and white; good or bad to this person. An individual functioning at Level Two has to be right. He or she has trust issues. They are controlling and insist that everything is done their way. A Level Two person is judgmental, tends to blames others for his or her mistakes, and is frequently involved in conflicts.
- Level Three: I Win and You Do Too. This person is starting to move from a catabolic to an anabolic state. He or she takes responsibility for their actions and can see another’s point of view. This individual knows that he or she has a choice in how they react to a situation. Although this person still judges and blames others when something goes wrong, they are beginning to forgive others and stop playing the blame game. This individual is willing to work with the people they like and tolerate the people they do not. The result is cooperation.
- Level Four: You Win. This individual is focused on service. Judgment, anger, guilt, resentment, and other self-directed thoughts and feelings begin to fade and are replaced with a genuine desire to help others. He or she is compassionate, concerned, and caring. This person cares more about giving to another than receiving something in return. Action and words are not taken personally. Time is not wasted on worrying about what others might have or will do.
- Level Five: We All Win or None of Us Win. This person is a team player and sees everything as an opportunity. He or she is focused on a positive outcome for everyone. Blaming, criticizing, and taking control is not a part of the game. Work is done and completed for the benefit of all. There is no good or bad, right or wrong. The core belief behind Level Five is reconciliation. An individual at this level finds acceptance and inner peace. They are driven by opportunity instead of fear and know that they have choices.
- Level Six: We All Win. For this individual, the experience is the reward. Both wisdom and joy is experienced. A person functioning at Level Six is confident, knowledgeable, and intuitive.
- Level Seven: Winning and losing are illusions. This person has absolute passion for all of life’s experiences. He or she has the ability to see multiple perspectives at once and can tap into their creative talents. At this level, the individual knows who he or she truly is.