How much of your success do you attribute to factors like innovative ideas, strategic planning, and effective marketing tactics?

And how much of it do you attribute to the underlying forces that play a role in how you operate your business?

If you honestly reflect on those questions, you’ll realize that while the strategies and tactics are undeniably crucial…

Your mindset, identity, and level of consciousness have played a more significant role in shaping your entrepreneurial journey.

Albert Einstein said: “We can’t solve a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it.”

Great saying! But what does he actually mean?

How do we shift our level of consciousness, and more importantly, how do we do it to solve our business problems and create exponential growth?

This is THE game-changing question for entrepreneurs.

And the answer is the biggest shift behind extraordinary results and solutions.

I’ve seen it over and over with clients I’ve served, great entrepreneurs I’ve studied, and my own personal experience.

Shifting the state of our awareness, mindset, and the way we operate, is the most powerful tool you can adopt for success and growth.

The best framework I’ve come across for this is the 4 Levels Of Consciousness:

1. To Me Consciousness

2. By Me Consciousness

3. Through Me Consciousness

4. As Me Consciousness

The key is in understanding which level of consciousness created the current problem at hand.

Then learning how to shift to the next level to solve the problem with more ease and joy.

More of the same, only creates more of the same.

I’m going to break down each of these and share how to practically apply this framework to the way you operate your business and solve your problems.

If you’re new to consciousness work, bear with me and you’ll see how this is less “woo-woo” than you’re thinking.

Let’s dive in.

To Me Consciousness

The first level of consciousness, “To Me”, is a state of victimhood.

This is where entrepreneurs perceive life as something happening to us, rather than something we have control over.

We are “at the effect” of circumstances and the world outside of us.

Our business outcomes are “at the effect” of external factors.

There’s a general sense of blame and a lack of personal responsibility when things don’t go as we wish.

Examples of To Me Consciousness:

• “Business would grow faster if the market wasn’t changing and cost per leads increasing.”

• “Sales are going down because the sales team is underperforming.”

• “I don’t have time to focus on growth because I’m stuck in delivery and operations.”

• “We’re not growing faster because the team is scattered and keeps dropping balls.”

We react to circumstances rather than proactively shaping them.

Leading to a mindset of limitation, scarcity, and lack of control.

The ego wants to protect itself so it’s easier to blame something or someone when business isn’t working.

This can show up in our relationship with our business, our team, our clients, and our life.

Overwhelmed entrepreneurs spend most of their time at this level, hence feeling “stuck”.

It’s important to remember that we all, at some point, operate at this level.

It’s a natural part of our human experience and entrepreneurial journey.

The key is radical honesty and acceptance.

Don’t dwell in this state and instead, recognize when you’re operating here and shift to the next level of consciousness to solve your problems.

There’s tremendous power in recognizing when we’re operating in To Me Consciousness and shifting back into the driver’s seat of our business.

By Me Consciousness

The next level of consciousness up is “By Me”: creator consciousness.

This is where we begin to take control of our lives and business.

Business happens “by me”.

We shift from a reactive state to a proactive one, taking radical responsibility for our actions and outcomes.

By Me Consciousness can look like:

• “Cost per lead is increasing, I will find other ways to generate leads efficiently.”

• “Sales team is underperforming, I will see how I can empower and train them better.”

• “I’m stuck in delivery and operations, I will hire an operator to take this off my plate.”

• “The team is scattered, I will create a clearer strategic plan and align the team for momentum.”

Most high-performing and high-achieving entrepreneurs operate here.

The whole personal development space is based on this level of By Me Consciousness.

Those willing to get back into the driver’s seat, roll up their sleeves, and make things happen, are rewarded for it.

But operating at this level also has a cost.

Time and energy.

It can be exhausting. Staying at this level at full gear over a long period can lead to burnout.

This is where the “hustle culture” happens.

While it’s empowering to take responsibility for our results, “working harder” is rarely the solution to take your business to the next level of success and fulfillment.

More of the same, only creates more of the same.

There is another level of consciousness that can help you grow your business not just faster but also with more ease and joy.

Through Me Consciousness

This level of “Through Me” is a state of flow consciousness.

It’s a state of harmony and surrender.

There’s a beautiful dance that happens between you and the universe.

You’re in the driver’s seat taking responsibility for your business and outcomes AND at the same time surrendering to how the universe sets the path for you to drive on.

You’re proactive with growing your business AND you’re detached to outcomes happening exactly the way you want it.

Frustration and burnout can often happen when you’re attached to everything happening the way you want.

"Through Me" Consciousness might look something like this:

• "I was thinking about expanding into a new market, and a potential partner from that market reached out to me."

• "I was considering hiring a new team member, and a highly qualified A-Player reached out."

• "I was worried about hitting launch targets, but kept the team focused and regulated, everything fell into place seamlessly and worked out better than expected."

The most successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of being adaptable and playing in harmony with the universe.

Something I learned from Preston Smiles that fundamentally shifted how I operate is that “The universe can only do for you, what it can do through you”.

This is Through Me Consciousness.

To be committed to the great work I get to do as an entrepreneur AND to be a vessel in which my purpose and universe enact itself through me.

In this surrender, there’s magic and unlimited possibilities that happen.

It’s difficult for many entrepreneurs to operate at this level because it requires letting go of the need for control and replacing it with trust.

It takes trusting their intuition and being open to receiving.

In doing so, it allows the possibility of quantum leaps and exponential growth.

Those in To Me Consciousness see these quantum leaps in others and call it “luck”.

Those in By Me Consciousness see it and think “I must work harder to make that happen”.

Those in Through Me Consciousness showed up to do the work and then surrendered and allowed it to happen.

As Me Consciousness

Alright fourth and last one: “As Me” Consciousness is a state of oneness.

This is often identified as a spiritual experience of freedom from separation and dissolution of our egoic self.

In simple words, it’s understanding that we are not separate from the world around us, but rather an integral part of it.

As Me is realizing that everything is all connected and experiencing the fulfillment and joy of that connection.

Entrepreneurs operating at this level have a deep sense of purpose and meaning.

They realize that chasing success is a finite game.

They appreciate the game of success but more important to them is the infinite game of fulfillment, meaning, and self-actualization.

Boundless gratitude is the gateway to this level of consciousness.

I believe all entrepreneurs have experienced this level of As Me Consciousness, even if for just a moment.

It’s this feeling and experience of freedom and fulfillment that keeps entrepreneurs going.

Think about it: it’s the reason you’re an entrepreneur and building what you’re building now.

In my opinion, this doesn’t have to be a level of consciousness you want to operate from all the time for success and growth.

But it is a state you’ll want to tap into from time to time to reconnect with what’s truly important to you.

That reconnection allows you to realign your strategies and mindset with your highest potential.

Conclusion

There you have it, the 4 Levels of Consciousness.

Learning to navigate through these levels is a game-changer for business and for life.

From the reactive state of "To Me" Consciousness, where we feel at the mercy of external circumstances, we can ascend to the proactive "By Me" stage, taking control of our business.

As we continue our journey, we can reach the flow state of "Through Me" Consciousness, where we can dance and co-create our business with the universe.

And finally, to tap into the pinnacle state of "As Me" Consciousness, realizing our oneness with the universe and experiencing deep fulfillment and meaning.

Remember, these levels are not linear stages.

But rather states of being and operating that we can oscillate between at any given moment.

The goal is not to eliminate lower levels but to recognize where we are and consciously choose to elevate our state of consciousness.

I want to wrap up with some actionable next steps:

• List out all the problems in your business, your team, and your life

• Then next to each one, identify which level of consciousness created that problem

• Pick the top 3 things on the list you want to solve

• Reflect on what it would look like to solve this problem on one level higher

• Identify some key actions you can take to elevate your consciousness

• And go solve that problem and grow your business!

Observe and notice how it’s easier and more joyful to solve these problems from a higher level of consciousness.

I’d love to hear about wins, share them with me on social or email me at [email protected].

INNER GAME NEWSLETTER

If you enjoyed this letter, I have something for you.

I’m starting a 2nd newsletter, called The Inner Game.

I’ll be sharing insights and actionable tips on upgrading mindset, identity, levels of consciousness, and inner work for entrepreneurs.

I will continue to share practical strategies, tactics, and how to win the BUSINESS game of entrepreneurship here on the 20 Hour Founders newsletter.

But The Inner Game newsletter is all about how to win the INNER game of entrepreneurship.

Why 2 different newsletters?

I’m big on keeping things simple, clear and focused.

If you want more mindset-related content, go subscribe to The Inner Game here.

Your Pal,

Colin

P.S. Whenever you’re ready…

1. I created some tools and resources here to help you take your business to the next level

2. Want to dive deeper on how to become a time freedom Founder? I’m launching the 20 Hour Founders Course soon, get on the waitlist.

3. Follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram for more tips on business and mindset growth