The Art of The Up Level

As you commit to and embark on the journey of truly knowing, loving, and owning every part of who you are, there is a dance you will inevitably enter into with the Universe. The give and take, the ebb and flow, the grasp and surrender. Trust me, I know this process - doing the work - isn’t a walk in the park. It means feelings of uncertainty. It means questioning. It means doubting. Until, eventually, you’ve built your trust muscle strong enough to feel secure in the fact that the universe is working FOR you - even when it doesn’t look the way you planned and even when it doesn’t feel like that’s the case.

Urban Dictionary, one of my most trusted academic sources, defines “Up level” as “inspired strategic action creating greater capabilities”. So even though, “up level" has become a part of the mainstream vernacular along with “good vibes”, “love and light”, and all the other phrases that, to be honest, I definitely still use on a daily basis in a serious manner, it really is a part of the process in doing the work of coming home to yourself. 

To illustrate this concept, please enjoy this quick, light hearted anecdote. I recently bought a new pair of running shoes. I’d been saying I needed a new pair for ages - my old ones had holes in them, had little to no support left, and were starting to perpetuate the knee problems I’ve struggled with after years of marathon training, sports, and well, being clumsy. But, as anyone else in the shoe market may be able to back me on, you get used to your old shoes. The thought of having to drop a couple hundred dollars on a new pair of runners that you’ll then just have to break in and will potentially give you blisters in the process is one that is pretty easy to but on the back burner. I’ll do that later. Oh right, I’ll order those next week! Only to let next week come and go, still painfully jogging in the same runners. Well, I finally bit the bullet. Ordered new runners and was ecstatic when they arrived in the mail. 

I couldn’t wait to break those puppies in and take them on a ride around the neighborhood on my evening jog. So fast forward, day three with my new runners. I’m on a run and notice that my knees are hurting much more than they have in the past few days. So, I look down and notice I had put my old runners on without even noticing. My old runners all of a sudden felt like they were made of paper and were part of some torture regime as pain pierced up my shins and into my knees. I thought to myself, how did I run in these for as long as I did….

Now, as silly as that story may seem. As soon as I realized how easy it was to slip into my old runners and make it about half a mile without even realizing, it dawned on me how we do the exact same thing when it comes to up leveling in career, in relationships, in friendships, and in really all other outlets of our lives. 

When you start to do this work, you slowly start to question your perceived “normal” - the way your relationship dynamic has been for years, the way you feel when your in certain social situations, the way your job leaves you feeling like you just know you are here to do more. Soon this questioning turns into small shifts - small changes you make in the direction of what feels more aligned, what feels more true and authentic to who you really are. As you make these shifts, a couple things happen. First, it’s going to be scary as hell. You’re stepping outside your comfort zone, you’re pursuing the unknown, you’re holding space for the endless possibility at your fingertips - and yes, that is terrifying. Then, because it’s so terrifying, naturally you try to back pedal. Naturally you try to revert to what was comfortable at one point. To what made the old, constructed version of yourself feel safe - whether that be a toxic dynamic in a relationship, a job that a part of you has always known was beneath your capabilities, or settling for the late night texts from dudes, we try to find safety in the old patterns. You slip into your old shoes without even realizing you’re doing it. Maybe I was wrong, maybe this is ok with me, maybe I’ll be fine with this. 

But, something has changed - you have changed. When you back pedal, it’s not the same fit anymore. The misalignment is so blatantly obvious that there’s no convincing yourself what was once ok for the older version of you will even slightly suffice any longer. That’s when the knee pain I’d deemed as ‘normal’ became, all of a sudden, unbearable.

You see, there is a dance to the up level. A grace to the up level. It’s not a straight up and to the right trajectory. It’s messy. So when you find yourself clutching, reverting to the old patterns because the greater capabilities you are creating in every moment seem overwhelming and far too grandiose for little old you, don’t be upset with yourself. Instead, smile because you’re no longer settling - you’re in the midst of up leveling baby. 

Then, you get to the finale of the dance - the big lift in your own personal Dirty Dancing. That’s when you throw out the old runners - once and for all. Now you can see the old patterns, the old beliefs, the old relationships that no longer serve you. You can now look at the old patterns with gratitude - thank you for assisting me in my up level journey but I’m ready for more now.

Then, soon enough, you do it all over again. Thats the art of the up level.