Transformation Tools: How to Create a New Life Experience
Let’s agree on one thing right away: knowing about transformation tools and actually using them are two very different things. Many people can’t bridge this gap—they “know everything and have read about it all,” but can’t manage to make real changes, or even get moving from a standstill. This phenomenon has always fascinated me and pushed me to explore it, both in my own life and through the stories of friends with all kinds of backgrounds. I’ll share my findings below.
The first thing you need to do is stop beating yourself up. You need to understand, accept, and forgive yourself no matter what. And let go of past mistakes easily. “Easily” means stop clinging to what’s already happened. What’s done is done.
True transformation only begins when you’re at peace with yourself.
Let’s Get to It
We create our experiences—and ourselves—on four levels at the same time: thoughts, words, actions, and states.
Thoughts
Thoughts are real and directly affect what we get and who we become. With the power of thought alone, you can attract new experiences into your life or set up insurmountable barriers. There’s already a lot written about how this works, so I won’t go deep into it. I believe you don’t need to know exactly how a cell phone works to use it. Thoughts are a tool that, in skillful hands, can be the strongest of all four “weapons.” But even that’s not enough. You need to be in tune with the other components.
Words
Words are also real and powerful, especially words that are repeated or written down. That’s why mantras and prayers are so powerful in every religion. Some researchers, like Anthony Robbins, claim that even changing a few habitual words in your vocabulary about a situation can influence the whole process. But that’s more about refining your experience, which is a topic for another time. Today, I want to focus on the direct tools.
Actions
This is what we actually do and where we put our energy in the physical world. The most basic rule:
- If you do it, you get results. If you don’t, don’t be surprised.
But actions alone aren’t enough for radical change or to reinvent yourself. It would take too long and be too hard—like walking barefoot around the world. Sure, it’s possible (maybe), but why? There are much more exciting ways to see the world. In our context: reinventing yourself isn’t just about doing, but about using all the other tools too.
States
This is what we feel. But it’s not just fleeting emotions—it’s more like your inner background, your dominant feelings.
Here’s a rough example: If you felt down yesterday and you feel down today, there’s a 90% chance you’ll feel down tomorrow. Everything will unfold in a way that keeps you feeling down. Your current state is sending out an order for tomorrow.
In a way, it works like a habit—just like a smoker’s body “wants” cigarettes. It demands them. Similarly, the body of a chronic complainer demands its dose of problems and reasons to mope. It’s used to it; it’s become its natural state. On the other hand, for cheerful people, it’s natural to laugh, smile, and enjoy even the little things—they’re used to it (!) and that’s their best gift to themselves. Again, I’m talking about background states that turn on almost automatically, not every passing emotion.
What was the dominant background of your day today? In practice, not everyone realizes that your state (your dominant inner background) creates just as much as your thoughts or actions. It keeps reproducing itself automatically until you consciously change the channel.
Scientifically speaking, our subconscious thoughts control our state, and they create just like conscious thoughts do. It’s a cycle. Your state, in turn, also influences and shapes your subconscious thoughts. But honestly, it doesn’t matter which comes first—the “chicken or the egg.” What matters are two facts:
- Your state creates.
- You can consciously change your state.
That’s enough to turn your whole life around.
A Well-Known Fact
Judith DeLozier (an American psychologist and ethnographer) once went to an African tribe as an anthropologist. The shaman asked her, “How is a civilized person different from people in my tribe?” Judith thought and replied, “A modern civilized person can feel one thing, think another, and do a third.” The shaman didn’t understand at first. Suddenly, his confused expression turned to horror: “Judith, never do that,” he said. “You’ll get sick!”
Our goal is to bring ourselves into a state of unity, aimed at achieving what we want, when our thoughts, words, actions, and states are in sync.
You can’t reach your goals or reinvent yourself if you say one thing, but do and feel another, while your thoughts are off somewhere else (like dreaming about a vacation that’s still six months away—why think about it now?). I hope my analogies aren’t too convoluted and that some of you get it right away. But this is so important that I’ll repeat it:
Without bringing your thoughts, words, actions, and states into alignment—when most of your intentions, actions, and feelings are in harmony—real change is impossible.
Your life will turn into a disjointed cacophony, with each instrument playing out of sync. Sure, you can blame life or the authors who teach how to manage it. You can also just leave things as they are and live however it turns out. Or you can become the conductor and play your favorite symphony. But to do that, you’ll have to learn, work hard, and not be afraid to step up to a new level, where your thoughts, words, actions, and states obey you and work for your benefit—not the other way around.