I was gifted a new phrase this week: "We cannot solve a problem from the same level of consciousness that created it."
It sounds poetic, wise, almost philosophical. But what does it mean when you’re navigating your real, messy, full life? In this blog, I’ll reflect on how your inner state (both mental and energetic) shapes your ability to find answers, and why self-mastery is key to unlocking them.
The Problem with Trying Harder
Most problems are born from a particular state of mind: a mix of emotion, belief, and perspective. Whatever lens you’re looking through shapes what you see.
If you’re looking through overwhelm, your solutions will feel overwhelmed; if you’re looking through fear, your options will seem limited; if you’re looking through “there’s no time” or “I should be further along by now,” you’ll act from urgency, not wisdom.
It’s like trying to rearrange the same furniture in the same room and expecting the space to feel different. You don’t need better furniture; you need to step out of the room.
The Consciousness and Energetic Shift
When we stay inside the mindset that created the problem, we loop the same thoughts and emotional patterns. We tighten the knot rather than loosen it.
To break the cycle, you must shift your inner state, both in thought and in energy. Notice the dominant emotion you’re carrying: guilt, fear, frustration. Then choose a higher-energy state: gratitude instead of guilt, curiosity instead of fear, openness instead of defensiveness. Confidence itself is an energetic state; embody it physically and emotionally, and your perspective expands naturally.
From tense to spacious; from “I need to fix this” to “I’m willing to see this differently”; from protective to open; from “I can’t” to “What if…?” Each shift opens new pathways in the mind and body. Suddenly, the options you couldn’t see before become obvious; the idea you thought didn’t exist appears; the path you thought was blocked starts to unfold.
Belief Unlocks Possibility
Belief matters. If you don’t believe something is possible, your mind won’t generate options; it won’t look for solutions; it won’t connect the dots. Your unconscious simply says: “Nope. Doesn’t apply to us.” And the door stays locked.
This is why mindset work isn’t fluffy; it’s foundational. Belief widens your inner aperture, creates psychological safety, invites creativity, and signals to your nervous system that it’s safe to expand.
When you consciously adopt a higher-energy state (even if it feels small at first), you’re also sending a signal to your system that it’s safe to explore, experiment, and create. Belief unlocks consciousness; consciousness unlocks solutions.
A Simple Example
Take overwhelm: you try to organise your way out: more lists, more schedules, more pushing, more pressure. But the overwhelm wasn’t caused by a lack of structure; it was created by a state of urgency in your nervous system, a belief that slowing down is impossible, protective strategies whispering “do more, be more,” and a lack of internal safety.
No amount of structure fixes the state you created it from.
When you shift your consciousness (aka awareness) and consciously elevate your energy, your reality rearranges. Solutions appear; the knot loosens; you see differently and therefore choose differently. This is the work of self-mastery: it’s not about controlling the external; it’s about shifting the internal so the external becomes solvable.
It’s not about forcing answers; it’s about becoming the version of yourself who can receive them. It’s not about doing more; it’s about returning to the level of consciousness that is clear, grounded, and powerful; your real self. That’s where the answers live.
The Role of Self-Mastery
Shifting your state is also about owning your power and trusting yourself. Self-awareness and self-discipline involve recognising your power, trusting your inner guidance, and believing in your ability to control your actions and responses.
When you cultivate this awareness, you notice the stories, beliefs, and patterns that keep you stuck. You step out of reactivity; you step into choice. Each conscious energetic shift strengthens your internal authority and builds confidence as a lived, embodied state. The solutions you’ve been seeking are always available, but only when you operate from the level of consciousness capable of seeing them.
Practical Steps to Shift Your State
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Pause and breathe; notice the lens and energy you’re operating from.
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Identify the dominant emotion and belief shaping your problem.
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Choose a higher-energy alternative: shift guilt to gratitude, fear to curiosity, or tension to confidence. Embody the feeling fully before taking action.
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Act from this elevated state, however small the step; trust yourself to respond to what arises.
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Repeat consistently. Self-mastery grows through practice, not perfection.
Each shift strengthens your internal authority, loosens the knot, and opens your mind and energy to solutions that were invisible before.
Final Thought
You can’t solve a problem from the same level of consciousness that created it. But by shifting your state, mentally and energetically, and practising self-mastery, you unlock new options, perspectives, and possibilities.
The answers aren’t outside you; they live within. You just need to step into the consciousness and energetic state that can receive them. Shift your state, and the solutions will follow.