A friend asked me today: what is consciousness? She needed a definition for a class. Be careful what you ask a coach. Here was my reply:

Consciousness: Transcending the ego to live fully in the present moment.
What does this mean? Here’s my humble opinion:
We as human beings tend to be ruled by our egos, which are concerned mostly with their own survival. The ego creates a strong sense of separateness, of ‘me against you’, to strengthen itself. The ego is strong in us, and uses many tools to control us: fear, worry, anxiety, guilt, shame, etc. Even anger and judgment are ego’s tools to strengthen itself. If I attach and/or judge, I am right and the other person is wrong. Therefore I justify my existence. The ego uses the past (guilt, shame, anxiety) and future (fear, worry, etc.) to help keep us enslaved. Because of this, we live mostly unconscious lives – unaware of our true selves as part of God (or the universe, or all that is, whatever you call it).
When you transcend the ego (not destroy it, but to get to the point where you’re not letting it control you), you become conscious of your true nature. This awareness of yourself as beyond ego happens easiest when you immerse yourself in the present moment. Pay attention to what is happening NOW, sights, smells, feelings, sounds, tastes. You know that the past no longer exists, so any thoughts around it (like guilt or shame) are meaningless. The future doesn’t exist yet, and never will – you always live in the present moment, so thoughts around it (like worry and anxiety) are equally meaningless and do nothing for you. So let those things go and live in the present moment. Open yourself to the beauty and wonder that surrounds you. This banishes worry, anxiety, guilt, fear, anger and all those negative and destructive emotions. You don’t feel them, as they are meaningless in the present moment. It is a very freeing feeling, and I wish I could hold on to it all the time! I’m getting better at being conscious for more of each day, and find much more peace in my life than I’ve ever had before.

She had to ask…. ;)