The Quantum Leap Myth

There’s been a trend for some spiritual gurus and coaches to glorify the notion of having a quantum leap of consciousness. This means some sort of rapid acceleration in an area of your life that you’ve never experienced before and that could lead to massive changes (ideally positive in nature) and unparalleled success.

In fact, in physics, a quantum leap occurs when the electron of an atom “jumps” from one energy level to another (for example, when it is exposed to a certain frequency of light) so rapidly that it seems discontinuous. This transition between the two states is so prominent that it creates a gap that seemingly can’t be measured by detectors, which is why it is called a “leap.”

When quantum leaps are referred to in the personal growth space, it’s often lauded by coaches who go on to discuss how they created leaps in abundance, money, their health or way of being such that everything changes and they are more successful now than they’ve ever been before. And, of course, if you are lucky enough to be their client, you have this potential to leap into your greatness as well.

Now, I’m not saying that these claims are either true or false. That is up to the integrity of the coach and client. I wrote this article to address the gaping hole in the quantum leap discussion and also to share with you some important elements that should be considered if you are looking to make your own quantum leap. By the way, I do believe that you can make big leaps in your life and create big changes–and, while there are gifted people who can help you achieve this, you can also attain this on your own.

I have experienced quantum leaps myself, when I’ve had big shifts or “awakenings” in my way of thinking that allowed me to be in a powerful, almost extreme state. I was incredibly confident and focused in my purpose. There is a distinct intensity and an all-encompassing quality to this feeling, as if you are infused head to toe with an energy much different from your normal operating system. It is because your consciousness is fueled from another place and bypassing your ego and you are acting from pure connection to source energy. A breakthrough.

For a period of about 2 days, off and on, I was hot and energized with an unmistakable drive to connect and to create, without any fear or hesitation holding me back. As a result, I let go of my tendency to please others and instead, raised my standards of communication to only speak from a place of honesty. This created a large income shift in my business and subsequent lifestyle change as well.

I’m saying this to admit that I was, and still am, one of these coaches who talk about making quantum leaps (you can even hear my quantum leap recording from last year.) What I want to address here is what few people talk about, the unsexy parts of quantum shifts, the after-effects.

I’ve seen people blindly throw themselves into following bad advice, taking sometimes scary actions, hoping for a quantum leap, only to be left deflated because they haven’t achieved it. Even more common, are those who have achieved quantum leaps only to end up in worse situations than before.

I want to share with you the whole truth of achieving quantum leaps, not just the shiny, sexy version that you will see in marketing where you 10x your profits or launch yourself to success, but the reality of what happens before and after.

Here are 3 important details about quantum leaps:

1. A Quantum Leaps Need a Foundation

Although a quantum leap is seemingly magical and allow you to take a massive jump from one state to another state, it’s usually not. It doesn’t come from nowhere. Rather, it’s a reaction to a change in environment or a change in the forces around or within you–and, for better or worse, it’s fueled by your existing vibration.

This means, you must cultivate both the right internal state and the right catalyst to ignite your leap. Sometimes this buildup can take a lifetime to achieve but the actual occurrence, the actual shift in consciousness is instantaneous. When people claim to have a quantum leaps in their income, for instance, what they are likely referring to is an event or an insight that triggered a leap in consciousness (catalyst) which took them from their previous state of limiting beliefs and allowed them to take consistent actions to create income.

This normally does not mean they had a shift in consciousness then suddenly received large amounts of money. A quantum leap allows you to see the world differently so that you can show up in a way that is more free and thereby create new possibilities, it does not guarantee that you have money magically flow to you.

Also, whatever mental/emotional state you have going on, you will find that this will get activated and heightened. That’s why it is advised to have a solid foundation of being able to manage your emotional state so that your leap doesn’t become a trigger to a manic state.

2. Quantum Leaps Don’t Last

This is really important to understand because there are many people pushing this idea of quantum leaps to the point that it seems like “all the cool people are doing it,” and they are as ubiquitous as Starbucks. This can make it seem that you are having explosive insight after explosive insight, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

The nature of a leap is there is a beginning and an end. And, especially when you are experiencing big changes, it is irresponsible and dangerous to continuously pursue quantum leaps. Expect an end to the energy. This can sometimes even feel like you are dropped back into reality where all your real-life worries are waiting to pounce on you. It can be a harsh transition. This brings us to what happens after a quantum leap…

3. Be Ready for the Fallout

Think about the last time you exerted a huge amount of energy in a project or in a relationship or even at the gym. What happens after? Recovery. You need to recharge your energy reserves and re-adjust your life to support this new reality.

There is an essential recovery and grace period that is needed after you have a quantum leap. More importantly, the force of a quantum leap, i.e., big change, will most definitely bring up emotional sediment and debris for you to clear. For some people, they experience their fears and insecurities most poignantly after this shift, they are afraid they can’t maintain this state, they are afraid they may lose everything, they see their relationships and their business shifting and it scares them.

You have to plan for this. The period after a major shift is a critical point because it indicates if you can keep the momentum of change, or, as most people experience, end up in even more chaos than before their quantum shift.

In order for you to leverage the post-leap phase, make sure you create plenty of mental space to clear your head, process the emotions, fears and worries that come up and continue to identify and take action from an executive, non-reactive place. This, coincidentally, will allow you to access an even greater level of clarity than before your quantum leap.

It is absolutely not true that a quantum leap leads to a positive outcome. It can actually leave you worse off that you were before if you aren’t prepared to deal with the after effects. Also, there are many people who seek out a quantum leap because they believe it will solve their existing problems with the snap of a finger. This is probably the worst mindset possible to seek out a quantum leap because it comes from a deep place of fear and even desperation.

With that being said, if you are in an overall healthy mindset and still desiring to achieve a quantum leap, it can be a powerful, uplifting and life-changing experience.

How do I achieve a quantum leap?

You need to know what you want to leap into.  What is it that you want to achieve? Is it more health? More revenue? More connection with the universe? Set the intention for the quantum leap so your unconscious mind can create the pathway for your breakthrough.

A quantum leap is always vibrational before it is physical. For the person who wants a breakthrough in their health to have their cancer go into remission, this first starts with the desire to be well and healthy by any means. This means that this person will have to actively choose healing and healthy thoughts despite her doctor’s grim prognosis and the sadness and concern from friends and family.

You need a catalyst. A quantum leap is not a result of hard work, it’s the result of scary AF action. This could mean trusting that feeling in your gut that there is a better way to heal your illness and taking a leap of faith into trusting alternative healing methods. Maybe you find yourself taking a trek into the rainforest with a shaman and it’s there you release a lifetime of repressed trauma from childhood and that triggers stress release and a healing reaction that eventually causes your cancer to go into remission. You become a different person in the process.

You need to ground and recover. After your return from the rainforest. You feel better, you have a new take on life, you are ready to face whatever your fate is with love and acceptance. However, your cancer hasn’t fully healed yet and there is little “proof” that you’ve had a quantum breakthrough, other than the fact that you just feel really good. As the days go by, you fight the urge to give into the fears and you continue to allow yourself to trust that you will to heal, regardless of what others may believe. You have someone you can count on or a prayer or meditation to help you get through the difficult times and come out on the other end.

Then, one day your cancer is gone.

Then, one day your business has created a fortune.

Then, one day you are far from your addiction.

Then, one day you have the freedom that you’ve always wanted.

And, it all started from your desire to achieve an outcome and holding the energy of possibility. This was catalyzed by your ability to take fearless action and to maintain your faith throughout.

Now, you see the world in way that is so different, you can’t remember what life was like before.