Power within – 12 Strategies – Part 11 Emotional Strategy: EXTERNAL REALITY

CHANGE YOUR CONDITIONED MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE”

Our life experience is limited to the extent of how well our internal world is programmed. If one starts to experience this truth, it is not only inspirational but very liberating too. Personally, this is my experience of life. Such an experiential knowledge changes the way how one perceives the life. There was a shift that happened within me during the process of my personal transformation. Today, after eight years, if I look at the kind of people whom I deal on day today basis in my current life with the set of people whom I moved with eight years before, they are totally two different set of tribes. This alone is a proof of how our internal programming determining the external reality.

Intellectual base:

 Let me try to convince your rational brain to buy this idea. Consider a scenario of two friends taking a walk to the park in the neighbourhood. The experience of walk in the park is not the same for both of them even though the place & time of the visit are preciously the same. The experience of one person is completely different than the experience of another person.

The above example demonstrates the different lenses that every one of us carries. Yes, we use filters while perceiving the events. This filter makes our experience different than the experiences of others.

Filter:

 If your filter is good then you experience a wonderful life. If you experience hardship of the life then it is time to change this filter. What is this filter? Our past experiences of life are a set of collective database stored as our faith & belief structure. Our conditioned mind operates from this database which preciously acts as a filter. We say the mind is conditioned because it can’t act beyond the limits of this database.

In other words, my life experience is simply a construct of my conditioned mind. In fact, this is our internal programming.

Mind-Body Practice:

 So, changing your life experience is as simple as changing the way your conditioned mind works. This requires bit of regular mind-body practice. This practice makes you to become aware of the conditioned mind and hence get an opportunity to manage the conditioned mind.

Experiential knowledge: 

Above, I have given an intellectual base to convince your thinking brain. So, you now know the value of such a belief. But, “knowing” is different than “owning”. If you want to own this then you need to integrate this belief experientially through mind-body practice or some other practical means.

Once when you experience this faith then you know that you are the architect of your reality. This faith is an immense power. The way how you perceive your life is no longer the same. You live like you never lived like this before!!

Summary: External Reality is the mirror image of our internal state. Our life experience is limited to the extent of how well our internal world is programmed. (Or) My life experience is simply a construct of my conditioned mind.

Power within – 12 Strategies – Part 10 Emotional Strategy: REACT VS RESPONSE

Design:

 If you open up the books of neuroscience, you’ll come to know at a very abstract level that we have three layers in the brain namely the brain stem, limbic & prefrontal cortex. In simple terms, these are called as the lower, mid & upper brains. Each section of the brain has a unique function. The lower brain is called the survival brain, mid brain is called as the emotional brain & the upper brain is called as the thinking brain.

Evolution:

 Brain has evolved in few billion years. It starts with the survival first then with the emotions followed by the thinking ability. Considering the rate of growth of the brain, the brain has evolved very rapidly in the recent few million years. The size of the brain has increased to three fold during this period. The brain was five hundred grams few million years before and now it weighs one thousand five hundred grams. Most of this rapid development has happened in the upper section of the brain i.e. the thinking brain.

Living condition:

All these neurological systems in our brain are pretty much intact even in today’s living condition. We survive, we become emotional & we think and accordingly the respective brain section gets activated. Unlike other animals,

Human is a weak animal by nature. We can’t fly; we can’t run fast & so on. We always live in the dangerous situations & hence, our brain is evolved to look for the potential threads.

But in today’s scenario, we live in a very safe world in comparison to the living condition few million years before. So, the survival & emotional centres are slightly out dated mechanisms. The smartness rests in the way of how we utilise the recent development of the brain i.e. the thinking section of the brain.

React:

 If I react to a situation or to an experience then it is a spontaneous action from my brain which uses the lower & mid sections of the brain. So, we react emotionally out of fear, worry & anxiety for the given situation & hence, we engage the survival & emotional centres of the brain. This is an out dated mechanism in today’s safe world.

Response:

Response is a simply a mechanism of giving a slight PAUSE before reacting during an experience. This pause brings the thinking brain into the equation. Once thinking brain comes into the play, it changes the way how you assign a meaning to an event and hence changes the very nature of our experience itself. This is the new way of leading the life using the newly developed part of the brain i.e the thinking brain.

This habit if it developed then it changes the way one experiences the life. So, learn to “Pause” gives an opportunity to “Respond” instead of “React” during adversity.

Summary: Unlike other animals, human is a weak animal by nature. Can’t run fast, can’t fly extra.

Hence, our brain is evolved to look for the potential dangers always.

So, we react (emotionally out of fear& anxiety). This is an out dated mechanism in the safe world now. Practice to respond i.e Learn to pause before reacting.

Power within – 12 Strategies – Part 9 MIND: COMFORT ZONE

In general, conditioned mind is trained to pull you in the comfort zone. Here, you live and do things which are familiar to you. This way your safety is ensured. Security is of primarily significant for the survival. It is pretty much etched in our DNAs.

Monotony is established when we start to live in the comfort zone for a prolonged period of time. This is because, we perform the same actions and lead the same kind of life that we lived a month/year before. We stagnate and that we don’t establish a path for our growth.

Step out:

To see growth, it is important to recondition the conditioned mind. Or otherwise, it is important to come out the conditioned mind to see our own pattern of the conditioned mind. Yes!! Stepping out the conditioned mind gives us an opportunity to see our own construct of the conditioned mind. After all, the conditioned mind operates based on the already stored database that has been accumulated by you as your experiences. It cannot think and act beyond this database.

We need to have new experiences & new learning to move forward. For this, step above the conditioned mind.

Awareness:

Awareness plays a key role in reconditioning the conditioned mind. Once the reconditioning has happened, the mind starts to work in your favour for your own growth. Yes, the same mind that pulled you in the comfort zone earlier now pushes you to the discomfort zone.

In other words, to win this game, it is important to keep the strength of your awareness far bigger than the strength of the conditioned mind. If the strength of our awareness is bigger & stronger then it gives an opportunity to mindfully step into the unknown zone. There is always a risk to move here and this is where many fail to develop the gradient in progressing through this zone. If you take a wide step then you will be thrown back to your start point because you exceed your resource capability. If you take a small step then that is not good enough to take you to your higher level. Mindful moderate steps are the key for the success and that can be achieved by heightening your awareness level.

Summary: Mind is a protective mechanism that keeps you in your comfort zone by default. Growth means stepping into your discomfort zone.

Simple Strategy: To see growth in our life, we may need to work against our conditioned mind & mindfully step into our discomfort zone.

Power within – 12 Strategies – Part 8 THOUGHTS:EFFECTS

THOUGHTS:EFFECTS

"BODY IS A CHEMICAL FACTORY.SANITISE THE BODY BY GENERATING THOUGHTS BASED ON THE POSITIVE EMOTIONS”

Energy:

 Every thought is a form of energy. In fact, modern science has proved beyond doubt that thought generates electrical impulse. This energy can be utilised productively or else it may get wasted. So, what do you think right now? It does matter a lot!!

Feeling:

Thought generates an associated feeling. Positive thought generates a positive feeling & negative thought generates a negative feeling. The emotion associated with a feeling creates a physical reaction in the body. One may experiences this as a bodily sensation. Also, every thought, every feeling and every associated reaction has a form of chemical reaction in the body.

Chemical reaction:

 A thought that generates anger has an acidic effect in the body. This chemical reaction pumps up your heart beat & increases the blood pressure. In the extreme case, it creates even ulcer, an extreme acidic nature of the body. A serene thought with an associated positive emotion changes the chemical reaction in such a way that improves the immunity system of the body.

Balance:

 PH is the balance of the alkalinity to the acidic nature of the body. The thought & the associated feeling changes the balance of the system. Thoughts based on fear, worries, frustration enhance the acidity of the body. Thoughts based on joy, love, compassion, happiness set your body in the alkalinity. So, it important to maintain the PH balance of the body. our body becomes the breeding ground for many diseases when it is dominated by its acidic nature.

Factors:

There are obviously many other factors such the food, environment etc that determine the body chemical composition. But, the way we think about ourselves as well as our perception of our surroundings play a major role in deciding the balanced chemical composition for a healthy body.

So, remember that the body is simply and purely a chemical factory. Do not pollute with the thoughts that have negative emotions. Instead, sanitise the body by generating the positive thoughts with the positive emotions.

Summary : Thought generates physical reaction in the body. Thought generates emotional response as well. Simple strategy: Choose your thoughts to change your chemical reactions in the body. Thoughts based on the negative emotions addup toxin in the body

Power within – 12 Strategies – Part 7 MIND: WANDERING

"TO STOP THE WANDERING MIND, SET THE RIGHT LIFE GOALS KNITTED WITH THE POSITIVE EMOTIONS”

Thought & physical reality:

Today, we enjoy & experience in the physical reality many such things as mobile phone, house, car etc. Earlier, these were then just in the form of thoughts or imaginations in someone mind. Our thoughts or imaginations that we have in this present time will manifest physically as things or products in near future. An intense thought or an idea in the mind will turn into an innovative product in future. Such is the power of thoughts from the mind.

Imagine the thoughts are not cohesive in nature? We all have this experience in our daily life. No one is an exception to this experience. Only, the time & duration of this experience vary from person to person. When the thoughts are not cohesive and random in nature then we call that experience as “mind wandering”. If you open up the books of neuroscience, this is referred to as “Default network” of the brain.

Reason:

 Why we switch to this random mode? Let us understand the characteristics of the mind. Mind always revolve around a centre point which is nothing but your important, interesting and significant idea. When you don’t have this, your mind loses its centre point. You can always witness this behaviour of the mind especially in a scenario where you have nothing important to do. This is a right opportunity for the mind to roam around.

Random thoughts:

Every thought is an electric impulse in the brain. Now, the technology has evolved to an extent where one can able to read this signal from the brain. So, thought is a form of energy. If we generate random thoughts then we waste our energy. In fact, brain alone consumes 20% of the total energy.

Organised thoughts:

Organised thoughts occur when there is a strong presence of the centre point. If the centre point is based on negative emotions such as fear and worries then the thoughts are organised but work in a negative way. When the centre point is based on the positive emotion then the thoughts are again organised but work in a positive way.

So, it is not only important to have a centre point but make sure that it has a positive emotion attached to it. Future can be imagined and planned as it is yet to happen. So, we have the liberty.to think. It is our choice. We have the choice to imagine positively. When we set our goal knitted with the positive emotions, mind gets organised & work towards the goal.

So, here is my message!! Mind wanders in the absence of the direction. Direction can be set by the goals.

Simple strategy:

Goals when knitted with the positive emotions give direction to the mind. Single stream of thoughts set by the goal is contemplation

Power within – 12 Strategies – Part 6 MIND: PERSISTENCE

"FOCUS ON "WHAT YOU WANT" IN LIFE INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON "WHAT YOU DON'T WANT" IN LIFE”

Persistence:

Two simple questions!!  What do you want? What you don’t want in life? Whatever the answers to both these questions, the answers persist in your mind. The persistence is much stronger and deeper for the negative question. Considering an example of building a new relationship. Now, you may say to yourself that you want to build a relationship with someone or you don’t want to build a relationship with that person. Both these ideas persist in your mind.

Direction:

 When the answer is positive such as “I want to build a relationship” then you have set a direction. Mind works in tune with direction. It gives all the possibilities for you to take actions and whatever actions that you take will lead you in this set direction. So, there is a progress. But, when the answer is negative such as “I don’t want to build a relationship”, mind still gives all the possibilities for you to take the actions. But, you will be thrown with number of other alternatives too. Should you need to build relationship with yet another person? Should you be satisfied with the existing relationship? Should you need to strengthen the current relationship? Or simply think of something about your profession. So, the direction is lost here & hence, there is no progress.

Strength:

What you resist persists. I don’t want to see my boss very often. A very nature of a thought such as this creates a situation where you are forced to meet your boss very often. Instead, focus on “what you want “in life. You may want to meet the client who will help in assigning an order or you may want to meet your colleague who will help in your project. When, such thoughts become stronger then the situations created will work in your favour.

Deeper Mind:

Negative connotation has a different meaning at the deeper level of the mind.  A thought such as “I don’t want to meet my boss” will be translated as “I want to meet my boss” at the subconscious level of the mind. So, focus on “What you want” in life instead of focussing on “what you don’t want” in life. By doing so, your direction is set.

Summary:

Mind: what you resist persists.

Resistance: I don't want to see my boss,I don't want this project, I don't want this relationship... a wrong strategy.

Right strategy: I want this project; I want this relationship... strategy that gives direction to your mind.

Power within – 12 Strategies – Part 5 MIND : CENTRE POINT

"CHANGE YOUR PRIORITY FOR GREATER GOODNESS AND CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THE MIND”

Centre Point:

Consider the following two scenarios. When I am on an important task, naturally my mind revolves around that particular task. My thoughts at that moment are all related to the task in my hand. In a different scenario, when two persons are in a conversation and if one does not pay attention to the conversation, it is clear that this person mind is occupied with something which has higher importance than the conversation. In the above two examples, you may notice that the mind works on the priority or what is considered significant. Thought patterns are related to the event/action which is considered important.

Emotional association:

Mind revolves around the centre point which is nothing but our set priority or interest. This priority has an emotional component associated with it. The highest priority has a motivation to do the action because there is a strong bonding of emotion attached to it. This emotion could be the positive type of emotions such as joy, love, happiness etc or negative type of emotions such as fear, worry, doubt etc.

Thoughts:

We prepare the action because we worry/fear about something or we have some motivation such as reward that generates happiness. So, the mind is simple equipment that aids in generating the thoughts related to the important task in hand. Imagine a scenario in a situation where there is no demand for an action with higher importance. This is the time; the mind is free to roam around with no centre point. The mind wanders when there is no pressing need.

The direction of Mind:

So, it is good to have a centre point so that mind has a direction to work on. Setting a higher goal in life & making it important that permits the mind to work in a direction. A positive emotion is tagged to this goal that styles the mind to work in our favour.

In other words, if you see your life is not going the way that you always wanted then it is important to analyse those centre points. Eliminate those centre points based on worries & fears. Set the centre points with the goals based on the positive emotions for the greater goodness!!

Summary:

 If you see your life is not going the way that you always wanted then it is important to analyse those centre points. Eliminate those centre points based on worries & fears. Set the centre points with the goals based on the positive emotions for the greater goodness!!