Recently I heard a kick ass talk by T. Harv Eker called “Don’t Believe A Thought You Think”. I have to say his no nonsense high-energy approach , to nearly bellowing to get his message across on the importance to take action to achieve success was impressive.
Eker, like so many other successful people you read about (Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, J.K. Rowling…) seem to have a common background. These people have been through tough experiences and hit real lows only to have found the willpower to overcome emotionally difficult situations and turn these experiences into something positive. They’ve got the mindset to achieve what they want.
Eker’s talk begins with what holds people back from being successful by going to the source of the problem. He states the reason why you don’t have everything you want is not due to external problems but what’s inside of you. The outer world is merely a reflection of your inner world. The only obstacle that stops you is your mind. And this is our biggest enemy because let’s face it, we tend to identify ourselves with our mind. You are NOT your mind.
You need to have a very keen sense of AWARENESS to separate yourself from your mind and to have this awareness you need to understand your mind.
What is the mind?
Basically, the mind is a storage cabinet. Our database of knowledge. Your actions are predetermined by your storage file. Now no two storage files are the same so this makes everyone’s reality a very personal thing. There only exists for us our own personal reality. So what you see and the meaning you give to it is what you get.
We all came into the world with an empty storage container and others pour their container into ours. This means to fit into the world we can’t possibly fit in our way, it has to be their way. And is this the right way? Well no, obviously. By the age of three our brain has already been programmed by other people. As adults our new-found knowledge comes from other people! So our mind and what’s in it is not who you are but who you have learnt to be. Basically it’s filled with other people’s information.
Why does our mind give us caution messages?
The mind was designed for SURVIVAL. It is our survival mechanism because that is its biological function. Its aim is to keep us alive! Eker describes the mind as our bodyguard whose job is to look out for danger. The mind is constantly screaming a bias towards the negative. That’s its primary job – looking for the bad stuff and this is the reason why it takes effort to focus on the positive.
WORRY DOUBT ANXIETY CONFUSION FEAR … If we kept listening to our mind we wouldn’t dare risk doing anything! We believe the mind is our life and we are the same! And this is when Eker bellows out loud and clear, “YOU ARE THE CAPTAIN!”
We hate being uncertain or confused so familiarity for us is essential. Your bodyguard (your mind) does not want you to change. It has turned into our PROTECTION DIRECTOR! And almost laughable is that if the mind doesn’t find a problem, it creates one because it gets bored! Bitching, criticising, judging…
What can you do?
The key is to separate yourself from your mind. This IS possible because you have a CHOICE. You can be objective as to whether you want to believe that voice in your head or not. You don’t have to believe your own mind!
This is where consciousness comes in. This word has been described as living from choice in the present versus the programming and habits from the past. Choosing to act on in the present moment. The mind doesn’t stop. I’d rather have a mind like Simba (see my last post) but I bet Simba would never wish to have a mind like mine. Learn to tame your mind. Train it to work for you, not against you.
The 4 Magic Words
This is a wonderful exercise that Eker uses before the mind gets momentum. When you are aware that your mind is saying something negative, you consciously make the choice of, ‘Do I want to entertain this thought?’ If you choose not to, say these four magical words:
“THANK YOU FOR SHARING“.
These words are meant to be said to the mind kindly because the mind, afterall, is only doing its primordial job. Then you create a new and empowering thought.
Some key notes:
You have the ability to control your thoughts.
You have the ability to remove any thought from your mind.
You have the ability to install any thought in your mind.
I, for one, during my mindful running and day-to-day activities will be trying this out for sure when my awareness is brought to any unproductive thoughts. How about giving it a go yourself?
“Conquer yourself and the whole universe is yours.”
Swami Vivekananda
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