Productive Thinking: Talk to Your Mind

Your mind should work for you, not the other way around….

Hello Mind. How are you today?

Thanks for figuring all that stuff out yesterday, last week and last year. You are so cool. Thanks for that “A” in literature and that “B” in science too. I really appreciate the way that you are there for me when I need you.

I’d like to be even better friends with you if you don’t mind. I want the best for you.

At the same time lets remember that you work for me. It is your job to keep me out of trouble or in just enough trouble to keep my life interesting. Most of the work you do for me, figuring stuff out, getting me from here to there and such is quite well done.

But I would appreciate it if you would lighten up a little bit. It is worth remembering that just because you throw a thought my way that doesn’t mean I have to do what you say. It is you who work for me not me who works for you. And while you are very, very important to me you aren’t nearly all of me. So, if you lighten up, let me sleep in the middle of the night and you don’t threaten me with embarrassment or the end of the world I would really appreciate it.

In return for you being a little more settled and a little less reactionary I will take you out on the town more often. I will introduce you to some new and interesting minds and I will give you some “me meditation time.”

I know you just want the best for me but remember that sometimes you don’t know what is best. Sometimes how I feel is more important than what you think.

I want to make sure to support you, making your job easier and more fun.

Busier isn’t Necessarily Better

Let’s turn over a new leaf. Let’s give you more free time and still have you accomplish the things you need to do. Let’s remember that you don’t need to keep your nose to the thought stone all the time. There is such a thing as time off and there is time on. When I need you to be on, like in the meeting tomorrow or when I am trying to figure out stuff I would appreciate your full focus.

But when it is evening or Sunday or a break I would really appreciate it if you would keep your thoughts to yourself and just relax and chill out. I know that it seems like you have to control stuff all the time but really you don’t. I would like you, and me, to be able to tell the difference between control and entertainment. When it is time for entertainment you don’t really need to think anything at all. Or, you can ponder the big picture and how we relate to the universe.

Being less busy will have you think more clearly and be more relaxed. You don’t have to be on all the time and most of the time you don’t really need to control anything.

There are Very Few Emergencies in Life

Remember last week when you yelled at me that I was in deep trouble at work and that time when you got so upset about the way my daughter talked to me and the other time, in the middle of the night when you got scared: well, all of those times have one thing in common.

You panicked.

You considered a situation that wasn’t an emergency to be an emergency. What I would like you to know is that there really aren’t very many emergencies in life. That time when I was falling asleep driving was an emergency, that time when I thought my spouse was cheating on me wasn’t an emergency.

An emergency is when something has to be done right away. Most times there is nothing that has to be done fast. A little pause can often refresh us and provide perspective.

If we practice not having emergencies we can begin to tell when there is one and when there isn’t. But remember that there have only been a few emergencies and you have claimed that there were loads of them. I would really appreciate fewer pulls of the fire alarm when there is no fire.

Lighten up and let go

Part of my job is to show you a good time. In order to do that I need to anticipate what you need and provide it for you. If you need me to get up and move around even though there is a deadline at work I will. If you need more input before you make a decision I will do my best to get that information for you.

I won’t automatically do what you say but I promise to take care of you and remember that you are always doing your best. I know that it isn’t easy to be you. You are so dependent on me for moving you around, since you can’t really do anything yourself. I will do everything I can for you and I would greatly appreciate it if you would lighten up a bit in return.

You don’t have to tell me the same thing repeatedly. In fact, part of lightening up is for us to trust each other. Just because I am not serious or worried doesn’t mean that I haven’t heard your warnings. It is more likely an indication that you are taking yourself just a little too seriously.

There are very few things that you need to tell me more than once. Those times that you say the same thing over and over again in ever louder tones really aren’t working for me. Trust me a little bit. I will take care of you. I understand that you get carried away when you are angry or scared but please allow our body to take care of those time. It is built to do so. Let the anger or fear flow through our body rather than forcing you up against the wall.

Anatomy of Thoughts

You have two main jobs, to take care of us and to entertain us. These two are completely different but there are some easy ways to tell which one you should be doing.

Your primary job is to entertain us. So, when in doubt, provide entertainment.

Yes, your main job really is to entertain. There are plenty of other parts of us that will make sure we run away if we need to or prepare for the meeting or get things done. I would like you to be the life cruise entertainment director.

I know this is a stretch for you. I know it doesn’t seem logical or rational and I know it flies in the face of how important you think you are. But really, with a little bit of serious input from you and a whole lot of lightening up we will spend more time here present and less time in illusion and we will have way more fun.

Entertaining us more often is as simple as thinking outside the box. Feel free to offer thoughts that don’t make sense to you. Be creative, borrow liberally from other data bases and remember that subjects aren’t as cut and dried as they seem. You might have learned something playing tennis yesterday that will assist you in the meeting today. Any thought can be useful just as any thought can be a distraction.

When you get too serious you forget that distraction is part of entertainment.

Thinking outside the box is a bit like taking the road less travelled. The scenery is interesting which makes life more interesting.

Sometimes you can question your own thoughts, providing perspective on yourself.

What would it be like if you didn’t have to take yourself seriously? We will have an anatomy class in which you will learn the structure of thoughts and thinking. This is really cool stuff because it will allow you to take any thought apart. As you take thoughts apart you will discover how they are built and soon you will be able to create any thought you want. The range of thoughts you can build will increase as will your flexibility. You will get way better at thinking. Yikes, that is using thoughts as entertainment!

Returning to Your Senses

When in doubt you don’t need to panic just return to your senses. Notice what you see, hear and feel and smell and taste. Senses will remind you of what is really here and where you are. Senses will help you be more present and will relax you because they are more real than your thoughts. They actually are the building blocks of thoughts. Every thought you have is made up of pictures, sounds, feelings, smells and tastes. Noticing your senses will keep you from getting too carried away.

Whenever life seems serious or you think we’re in trouble, notice pictures, sounds, feelings, smells and tastes. You can notice them outside of you or inside of you. They can be real or made up. It doesn’t matter where you find them, so long as you do!

You don’t even need to be upset to return to your senses. You can return to them anytime you want more peace, power or presence.

They are your own secret recipe to a better life and a happier mindset.

Life is a party and Earth is our playground. When we can remember that we have a great relationship and lots of fun. When we forget that, it is time to remember it again. Returning to our senses does just that. It reminds us that this is really our place to play for a short while. It also reminds us that we are in this together and the only way it can be less fun is when we get serious or panic or suffer.

I am so proud of your ability to learn. I am so pleased to have you on my team. We can work things out. We really can, but we can only do so moment to moment. We get to relate continually and it isn’t really possible to be prepared for anytime other than right now. Lets meet often, play together always in this place called NOW. Nothing is ever wrong now. So lets be here now playing and working together to make our life really worth living.

Thanks for all you have figured out and all that you will.

Time for Vacation

Yes, you dear mind are in for quite a party. It will be a working vacation with plenty of free time and internal insights to see. You will meet many new friends (other aspects of us). You won’t be obligated to do a darned thing. I do know that might sound scary but I assure you it won’t be.

Remember when you were young, curious, open and eager to learn? Those were the days and you will return to them. You will return wiser. Thus, you will have even more fun than when you were little.

You are going to return to that youthful learning and curiosity, you are going to be relieved rather than burdened by what you know and you are going to lighten up. You won’t lighten up because you have to. You will lighten up because that is simply the best way to get things done. Lightening up is, by far, the best way to be ready for the next challenge or the next moment.

I promise that you are in for a treat here – A treat in which each moment is better than the last. You are in for a wonderful time in which you don’t have to be scared, in which you can have fun thinking again.

You, dear sweet mind, are going to love this journey. Trust me, You deserve a bit of relief and that is exactly what you are going to get. I love you dear, hard working mind. Now let’s remind you that you are youthful, flexible, open, clairvoyant, and fun.