Self Imposed Ignorance
The idea that there is a connection between the thoughts generated by our mind and the physical phenomenon we experience has never received much attention. Awareness of this particular reality carries too many potentially dangerous implications for those of us who have a vested interest in maintaining a certain level of ignorance in this area. That vested interest has to do with the process by which we avoid becoming aware of certain experiences that we don't want to revisit, and in order to accomplish that avoidance, we numb our awareness to the physical component of those experiences, for example; stomach muscles that are held so tight that they are very painful if not suppressed by our will until we are no longer conscious of them.
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This form of self imposed ignorance is usually called denial and denial is usually perceived as a bad thing, and yes, it can become very problematic if left unchecked. But in severe cases, this can also be a survival mechanism such as a traumatic event that our system is unprepared to deal with properly at the time. These become problems when we don't find the courage to get back to them and close them out. They get submerged into our unconscious and express themselves in subtle ways that we are not aware of, yet impact our lives by interfering with our growth, development and achievement.
The Undisciplined Mind
The connection between our mind and our body is not too difficult to figure out. Just think about stress and anxiety and where those phenomenon originate. I first became aware of this connection as a result of my attempts to achieve a higher level of self awareness through the practice of meditation. It was when I was thinking about the processes that take place right at the moment when I awaken in the morning. Whatever those processes were, they had the power to set the stage for my entire day, so it was important to get a handle on what was going on.
Since I schedule my meditation session in the morning after I drink a cup of coffee to get my engine up and running, and one of the first challenges that I'm faced with in my meditation session is getting relaxed, I eventually began to wonder why I needed to relax so early in the morning? Where did all that tension and stress come from so quickly? And over the next week or so I began to place my attention on this issue and discovered that it was just another case of the consequences of the undisciplined mind.
Who Is Playing The Music?
The second our consciousness rises up out of our night's sleep, our mind starts up with its constant random chatter and some of this chatter is made up of habitual thought patterns that we long ago stopped being consciously aware of. Thoughts about what we need to get done that day, how we will take care of this or that, a thousand things bombard our senses from the environment without and the environment within. But we are not only unaware of these thoughts, but also the physical impact they have on us which manifests as stress and tension in our muscles.
Now I don't know about you, but I object to the idea that what I'm experiencing in my life is not under my command. Just who the hell is playing the music that I am dancing to? And of course this question led me to the ego that I sometimes deceive myself into believing is the real me. This is not our actual self but rather our idea, our mental image of ourselves. This is the self that is obsessed with greed, hatred and delusion, the seeds of all misery.
The Power Of Knowledge
Knowing not only that the connection between our thoughts and our physical experiences exists, but also how this interaction works, gives us enormous power over our own lives in the present moment and beyond. We do not have to be the helpless victims of our own unconscious thought patterns. We can make conscious decisions regarding what we will think and therefore what we will feel. If you are aware of your capacity for creative power, then you already know how to use the power of your subconscious mind to reprogram your thought patterns, if you are not aware of your own power yet I created an e-book that can take you there, to which I will provide a link below.
But in the meantime there is a quick but temporary way to deal with a lack of personal mental discipline. When you turn in for a night of sleep, consciously give yourself (subconscious mind) instructions for the next day, especially the next morning. Set yourself up for the kind of day you want to have. This may not be as intuitive as you might think, sometimes it means going at this in a kind of sideways fashion. For example; try to be open and loving rather than seeking self serving objectives. Starting your day with a loving and compassionate mindset sometimes works better than a desire for personal happiness. Experiment with different instructions and find the ones that work best for you.
There is a great e-book that explores success failure and power here.
Robert Darby is a self change and personal development specialist who writes for many organizations including The Agenda Of Life Foundation He focuses on developing personal power since that is usually the cause of all Human problems. Largely due to his fearless exploration of the true nature of our inner reality, R.E. Darby is emerging as an important writer of our time.