Whose Mind Is It Anyway?

I recently read a gem of a book by Lisa and Franco Esile called Whose Mind Is It Anyway? Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life. It was a quick read – under an hour. Plus it had pictures! How often can you say that about a business book? It’s not touted as that, but it really is a book for you and your business. Plus, these people have a sense of humor! Again, not always a feature of a biz book. (It starts off with a drawing that admits the truth that we all avoid saying – people read on the toilet. OK, I said it. It’s out there.) Most importantly, it gets you past all the mind’s tricks and into your own deep wisdom. It helped me see a problem I was dealing with in a new way, and it’s now resolved! I was so impressed with its funny wisdom that I wanted to share these nuggets from the book with you: Nugget #1: We think we are our mind. Not good. We’re more than just our thinking. Thinking is not wisdom, it’s just, well, thinking – judging, assuming, oversimplifying, looking for patterns to see what fits into what we already believe. Doesn’t allow for much new perspective, does it? And that illogical inspiration within us is what is connected to everything, in the deepest sense. We’re more than our mind. We have deeper wisdom. Nugget #2: Feeling stressed Is a choice. Talk about poking the bear! That one really hit home for me, especially as I’d had a stressful day before I read it. You are the creator of your own reality. And your mind will think what it thinks. That’s what it’s built to do. Where your choice comes in is in what you believe and how you respond. Nugget #3: More control is not the answer. We entrepreneurs can get into a control habit in our businesses. Paying attention to details, getting everyone to pay attention to them too. At a certain point, you have to stop being a control freak and trust. Trust that you can handle whatever pops up. Trust that it will all work out. Feel more relaxed already? Nugget #4: Your mind is a bad student. We think of our minds as being a willing and even enthusiastic learner. I’m not just talking about collecting facts here. I’m talking about learning that leads to change. The mind resists change. Change involves discomfort. It involves risk, even if calculated. For you to grow your business, and right along with that, for you to grow yourself, change is essential. So expect your mind to be a reluctant partner, and for the things that are important, bring it along anyway. Nugget #5: Mind as team member. Partnering up your mind with your intuition, your heart, is a great combination. Neither needs to lead on its own. The heart won’t remind you to check on invoice payments or collaborate or take action. Your mind will. Accept it as a team player. It’s messier, but it’s the whole you coming into play for your business and your impact. And that’s a good thing, for all of us. Check out this little book – it has big nuggets of wisdom for you and your business.