All problems come from mind. No exceptions!
In his book “The Untethered Soul”, Michael Singer states…All problems come from mind. No exceptions!
We have to realize that all of the “problems” that we experience in life come from mind. It is not easy to always accept this truth, especially when are experiencing physical illness, loss of a loved one, a hurtful and toxic relationship, financial suffering etc.
There is increasing scientific evidence that speaks about our mind and physical health, but the idea of this blog post is not to focus on those topics right now.
I want to focus on the day to day dealings with your mind.
All Problems Come From Mind. No Exceptions!
We have to realise that for the vast majority of us, the mind is allowed to do whatever the heck it wants…without our permission and without our control.
It aimlessly wanders from one subject to the next and picks up on a variety of topics. It is a monkey mind and it may go something like this…
You jump into the shower and the mind’s narrative begins.
Oh this is so warm, I love this feeling, feels so good on my body. Yes my muscles are stiff from the workout. I’m doing really good with my fitness. I need to just do that cardio this afternoon and get rid of that little extra fat on my belly and get ready for summer.
Oh but I got that meeting this afternoon with Jimmy, Carol and my boss. This soap bar is nearly done, I must remember to put that on my shopping list. I can go to Vons during lunch. Maybe get that burrito across the street too.
No burritos…you’re on a health kick. Can’t wait for my cheat day. I have a few stubbles on my chin here. I missed a spot while shaving.
I need to get that electric razor from bed bath and beyond to save time. Yes and they also have those waffle machines. Oh a waffle machine would be great!
Oh my gosh Carol is so beautiful. I wonder if she’s married. She must be. But hey this is work, that would be inappropriate. Then your mind starts a fictitious story about what would happen if you asked her that question, she took it the wrong way and then human resources were involved.
She wouldn’t like me anyway, I’m not that good looking…just like when I was rejected by Melanie in High School and she dated that annoying guy Angus. Man he was a bully. I saw him on Facebook recently…What’s the time? I can’t be late for work. Oh I still have 5 minutes.
Yes I saw Angus surfing in the Maldives. Looked so cool. I wonder if I could do that trip sometime. Who would I ask? Brad, Brent, Dan, Scott…Oh no Scott just got that new job as Director of Marketing.
Man, I wish I could have a job like that. I wonder how much he is getting paid? I just didn’t have the degree and couldn’t afford to go to college after Dad died. I wonder what would have happened if dad hadn’t died…
…and on and on and on the mind goes.
It’s just rambling along going from one topic to the next. Next time you’re in the shower just try focus on fully experiencing the entire process and watch how your mind jumps around. Try just feel the warm sensation of the water on your body.
Mindfulness and Experiencing Life
Take in the fragrance of the soap and shampoo and the feel of it as it lathers on your skin and in your hair. It actually becomes a very difficult process as the monkey mind lurches forward on its own trip.
You might think…well so what Kenneth? I actually enjoy it and it is no problem for me. You’re right, it might seem harmless and not causing you any pain and anguish. The problem though arises when you want to stop it and you can’t.
When it starts spiralling into irrational fear and worry. When it turns to unrelenting self doubt and self criticism. When it starts replaying past life events and situations, that fill you with a myriad of negative emotions.
The problem comes in when you want to stop a certain line of thought, that rampages through your mind and becomes an unstoppable runaway train of negative emotion.
That’s when you wish you could control your mind.
All problems come from mind. No exceptions.
The Paradox of the Mind
We must realize that this mind or ours does the following…
It praises us,
It criticises us,
It loves us,
It hates us,
It torments and teases us,
It frustrates us,
It angers us,
It coaxes and lures us,
It congratulates us,
It judges us,
It shouts, it screams,
It creates,
It destroys,
It motivates us,
It procrastinates,
It worries,
It stresses,
It scares us,
It inspires us,
It encourages,
It discourages,
It calms us,
It confuses us,
It dreams,
It worries and doubts…
All problems come from mind. No exceptions!
This is the Same Mind
That same mind that motivates you to lose weight, get started with a training program and go on a diet. That same mind that motivates you to stay disciplined and not cheat. That same mind that then craves for that piece of chocolate and won’t stop edging you on until you have a little piece.
That same mind that made you have that piece, is the same mind that will then admonish you for doing it. That same mind that will then label you as weak, ill disciplined and destined to be “out of shape”.
Yes it is the same mind.
This is the same mind that loves someone, praises them and is grateful for having them in their life. Then based off the one action of that person…pivots into a vengeful rage of disappointment, regret and vindictiveness towards that same person.
That is the same mind.
The same mind that wants to stay calm and not react negatively to other people. The same mind that tells you this is the better way to live. It is the same mind that then reacts negatively when someone says something that “offends” you.
That same mind that loses it’s cool, gets angry and feels hurt. That same mind that then starts the blame game, the victim mentality and tells you how hard it is to enjoy inner calm and peace.
The same mind that then calms you down and praises you later on for noticing the problem and wanting to change.
The same mind that caused it.
At times it behaves like an absolute lunatic and to be honest if this was your friend and was always walking next to you, narrating everything aloud. You would eventually stop and tell it to leave.
Yep that is our mind. All problems come from mind. No exceptions!
So does that mean we are doomed?
No! Because we do have the ability to control the mind and direct it the way we want it to. We no longer have to be run by the monkey mind. No longer are we going to allow the tail to wag the dog. We’re going to take back control.
In the western world, we were never taught this. The mind can be controlled and silenced and it is simply a muscle. We have to work that muscle until it works for us, in just the same way we work out our muscles in the gym.
Your mind in incredibly powerful and it is not weak. The issue is that it is working against you and not for you.
How do we make the change?
I will go into more detail of each of these in separate blog posts. For now I just want to give you a brief idea of how to make that change.
I would rather you contemplate what I have been saying above.
You must want to make that change and say enough is enough.
- Mindfulness – This is all about being present in this moment and focusing your mind on the activity you are doing right now, without drifting off. That includes when we are having a conversation with people.
- Meditation – There are so many different types of meditation, but the goal is pretty much the same. To slow down the mind and become aware of our thoughts and our inner being. We cannot stop thought, but we can slow it down and become aware, while bringing our focus back to where we want it to be.
- Focus exercises – I like to do these where I can just focus on one object or item and try hold my concentration for as long as possible without being distracted. Controlling the mind.
- Having a Life Vision – This just gives our life direction, so we’re not meandering through life without any idea what the heck we’re doing and where we are going.
- Having daily goals – this allows to focus the energy of our day, so we know what we are doing and what we’re trying to achieve each day and each moment.
- Visualization and affirmations – these again allow us to control and direct our mind to those “things” that we want to attract or experience in our life.
The key to all of this, is having the desire, taking control and doing the work. You don’t want to wait until life throws you a curveball, before beginning. Do it now so you have the tools when you really need them.
All problems come from mind. No exceptions!
Change that. Start today.
Here’s to you living a life of inspiration.
Kenneth