Matters of the mind

Why does the mind panic when we try to silence it for a moment? It is never in any danger when we try to slow down the flow of our thoughts. It is only different from what it is used to do. The mind is afraid of things that are new, and this can become a problem because every day brings something new.

So, to make the best of life we need to be open to what is new. Your mind is a tool that helps you make sense of the world around you, but it is not the only one you have. For a clear image of what you are living, you need to listen to your heart also.

The ability to understand the world is essential to your survival, first, and then to your evolution. Your image of reality will always be a little crooked, but the amount of error can be reduced by learning to use information from both your mind and your heart when forming the image.

You should always listen when the mind tells you it is afraid, but this is not a reason to stop. It is better to treat this as a signal to pay attention because things are different from what you are used to. None of your progress was possible without you facing something that was unfamiliar, and being transformed by it.

In the moments when you are pushed outside from the comfort of what you know, it is useful to use all of your abilities to help you evolve past this current struggle. When you learn to make the mind work together with your heart, you’ll be able to face every new wave without going under.

What am I choosing each day? I try to pay attention to my choices, to find an answer to this, but many times I lose sight of what I’m thinking. My mind is constantly flooded by thoughts. Most come and go without me being aware, but I hope the ones I manage to observe paint an accurate image of who I am.

The thoughts that make up who I believe to be are only stories I choose to tell myself about what is really happening in my life. I have let in every story that inhabits my mind, even the ones that I am afraid of. This is why, from time to time, I find myself pushed towards endings that frighten me.

When a story stays for too long in my mind, it causes the mind to believe that this story is true, and everything that is trying to change it needs to be chased away. The story must be protected. Some of us are not very good at deciding what stories to keep, and we end up holding on to the wrong ones. The ones that keep us in a small box instead of allowing us to grow.

The good news is that every story that we believe can be changed. There are some steps for this. First, you need to become aware of the stories that have the most power over you. Second, you have to question everything about them. Third, you start changing the parts you find not to be true anymore.

You are strong enough to make your story up as you go, so pay attention to what you are adding to it.

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