In many of the wisdom teachings, the mind is the culprit for unhappiness. Buddha said, “The mind is everything. What you think you become.”
Often in Buddhism, the term “monkey mind” is used referring to the swinging from thought to thought and the chattering and endless carrying on that happens in our minds. This busyness begins upon awaking and ends with our last and final thoughts when we go to sleep.
The monkey mind judges, condemns, critiques, holds biases and discriminates… all day long. It compares, it bolsters, it minimizes, it ridicules, it can even take on different intonations. I have a “Who do you think you are?” voice that reprimands me and sounds like my dad!
Every human being has had authority figures who did their best to guide us in life. These people probably said NO a hundred more times than they said yes, and lots of commands such as “don’t do this and don’t be that and don’t think this way and don’t try that.” These still live in our unconscious minds. They are referred to as internalized parental invalidation and activate shame, guilt, fear and unworthiness. Did you know this? Does it sound or feel familiar?
Self-awareness is merely the ability to listen, observe and make grown up choices about how we conduct ourselves from the inside out.
That’s it. I am not going to complicate this any further. If you want to start anew, watch your mind. You can begin right now, or better yet, make an agreement to catch your first morning thought when you wake up tomorrow. Look at that thought and ask yourself if it matches what you want the energy of your day to reflect.
I have a saying: “You can’t control your first thought but you can choose the second.” Give yourself the gift of making your thoughts match your desires and the outcomes you would like to experience.
Think about your language. Eliminate negative phrasing and use positive, affirmative outcome-related words that will create good intentions for you to manifest.
For example, instead of saying, “I can’t remember things as easily as I used to," you can say, “I am choosing to remember things easily and like how my brain is working.” These are some techniques of positive and affirmative self-talk. Try it, you’ll like it!!!
Independence Day is this month –
imagine the freedom that comes with self-awareness
and making healthy grown up choices…