So this week has been a wild one.
I’ve had a lot of fun with a lot of
Friends and family and even got
A little closer to a few key milestones
That I set for myself this year.
But I’ve also had a huge set back
Grandma bear is not doing well
And it’s looking like we are
Nearing the end of her winter years
And we will have to soon
Have to say goodbye.
But that’s not what I wanted to
Talk about today. In interest of
Trying to stay on topic
I want us to keep running with
This theory of the mind that
We’ve had this week.
Yesterday, I told you about how
I (kinda) remembered how my
Bike got stolen out of my car.
You see memory is a funny thing.
It’s a well known fact in the
Scientific community that
Your memory changes every time you
Recall something from your past.
The explanation for why that happens
Is a little too complex to explain today
But let’s just say that emotions play
A huge part in what we remember about
Our past and what potential we believe
Is possible for our future.
So the question remains…
Is our brain lying to us?
Well in a word yes, but for very good reason
In fact, it’s happening all the time, but what’s
Important is to find that balance of
Biology and objectivism that will help you
To develop your knowledge, creativity, and focus
That leads to the good life.
If you think about it, it’s kinduvamazing
That our brain can perform so many functions
And fast to boot.
I don’t remember exactly how many it is,
Something like 144,000 gigabytes of info
A second or some astronomical number
But either way it’s nothing short of
Phenomenal how we can do so much
With that wrinkled gooey mess.
Because there is so much we have to process
Our mind sometimes plays tricks on us and
Tells us stories. We begin to believe that
Those stories are true and then that story
Gets replayed over and over in our head.
I’ve been a victim of that myself.
But I recently found that you can simply
Change your story by changing your focus.
You see broham, I had been making the mistake
Of focusing on the wrong thing, according to
Mindfulness guru Shauna Shapiro.
I like, most people think about things I
Want to fix in my life, things that made me
Feel shame and anxiety.
During a recent meditation session what
She said suddenly just clicked with me.
By focusing on those things that made me
Feel shame I was growing my shame and
Anxiety in general.
It took me a while to get this, but I finally
Realized that when you focus your attention
With kindness and with complete compassion
You begin to feel the release of anxiety and shame
And those things you wanted to fix
Become rather things that need your love and kind
Attention.
So what are you ashamed of?
What lies are you telling yourself?
The biggest lie that many people tell themselves
Is that they are okay when they are clearly not.
I would have you consider that what you practice
Is what you strengthen.
Practice compassion and kindness
And watch as it develops first within you
And evolves to affect every aspect of life.
Jerry “practicing” Washington
P.S. I’ve started a group that practices this same
Compassion and kind attention that has
Been helping people live the good life through
Understanding and awareness of their thoughts
If you would like to see how that works, click
To join my private Facebook group
Project SELFFY. Talk soon…
