In the past you would most likely be on your own. There may have been others dotted around the world, perhaps even some who lived near you, but you had no real way of contacting them, never mind knowing where they were.
Beliefs used to be lodged just in our own minds.
And that’s where they stayed, doing little harm, appearing now and again, with a little flurry of activity by yourself. But, it was just some personal viewpoint. An unusual, maybe weird, but still plausible belief you had.
No-one got hot under the collar, life went on.
Then….along came the internet.
And all manner of beliefs exploded into life.
This thinking is alien to me.
Our beliefs used to be pretty harmless.
You went to the pub and some fella would tell you after a few pints that the moon landing was faked. Or maybe it was that Elvis was still alive. Hey, even you might have thrown in that aliens lived among us and the Royal Family were all from another planet.
You shared your stranger beliefs and went home to bed.
Not so today. Where you previously lived in a world of one, belief wise, now you can search for and connect to a whole community of others that know where Elvis lives and that Prince William is from Venus.
This tells your mind that what you believe IS true. Other people all round the world have the same view so clearly it is an unchallengeable fact. This cements further into your mind helped by accessing this online community of self believers every day further fixing in that conviction.
The trouble is, this is generally the law of averages at work.
You only need a group of 30 people and, on average, you will find someone with the same birthday as you. Go online and on social media with a few billion users, there will be those that think like you think.
It’s less meaning, and just more mathematical.
Firm your foundations.
Our beliefs are the very bedrock of our lives.
They are the foundation of how we live life, behave, communicate and connect, and think. No-one exists without this foundation. It’s your operating manual for your whole existence.
As it’s that crucial to everything you are and experience, you have to base this foundation on solid ground. On beliefs and thinking that can be backed up and strong to hold all things up for you. Otherwise it’s akin to building a skyscraper on sand. It (your beliefs and life) can collapse around you.
This can include incorrect negative beliefs about yourself (no-one likes me, I am ugly etc) as well as the Universe is a hologram or the Bible contains secret codes when the second coming will occur.
Wilder thoughts may feel good, but you can’t form a good life from them.
Thinking the Loch Ness monster is real is lovely, but it most likely won’t pay the bills, find a life long partner, and develop a career path that will serve you. Don’t get me wrong; believing that is your freedom and go fill your boots. It just won’t do anything supportive for your life.
And that’s what thoughts and beliefs are meant to do.
Celebrity or nobody? Naughty or nice?
Beliefs can help us, or hold us back.
It’s not just the weird and wacky that do that. It’s our own personal set of hang ups that achieve that every single day. The ones that go round our head and drive our actions and decisions. Like mice on a wheel.
Some hold us back – we truly think we’re never going to be successful, never meant to find a proper partner, that the world is against us and others along those lines. Ones that confirm in our head that we are a nobody overall.
Others elevate us – we consider we are going to be a star, or are an important person, someone who expects to be treated as royalty, and one others want to be around and look for. Ones that prove, also in our head, that we are a celebrity.
Truth is, many of us struggle to find that middle mental ground.
The balanced centred that knows, for example, that we have great potential and are as worthy as anyone else. With it that we deserve as good a life as possible and can be successful in our own way but not arrogant or self important with it.
This equates to the title of this post – everything really IS in our mind. Whether we are good or bad, happy or sad, saint or sinner, talented or completely unskilled.
From Nessie to NASA, being a born loser or winner, it’s what we believe in our head.
Believe better, but believe real.
Beliefs feel real.
The more we repeat them, the more they become absolute truth to us.
Neural pathways are built in the mind, like superhighways full of fast cars, that transmit hyper quick reactions due their regular use. This means no other thinking can interrupt those thoughts at those rocket like speeds.
Therefore they are the ones that hit the awareness and keep hitting it and filling it up. Making them THE beliefs that are authentic to you.
So whether you believe you are destined to always be dumped by a partner, or that UFO’s are everywhere and a government conspiracy, it will become your dominant thinking.
But, these don’t progress your life.
They don’t do anything expansive, productive, and helpful to you. You need to test them by taking them on. Did Elvis REALLY serve you down the chip shop? Are you ACTUALLY always being ignored for promotion? And is it true that you, as much as anyone, will never have money in your lifetime?
Get the answers to where your mind isn’t improving your life and you will discover one massive truth.
That what you believe really IS in your mind.
Then you can change it and change your life for something better!
A supercomputer housed in their brain ready to do phenomenal things.
But most also believe that it is only the geniuses and super intelligent that can really use it to create what has never been seen or never been done before.
And it is that fact that is preventing every day people doing something notable or very different that makes its mark and changes their life for ever. But not others. They brought something amazingly new. It’s not that they aimed to cause a shift in thinking or a stir, it is that they did it their way because it’s what their mind showed them. They originated and formulated an epic difference.
The impact was instantaneous.
You possess the very same mental capacity and capability as they did.
To take your individual mind and create something that has never existed and bring it to life. Something people could still be talking about many years later.
For starters let’s take one man who managed to do just that and changed the face of sport in the biggest arena possible.
The Unique Olympian.
The most famous golden Olympic moments tend to be related to world records.
Mega displays of athleticism that become the best ever witnessed on Earth.
But, one moment by one athlete still stands stellar towards the top of Olympic history before any medal was anywhere near being awarded. What did you think he did?
It’s 1968. The Mexico Olympic Games. A young 21 year old American Oregon State University student runs up to take his first leap in the high jump. It is what he did next that shocked sport and rewrote the technical books.
The traditionally applied high jumping technique saw athletes face forwards and spring over the bar like taking a hurdle on the track and twist in mid to avoid the bar. But this man threw all that out and brought innovation to the Games. His unique style was to jump backwards off the wrong foot and arch his back over the measurement bar.
The Fosbury Flop was born and still remains the chosen style of high jumpers nearly 60 years later.
In an instance Dick Fosbury reinvented high jumping and our approach to tried and tested styles. He was radical, innovative, and plain bold.
And not only did he win the gold, yes, he also set a new Olympic record. He was the best in the world through a technique he developed in his mind because he couldn’t even qualify for the event at high school using the regular methodology.
He could have believed he was simply no good at high jumping.
But he thought otherwise, he thought individually.
What is art?
Fine art had a certain style.
Historically it was influenced chiefly by abstract expressionism such as Cubism and the classic styles. There had been variants but they never strayed far from the established workings.
But, times were changing and consumerism was on the rise due to a growth in popular advertising. The design elements of contemporary brands were appealing to a wider section of the public through their colours and shapes and vivacity. This was far from art of course. Not to one man
He saw that a burgeoning industry could also represent a fresh form in the artistic field.
For him they weren’t separate entities, they were one in the same.
He took these everyday product items and reworked them into special subjects that originated a brand new genre of art. He created art that no other mind could ever had imagined previously. Art was changed forever and a new sub culture exploded onto the scene.
That man was Andy Warhol. A genius today; a rebel, and outlier, a maverick back in the 1960’s. Perhaps the first influencer we ever knew with his bright silkscreen Pop Movement designs.
Another who had an individual approach he wasn’t scared of presenting.
So, what about you?
Always the original.
There is a famous advice that says – you were born an original, don’t die a copy.
But in a world of fitting in, that’s precisely what the vast majority of us do. Regular job, nice home, partner and kids, reasonable car, some weekly hobbies and interests, a holiday or two a year, retire, then die. All pretty much along the same themed pattern….be like most others are.
However, I believe there is a Dick Fosbury or Andy Warhol in us all somewhere in our own way.
And our own mind is where that person sits awaiting permission to come to life. Some idea, service, fashion sense, video recording skills, writing ability, artistic work, and business offering is in there. You just haven’t accessed it because you want to jump like Dick did or present art like Andy did with it. To be different and stand out. To unlock your individual mentality and let it come to life.
Truth – you have always been an original, so why act or live like you are everyone else?
You were born to be different, stand out, shake things up, move the goalposts, break the mould and more. In your mind what you conceive is some of that. Go win your own gold medal at being you. Go paint a whole new world with your life.
Be the one-of-a-kind you were meant to be. The one your mind knows you are.
You only have one job now…
Open your mind and be individual and incredible all in one.
References – Olympics.com – when high jumper Dick Fosbury changed the game forever.
Myartbroker.com – Andy Warhol original influencer artist.
Have you ever watched a film about, or ending in, a trial?
In it a defendant is in the dock charged with some serious crime or terrible deed. As it’s a major offence they are tried before a jury. Ordinary members of society picked to be a fair representation of the public.
The trial sets out the various accusations and evidence against the accused, while the defence will attempt to disprove and cast doubt on these facts.
The judge – a very learned and respected individual under the law – presides over the proceedings. Their role is to ensure a fair, just trial is granted and that all correct legal elements were presented as the trial was conducted.
Trial done and all evidence and counter arguments delivered, it becomes the turn of the jury to deliberate whether the defendant was guilty or not guilty. This ensures that fairness and equality were afforded to the implicated prisoner.
Judge and jury independent from each other to assure fair play.
But, just imagine what we happen if the judge decided he was also the jury? That they are the decider and potential executioner in one?
Well, you don’t need a court room for this scenario.
Many of us have a judge and jury mind that works exactly like this!
Guilty as believed.
Some would say that life itself is a trial.
A test we have to continually get through. One that feels like a prison to some. No matter what they have done, or tried to do, in certain situations, very little has gone their way. From love to money, career to plain old good luck, all of the happy outcomes have gone to others.
This is the first flaw in thinking.
It perceives life is being personal. That it is singling them out to experience the worst, while plenty more get given the best. The end result? They have become a victim and born to lose. Once that sets in, the judge and jury mindset won’t be too far behind.
A mindset that is convinced that whatever they want to achieve, they are not good enough, talented enough, or lucky enough. From dating to daring business ideas, they sit in judgement over themselves and pass sentence. Guilty as charged on all negative things that make them never win at anything.
Except the real crime here is to be guilty in belief.
Guilty of deciding both as the judge and jury that a bad future or outcome lies ahead for any wish or goal. So kill it now. Lock it up before it has any chance of escape. Don’t let it out. It can never ever be in public again. It is wrong and must be kept away and protected from the world at large.
The judge and jury mind has spoken. Or thought.
You are free to go.
If you experience this train of thought, worry not. It does not have to be a life sentence.
You can break the chains of this mindset.
This is the second flaw in thinking.
If you can think it one way, you can rethink it back the other. You have to use just one voice. Your own that wants to do the thing you wish – get the date, open the shop, get promoted etc. Use that ONLY.
Be alert for the second voice in your head that starts whispering negatives and how it will all be a disaster. The one that shows you all the awful images to match. You know the ones!
Quell that, tell it to shut up, go away, and encourage your goal focused mind. Keep reminding yourself this is what you want, that it’s right for you, that it’s going to be OK….and all those types of promising statements.
And go even further and break those shackles of inaction – DO the idea/take the first step and throw caution to the wind. Make the call, register a business name, approach your boss about stepping up. Go after it. Release yourself by not ever judging yourself in advance again.
The world will never ever judge you the same as you do in your head. It’s actually waiting for who you are. It always has been. So, go wow it.
Become a free mental soul. Big yourself up, not consign yourself to defeat. Think BIG. Be bigger. Go do. Go be.
Clear your made up bad name and clear your blameful head. There is a big future for you.
And the jury ISN’T out for that. You are free to GO, GO, GO!!
Five thoughts, ideas, insights, or quotes to power up your mind to think differently and creatively about life and who we are. Put all previous thinking away and open up a brand new world of the Supermind. YOUR SuperMind.
This week – Life After Death.
The only thing guaranteed to happen to every single one of us is death. No-one gets off this planet alive. But when we do is it the end? Do we walk through death’s door never to return? Or is there life after death and another world or whole new existence? SMS probes the possibilities.
1. Bodies or Spirits?
Death is our last bodily experience on Earth. But maybe that body was only built for a physical mortal life. Once it comes to and end we metamorphosise into another type of body that is more a spirit form. A spirit type essence that we wouldn’t understand so we are not built with the knowledge of this. We don’t ‘know’ but we sense something. A kind of inner knowing instinct.
Are our senses that there is another existence beyond this one accurate? Can we trust them? Or is to all pure hope?
2. A forever soul?
Around the engine of a car is the body. A specially constructed shell that houses the powerhouse of the vehicle. Maybe then, our human body is also a shell that houses our own force that powers existence. As the body lasts as long as our human life does, if we go on what is our own inner power element everything is based on? That forever part? The No.1 belief of those who say we can’t ever dies is the so-called soul. The never ending personal essence that is part of everything that is and will be. One that exists right here now as we live our mortal years.
Do we have a forever element? And is that a soul? What is a ‘soul’?
3. Can we prove it?
Life after death is a belief, just like whether there is a heaven or a hell. So too though is the view that death is only death. We will all find out one day but until then, whatever deaths leads to we have to wait and see. Now the growing band of spiritualists would counter otherwise. They would cite plenty of examples of those who have ‘come back’ to share proof of their existence in the afterlife. Could that be the only proof we have? There could be another way….
As science is so advanced now, can we use it to begin proving life after death?What is the best way to do this?
4. The danger of knowing.
As it stands right now, life ends when we pass away. Done. Ended. Finito. Armed with that fact we focus on building the best and/or happiest life possible between cradle and grave. We take risks but overall nothing cavalier or perilous as we want to survive and stay alive as long as possible. The threat of death and our final demise leads us to choosing a measured path through life.
But, if we DID know that there was another life to come how would we live this one? Would the world fall apart as there would be no ultimate consequence to our actions? And is it THIS reason why we aren’t granted true knowledge of afterlife living?
5. Is one life enough anyway?
Now this whole post has been based upon on a core assumption. That people would want to live on in some form. It’s most people’s natural instinct after all. It may not be a human type existence, but, well, it would be life after all. But what about those who think one life is enough? There are those who want one life and to cram as much as possible into it. For them it’s about the experience rather than the life. So….
Is one life enough if we live it our way? Do we really want to keep on living again and again with no seeming end?
Ok, that’s another SuperMind Saturday done. Thank you for being here for the SuperMind time. Keep thinking about these. It’s good to have some depth to thinking. We need more minds thinking about this issue and the others issue on SuperMind Saturdays. Life takes on a whole new meaning when we do!
See you next time for more super thinking.
Photo attributions – Free to use under Pixabay Content License by Ajale and geralt
Years and years of repeated patterns of thinking have hard wired your thinking. This means that what you believe, you tend to continue to believe, Which transfers to what you see, what you consider is happening, and what it will all result in.
So, does this mean it can never be changed?
That your mind is stuck in one set mindset?
The short answer is no. The longer answer is also no.
For any situation all you need to do is to train it to reframe it.
Create a new picture.
Modern technology allows us to almost do anything with an image.
We can resize it, recolour it, cut it to remove parts, and add anything to it. In effect create a completely different image from what we first have.
The good news is we have an ancient technological counterpart as part of us that achieves the very same thing with events in our life. Our mind. The ultimate editing and enhancement tool. It’s a kind of genetic software that gives us power to alter any current image of life we have in our heads.
One that can flip a scenario to paint a very different picture.
Also known as reframing. It’s a mental miracle worker.
Imagine something that happened to you in the past. Find one that was upsetting or confusing or similar emotion at the time. To help you (and keep it less distressing or too much of a bad reminder) I will use the example of you being overlooked for promotion. For the third time (but please keep your own to follow as we reframe).
That hurt. It felt like rejection. Personal even. And that you were not valued at all. You couldn’t let it go. Your heart wasn’t in your work and you lost any enthusiasm for the role. In fact, your interest in the career field suffered and you became rather lost. One decision by a few others, became a life time of bitter decisions by you.
If you could change how you viewed it at the time, you could have changed everything that resulted in the following years. And this applies to your past situation that floored you.
How could your mind be changed then?
We see with our beliefs.
You think that you see with your eyes.
But, you don’t. You see with your beliefs. I have covered this mindset trait before in the post about Mindsight.
Whatever you go through, nothing is there bar the meaning your mind attaches to it. Or as Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, ‘Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so’.
The mind does not know what is real or not. It relies on definition of reality from us. No matter what occurs, we give it a label, add an emotion, and inform the mind accordingly. Which is why 10 people can see the same situation and all process it their own way.
But, this is good news. It gives YOU the power to relabel or reframe anything that is happening, has happened, or will happen.
So, where do you start with this?
Go back to the past!
Win the game.
It’s not easy to reframe what you haven’t yet met.
Better still to go over past occurrences and practice your reframing.
It goes something like this – your school sweetheart dumped you after 5 years, but it enabled you to grow up, become responsible, and find a partner who will match that more mature you.
The career you so wanted to succeed in fell apart, but you ended up discovering new skills you didn’t know you had that have served you well.
In short revisit old troubles and reframe the upsides that came out of them.
They may not have been there at the time, but most definitely resulted from those upsetting moments.
You will be reframing your mind to kick the habit of negative remembering in favour of beneficial recognising. Good outcomes always arise out of most scenarios if we reframe our mind to look for them. They are there, maybe not instantly, but most certainly eventually.
Continue to return to old haunts that bothered you and reframe them. Don’t let up. After a short while your mind is going to love it and feel its natural. Then simply take on today in what’s proving a hang up now. You have no future proof this time but view it all like your past victories after pain.
Good things came and they are going to again right now. Reframe today as the opportunity presenting itself for unseen, but guaranteed to appear wins ahead.
Let’s finish with this that shows how well it works – instead of being 40 and wishing you were 15 again, think if you were 75 wishing you were 40….which you are!!
That’s the reframe game.
Play it to paint masterful new pictures in your mind and life!
