Work with the mind, not against it

Everything I write, everything I say, everything I do, everything I point you to is very simply designed to help you…

Think less, and live more.

Because there’s an innate wisdom built into life that is living us. It’s already happening and it’s already all taken care of.

And the more we can get out of the way of that, the easier this brief time we have crawling around on the face of this ball of rock, hurtling through the infinite void of empty space, becomes.

🪨✨

In a very real, very practical way, your moment to moment experience is determined not by what’s going on, but by your state of mind – essentially how freaked out your mind is about what’s going on.

That’s what you get.

(That’s all you get!)

Which means that’s all you’re ever up against.

Not what’s going on. But the picture the mind creates of what’s going on (and then what it has to say about that picture that it’s created.)

Simmer down, ignore the arguing mind for a moment and SEE this. 

👀

It’s not what happens, it’s how you feel about it.

The one simple distinction that, when truly seen, will change your life forever 🤩

The Daily RemindersGiles P Croft

Because this means you can work with the limitations of the mind, instead of blindly fighting on, trying to do battle against it.

So for instance, minds think that they have to do everything.

(Preferably all at once.)

And they think that you’re not going to be ok until all those things have been done.

(Because they genuinely don’t know that you're already ok.)

They’re always going to think that. It’s normal! They’re always going to freak out when they dwell on the long list of things that need doing.

It doesn’t signify that there’s anything wrong with you. It signifies that you’re human.

So don’t fight it, or even get pissed off with it. I mean, what’s the point? It’s just a mind, doing what minds do. Big deal!

Work with it.

Do what makes sense to help you to think less and to live more, right there in that moment.

There are no rules or if-this-then-that algorithms that can be applied, sorry.

(The mind wishes there were, because that its currency. And it sure does keep the self-help industry alive 😆)

So be in tune with what you need. Check in with yourself. It'll be different each time:

• Sometimes it will make sense to drop that thinking like a hot potato, and go about your business. (The very definition of ‘think less, live more’.)
• Sometimes it will make sense to do one thing from the list, to put it at ease
• Sometimes it will make sense to procrastinate – distraction being a fairly effective solution, when all’s said and done
• Sometimes it will make sense to just sit there and feel completely overwhelmed, focusing on the feeling, allowing labels to fall away, until it passes.
• Sometimes it will make sense to reach out for help; get a few things off your chest
• Sometimes it will make sense to sit and sob until you feel better.

It could be any number of things!

All are ok. None are a problem.

With ‘think less, live more’ as your guide, you can’t go wrong.

Of note…

Some things that fall into the the ‘think more, live less’ camp:

• Make a big deal of the fact it’s happening
• Wish that things were different
• Beat yourself up because ‘what makes sense’ isn’t any good
• Start planning how you’re going to avoid this happening in the future (classic! 😆)
• Start replaying the same tired old story as to how this always happens
• Reflect on how unfair/miserable life is
• Spend time identifying whose fault this awful situation is
• Imagine you had made a different decision a while back, and how things would have turned out if you had.

I’m not big on offering advice, but I’m going to gently suggest you don’t pay attention to the mind when it tries to do any of those!!

😂

Seriously, why on earth would you do that?!?!

Four words:

1. Think
2. Less
3. Live
4. More.

That’s it. That’s your lot. There’s your toolkit.

Each time you find yourself ‘up against it’ (in any way at all), just ask yourself:

“What do I need to do? What’s going to put this restless mind of mine at ease, so I can go on with living my life?“

Then go do that.

💟

Giles

Your next reads

Being ok, whatever

The crucial distinction between *things* being ok, and *you* being ok 😎

The Daily RemindersGiles P Croft

Sticky labels

How to use the most powerful tool you have at your disposal, to get you out of a spiral 🌀

The Daily RemindersGiles P Croft