267. flip the script
Most of us are so immersed in our concept of the world, so unconscious of the narrative we have constructed for ourselves, that we aren’t aware it’s just a script continuously running through our minds. We believe our script is a representation of “us” or our “true selves,” but in reality, it is just our thoughts. We feel so strongly about their truth because we practice these thoughts and ideas all day long, reinforcing their assimilation into our identity with each passing day.
It’s not obvious — until it’s pointed out — that we are not our thoughts, but we practice them so much that we start to identify with their meaning. We practice them from the time we get up in the morning, to the time we go to bed in the evening. And they’re even reinforced in our dreams as we sleep. We practice our thoughts so consistently, and for so long, that we get to the point where we aren’t even aware we are practicing them. We label these thoughts as “us,” but they’re not — they’re just something we’re thinking.
It’s important to understand that we are the thinker of our thoughts, not the thoughts themselves. A lot of the time, the thoughts and ideas that have defined who we are and how we approach the world are simply remnants of a past experience that is no longer serving us. Pay attention to the thoughts that come up automatically, you’re bound to realize that many of them are just part of the script you’ve been running forever.
152. conscious decisions
People have a tendency to want to stay unconscious. They enjoy living under the illusion that they don’t have to take responsibility for the problems they’re unwillingly creating because there will always be a “cure” for every symptom they present with, so eating junk food and watching Netflix becomes a mindless act. Yet, a cure can never be seen through the suppression of symptoms, as it is merely a deferral to a future date when their way of life can no longer be artificially sustained due to manifestations of ill health, in both body and mind, brought on by years of unconscious neglect.
The reality is that the cure for a faulty way of life can only be found through a conscious effort. In other words, taking ownership and responsibility for your actions. Awareness is the quickest way to create change in disease states of the body and mind because if you are conscious to the burdens you place on your body, but choose to do it anyhow, you have to carry the onus of what you’re doing. You can’t pawn off the responsibility to your doctor and ask them what pill you need to take to go back to your unconscious way of living.
The tragedy of it all is how pervasive the unconscious mentality has become. The majority of people have a fundamental understanding of what is necessary to create health, yet find themselves at McDonalds day after day. I’m convinced that it’s not a matter of presenting people with more information, but changing the way they think, see, and feel about themselves so that they can make a conscious decision for themselves.
145. searching
We’re all searching for something. Money. Status. Higher power. Significant others. It all come down to one thing. It’s mostly to fill a void of some past trauma that we have experienced, whether we are conscious to it or not. Or, perhaps there’s an instinctive drive inside that pushes us in a particular direction in an effort to fulfill some aspect of ourself we do not yet understand. Some of us are searching for the love we never had, in an effort to feel whole for the first time. Others are searching for the secrets of the universe because there is a piece of themselves they haven’t been able to define no matter how deep they go.
We’re trying to put the pieces back together, thinking we’re broken, without realizing that it’s the very awareness of the flaws that provide us the ability to improve. It’s the scars that give you a reason to reflect, just as the missteps give you a reason to redirect. There are people that drift along not understanding the reasons behind their choices, or why thins happen to them, and then there are those that become mindful of the journey and understand that things happen for them.
When we search externally for anything, we need to recognize that we are simply trying to fulfill some part of us. What we are looking for can give us clues about what we need to confront within ourselves, so that we no longer need the external validation. And once we have that, we can truly find fulfillment.