A thought is the visible part of something which is vaster than that.
We can call this a mind set.
A mind set is an architecture of thoughts, emotions and feelings which reflect a given mind state.
And... A mind state is still the visible reflection of an energy state.
This means that when you feel a certain way or express certain thoughts, what you are REALLY doing is taking a certain energy which is in you and filtering this energy through your mind to create thoughts, emotions and feelings.
This is how positive and negative mind sets and thoughts are created.
A thought is a mind object.
It can be identified by a specific sentence or sequence of words.
A thought is a mental object.
It is the result of the interaction between a formless energy and our thinking ability.
Suppose that you listen to a beautiful peace of music.
This music wakes up a certain energy in you.
Within minutes you might naturally start creating positive thoughts which are an echo of this original positive energy.
You will not only create thoughts.
You will create emotions and feelings as well.
The totality of these "mind objects" that you create are your mind set.
They are the visible architecture that has been created as a result of the interaction between this music and your mind.
Now, Imagine for a minute that when you were a child, you had a traumatic experience while this specific piece of music was playing in the background.
This experience did leave a blueprint which associates a negative experience with that specific music.
When you hear this piece of music again, it triggers emotions like fear or anxiety.
This means that your mind takes that specific music, filters it through your mind and creates the anxiety emotion.
You can see that the piece of music has the potential to create positive and negative mind sets.
What creates the final emotion in you is the filter of your mind which is the result of past experiences or past conditioning.
So far we have discovered that:
- Mind sets are a combination of thoughts emotions and feelings.
- A mind set is the result of an interaction between an energy and your mind.
- Your mind is a filter that interprets reality and creates thoughts, emotions and feelings.
- Your mind "filter" is created though an accumulation of past experiences.
Now let's go back to the original traumatic experience we mentioned earlier.
Fear is an emotional reaction to danger.
Fear is a defense mechanism.
It is a mind set which says "Life threat!", "Danger!", "Warning!".
It is a POSITIVE defense mechanism deeply embedded in our instinctual nature.
Why is it a positive reaction?
Well, take this example.
400'000 years ago, you would be walking through the bush with your tribe in central Europe.
You encounter a horde of threatening Mammoths!
If the survival instinct and fear were not embedded in you, you would simply stand there with a gentle smile on your face and probably die!
Fear tells you to RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!
It is a SURVIVAL INSTINCT deeply embedded in you so that you can keep procreating and expanding the human race.
Without survival extincts like this one, the human race would have disappeared a long time ago!
We would be extinct by now!
Now, let's go back to this fear or anxiety associated with the piece of beautiful music.
When this fear was originally triggered it was a positive survival response.
The problem is that when you hear this music 20 years later, the traumatic event you faced as a child no longer exists!
It is no longer an issue today!
However the traumatic association between this piece of music and the anxiety feeling is still there.
This is the exact point where your mind set needs to shift.
This example I just described is NOT an isolated event.
Probably 95% of the negative mind sets you might express are totally useless.
They are the "conditioning leftovers" from past negative experiences.
In other terms 95% of negative mind sets do not fulfill any purpose in your life.
They drain energy, trigger negative emotional responses when they are not needed.
So, here are the new key points we just discovered:
- Fear or other "negative emotions" have originally a positive purpose.
- 95% of our negative mind sets are the result of a negative conditioning and are no longer needed.
The conclusion is that when you engage in negative mind set loops, your mind is not functioning with its optimal potential.
Negative mind sets take energy from you.
They use mind space!
They color your perception of life and influence the way you relate to people and events.
It is essential to realize that in some isolated cases (around 5% of situations you face in life), a "Negative" mind set will be more appropriate than a positive one.
"Negative" might not even be the right word to describe this state of mind.
For instance fear of heights or of dying stops you from jumping from a cliff.
Doubts about a risky business proposition might save you from losing your savings.
Being negative about a specific life choice forces you to look for a better option and eventually create a better outcome.
This means that mind sets like fear, doubt or being negative can be useful in some isolated cases.
It's only when these mind sets get out of control and are systematically used all the time that they work against you.
Now, the next questions are:
- How do you optimize your mind?
- How do you recondition your mind after a traumatic experience?
- How do you create positive mind sets rather than negative ones?
- How do you master your thoughts, emotions and feelings?
I'll cover that another time.