OUR MIND IS SUPREMELY POWERFUL
As Buddha said “we become what we think.” Our mind can achieve brilliance but it can also hold us back. Every day we are fighting an internal war in our mind, between our 3:1 negative bias that seeks safety and survival, with our inner voice and positive bias that reminds us that the world is abundant, safe and that anything is possible. So much of our potential never sees daylight because of the conscious and unconscious blockages and apprehensions we develop as we grow up and live our adult lives.
Every action starts with a feeling (a sensation) and a thought, a chemical reaction in that beautiful brain of yours! It’s a never-ending energy exchange that tunes into the mind stream of our external environments. However the collective unconsciousness of our environment often proves greater than our personal ability to make our own decisions and choices.
Many of our actions and decisions are made without conscious thought; these are constraints we must break free from. Separating the thoughts that are willfully ours, from those that have been unconsciously embedded into our psyche is the most challenging part.
These 11 tools are designed to help you move from below the line thoughts and feelings to above the line, every day.
THOUGHTS ARE ENERGY
In the book Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins, there’s a hierarchy of levels of human consciousness.12 Although we can fluctuate to different levels during different times, there’s usually a predominant “baseline” state where we commonly dwell.
What is your baseline? Above or below the line thinking?
Imagine that you are in charge of tuning into your own “frequency” radio station each day.
If energy is a vibration with a specific frequency, which channel are you tuning into? A positive or negative frequency one? The high vibration channel or the low vibration channel? Each day we tune into different stations through all of our senses. We tune into auditory stations (a radio station, a podcast, audiobook), or what you see on visual stations (A TV station, YouTube, even social media platforms), and in reality (people, environments etc,).
Consider the stations, platforms, people or environments you energetically tune into. Are they positive and uplifting or negative and something that lowers your energetic vibration?
Every morning when you wake up, do you pick up your mobile device and tune into social platforms, or do you journal and write down what you are grateful for today? One is a comparison of a virtual reality, whereas the other is an embodied action in that present moment.
However, this might be changing as we speak. Open your phone and reflect on the type of people you follow on social platforms. Do they make you feel energetically inspired and empowered? Or do they make you feel insignificant and down in the dumps? Reflect on the type of audio books, radio stations and the type of music you listen to. Is it uplifting, or is the frequency and energy of the words quite negative?
Antidotes to Move Above The Line
The antidote for FEAR is 10 seconds of COURAGE
The antidote for GUILT is an APOLOGY
The antidote for SHAME is VULNERABILITY & HONESTY
The antidote for DESIRE, is GRATITUDE for what you already have
The antidote for ANGER, is LOVE
The antidote for GRIEF, is ACCEPTANCE
The antidote for APATHY, is EMPATHY and COMPASSION
What action could you take today, that would be the antidote for a feeling or looping thoughts that have taken over your mind for days, weeks, months and even years. Would you be willing to have 10 seconds of courage? Would you be willing to put your pride aside, to call that person and apologise for something your younger self did? Would you be able to remain calm in any storm, accepting that storms a re a natural part of life. Knowing that how you act, react and respond is the only measure of your true character? Would you be willing to wake up and feel into everything that you are already grateful for having in your life, before the shiney objects, comparison and desire for greener grass makes you do something you may one day regret?
8 Tools to Help You Move Above the Line
1. The 6 Phase Meditation by Vishen Laklhiani from Mindvalley
This tool was a powerful 20 minute meditation that I would listen to every day for months in my mid 20's. It's a powerful process to expand your mind beyond what is front of mind right now.
2. Scripting a positive future vision for you life
SelfCare Global Collective
This tool is arguably the most impactful in my life. From the age of 25, I have been scripting a 12 month future vision for my life. At the end of each year, I would review and renew it. Highlighting in green - what came true in reality, orange - what was still in motion and red - what hadn't manifested.
After 8 years of following this practice, I can highlight 80% in green each year. As example, the SelfCare book and this platform was once just a drawing on a piece of paper. An idea. 8 years later, here it is in front of you. We overestimate what we can achieve in a year, but vastly underestimate what we can achieve in 5-9 years!
3. Start a Gratitude Journal
If someone were to ask you what you’re grateful for in the present moment, would you have an answer ready to go? Could you easily recall the small moments in your day that bring you the most joy? The simple habit of reflecting on what you’re grateful for can actually lead to a happier, more content life. All it takes is a few moments of your time and a gratitude journal to record your thoughts.
Here are some prompts to help you get started
4. Affirmations with Deepak Chopra
What are affirmations?
- It is a short sentence that motivates, inspires and encourages you to take action and to realize your goals.
- It is a sentence that you repeat often, in order to imprint it on your subconscious mind. This repetition can change your habits, behavior and point of view.
- Words and thoughts have power. When you repeat them often, they can, in various ways, affect and make changes in your environment.
- It is a positive thought and belief that can change your thought patterns and overcome negative self talk.
The word affirm means to state that something is true. When you affirm something in your life as if it has already happened. The universe will conspire in your favour.
5. Trauma Healing Podcast with Psychologist Colleen West
Trauma impacts all areas of life including how we see ourselves, others, and the world, how we relate, how we feel in our bodies, how we express emotions, how we think, and how we respond. It impacts our personal sense of safety in relationships and in the world. Trauma Responses can make you feel alone, out of control, and helpless.
What is Trauma? Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is developed over long term trauma, such as chronic neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse and more.
Trauma expert Gabor Mate, MD says
“Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside of you as a result of what happens to you.”
Chronic, persistent, and ongoing childhood trauma that keeps a child in active self-protection grows into an adult with an extremely sensitized nervous system, hypervigilant and on guard for any possible threats of danger.
6. Embracing Change with the Tao Te Ching
Read by Wayne Dyer with Music & Nature Sounds (Binaural Beats). Binaural beat therapy is an emerging form of sound wave therapy. It makes use of the fact that the right and left ear each receive a slightly different frequency tone, yet the brain perceives these as a single tone.
7. Action Negates Negative Emotions with High On Life Crew.
As soon as you are ready. Go live your ideal day and lifestyle in real time. Have 10 seconds of courage to book a one way ticket to that place in your mind, that continues to show up.
From an evolutionary stand point, our primal brain has an inbuilt negative bias. It is designed to seek out threat over safety at a 3:1 ratio. Its the reason why media uses fear, more than good news stories to get your attention.
However, we have a really awesome way of overcoming this. Firstly, turn off the news or anything that promotes fear in your life. Come back to your heart and the future vision you scripted for your life. Then simply keep having the courage to lean into new experiences that trump past negative events. As an example, If you have an "event" in your life that you deem as being negative, painful or traumatic. It takes 5 new events and experiences to trump that one "negative one".
As an example, If you try surfing for the first time. You know you love water, you have always wanted to master the skill. But the first time you go out, you are on the wrong board, in the wrong conditions and you come out of the water felling like you failed. Most people quit here. However, if it truly something you want to do, you will gain the courage to do it again. This time you will find a mentor, go out in the right conditions on the right board and all of a sudden you catch your first few waves and feel the joy and bliss you knew was there. You repeat this process 5 more times and all of a sudden, the 5 new experiences override the one "negative experience".
We need to embrace failure as a part of learning and keep persevering until we create more positive, than seemingly negative experiences. The power of the minds ability to embrace challenge and failure as part of the process. Is also an easy way to turn a "traumatic" experience into a learning experience and something positive.
What would a life with no regrets really look and feel like?
Be high on life. Go do! What are you waiting for?
8. Learn something new! Blinkist
Get access to powerful ideas from more than 5,000 nonfiction books and podcasts. Blinkist is an amazing tool that I have used for years to help me tune into some of the greatest minds on the planet. When I realised that my thoughts were not my own, many had already been thought thousands of times over in the past. I realised that someone has probably already solved the challenges or questions I had in my mind. Relative to my own path and life. Why? What? Who? How? When? Where?
Every morning when I would script and journal, I would ask myself. What is one challenge I currently face in my life? What is the solution? and Who do I know that may know the How? Then I would search blinkist to find an answer, a podcast, a book or a stream of consciousness that had the solution. I didn't always find the answer straight away, but it would guide me from one piece of the puzzle to the next.
Summary
Our thoughts can not only change our external reality, but they can also ignite and change our internal biology. Beliefs can change our epigenetic expressions of who we are on a DNA level. Keeping this in mind, take note of your thoughts each day. Notice the frequency and energy they hold. Then simply add practices and rituals into your day, that move you from below the line, to above the line thinking. Ask yourself different question, like "what is the opportunity in this chaos" versus "why is this happening to me?".
Lastly remember that feeling is healing. Many of our actions and behaviours are driven by the unconscious mind, which is driven by our emotions. If you are in the space of healing. Don't forget to feel more, suppress less and express. As we uncover deeper shadows, feelings and thoughts. Bringing them to the surface. It's great to have mentors, communities, tools and guides to help you create your own meaning. Pain as an example can be the greatest driver for purpose. All feelings and thoughts are valid. Just know that we can shift the energy at any moment. Even movement in nature is a great way to distract the mind and remind you to see the beauty already in front of you. It doesn't need to be complex. Find what works for you! and share any tools or people that help you along the way.
Call to Action
Choose ONE tool above and start integrating it into your day today. To master your morning rituals and prime your mind. Do ONE thing for your mind each morning, for at least 20 minutes. You can listen to a podcast as you walk the dog at the beach or drive in the car to work. It can be integrated into what you already do, rather than being another "task" on your bust to do list.
See if you can repeat this habit 7 days in a row. Then 30 days in a row, then 16 weeks. Even a year! The simplicity is in the repetition. Master your mind and you will master not only your life, but you will amaze yourself as you consciously engineer thoughts, ideas and visions into reality.
REFERENCES
This is directly referenced from the best-selling amazon SelfCare Book "Lifestyle Medicine For the People" by Rory Callaghan. If you would like to read more content like this. Grab the free online chapters of the book or a hard copy.
We have done our best to reference everyone’s expert opinions, peer-reviewed science, and original thoughts, all references available here and referenced in the text.
We also understand that most thoughts are not our own and there is a collective unconsciousness, unconsciousness, and universal mind stream of energy that is always at work. How are references are sorted and filtered is here.