Good morning Full Potentalites! Today is a beautiful new day here in Chirripo Costa Rica. Getting started with daily routine. Waking up slow. Thoughts upon waking: Awaken, Awareness, Attention, Activation.
I also deeply contemplated this idea that happiness is WANTING WHAT I HAVE, whereas greed tends to be WANTING WHAT’S NOT HERE. The latter putting me in craving, whereas the former puts me in appreciation.
It’s interesting to see how a simple shift in focus can greatly determine the state we go through in the day.
Additionally if we’re not aware, this FOCUS PATTERN becomes conditioned and we hardly notice it, because its in our top of mind awareness all the time.
The key then to changing this focus pattern, and subsequently altering our states is through what’s called awareness or ‘meta level thought’ .. meta simply means ‘at a higher level’. So one must put their focus at a higher level than the patterns that begin to feel like auto-pilot when you adopt that position long enough.
To shift your focus patterns and alter your state, you’ve got to move into a meta level of thought. And to operate at the meta level you have to zoom out of every box you’ve ever created for yourself. Starting with this moment now, just be present. Breathe. Look at everything through new eyes. Then as the thought patterns emerge, just look at them with presence. Don’t react to them. If you need to, write them down so you can maintain this meta level awareness. Don’t get caught up in them. Don’t believe them. Don’t identify with them. Just LOOK at them. Until the mind is satisfied that it has been seen. Until the inner voice around these thought patterns feels heard. Until the state that is produced by this thought pattern is thoroughly scanned and understood. At that point you’ll automatically feel a little more peace.
Next you can start with a fresh sheet of paper or a mind map or whatever serves you, to start to recreate that perspective from a clearer lens. Just start TIDYING your mind through the use of simple tools. Again a blank sheet of paper or a mind mapping tool (like Ithoughts for example) helps me start fresh daily. To RECREATE what is going on in my mind. I always start with a blank sheet and start freely associating whatever comes up from there. Any worries or concerns.. just a visual brain dump to help me maintain that meta level of thought. Then I start with another fresh sheet and reorganize these associations until I feel a sense of mental satisfaction.
Then I can start organizing these thoughts and concerns into CHUNKS that help me consolidate my thinking into an even more clear way.. and from there I have a better understanding of what’s IMPORTANT. This helps me understand my PURPOSE for doing anything that day.
I then organize the things I need to do in order of importance and time block those items (assign a time and order for them in my day)
This exercise doesn’t take long.. maybe 5 or 10 minutes.. it flows from a kind of meditation about my thoughts to an action plan for my day.
Now granted this is not the kind of meditation where I just let everything go. That kind of meditation can be very important , especially end of day. But this is the kind of deep, meta-level thinking I like to do to start the day and feel more at peace about what I’m actually here to do in life. My meditation and my emotional state, becomes refocused and channeled into action. This can feel very empowering and has the effect of lifting my spirit. I feel integrated not just in what I’m thinking in the world but what I’m doing. My mind feels like it has a voice and so I feel more in partnership with it. This brings greater peace along with greater awareness.
This is an approach that works for me to feel on top of my day and redirect any emotions I’m having when I start the day into something that feels more empowered. But perhaps you have a different system, and I’d love to hear about it. Either way, share your feedback and let others know what works for you. We can all help each other to be a more optimum self!
Vision: To create a self-sustaining paradise on earth where individuals and communities thrive in interconnected eco-villages, transcending the ‘monkey mind’ and connecting deeply with their true selves and the environment. Through the power of optimization, we aim to elevate every facet of life, ensuring a prosperous, fulfilling, and harmonious existence for all.
