Did you know, you have 70,000 thoughts a day?
Imagine having that many notifications, that many people ringing your doorbell. Yikes!
Of course, some are welcome and pleasant, but the sheer amount of mental activity is exhausting regardless. Then you have the quality of all this incoming — your own mind can be distinctly unhelpful, to the point of being awful. Some of us speak to ourselves in ways we’d never, ever talk to anyone else.
As you well know, the mind is a great tool but makes a terrible master.
So, what can you do about this problem of this runaway mind?
1. Patience and Consistency
First, realise that a clearer mind takes practice. If you keep doing the same thing, you’ll always get the same results.
If you’ve had 70,000 visitors every day for your entire life, it might take time for them to slow down. Gaining a different relationship with your mind will take time and patience to progress.
Patient persistence — don’t get mad if you have a busy head! — and consistency are key. Some form of regular practice goes a long way.
I saw one study that suggested a 7-minute session twice a week helped enormously. Of course, daily practice is even better if you really want rapid progress.
2. Thoughts Aren’t Facts
Be aware of when you’re believing your mind. Having the thought is one thing; believing it is another.
Just because it’s a voice in your head doesn’t make it true. Truly, thoughts are opinions not facts. You get to decide what you listen to and what you don’t. And that is an attitude you can train straight away.
Be mindful of what your mind is telling you. If it’s not useful, simply ignore it. Shift your attention to something that is useful.
Your ability to shift or choose what you focus on will get better the more (you guessed it) you do it.
3. Gaze Wide
Take a moment to do this: Gently rest your eyes on something in front of you. Keep your eyes there but let your vision go wide so you can also see what’s directly beside you. Stay gazing into the entire space.
Coming into the present moment by being attentive to the entirety of your current physical space is very calming—and it needs only seconds.
Try this throughout your day. Walking, in meetings, making coffee, whenever and wherever to take mini-Now breaks.
Even before you close your eyes for your Ascension or meditation, do the same: keep the eyes open for a moment or three, then close them, gazing into the inside of your eyelids.
Notice what happens.
4. You Are That Which Is Aware
As you do the last step, you’ll notice – at some stage – your thoughts moving. They will come and go; you (especially with practice) stay, gently alert.
Here’s a cool thing:
If you can see your thoughts, you already have that half-step back away from them. Letting them be opinions not facts is so much easier.
If you can be aware and mindful of your thoughts, it’s a short step to realise that you have thoughts, but you are not them.
You are the context to the content of the mind.
This is incredibly freeing. You don’t have to change a thing to find calm, peaceful, deeply rejuvenating clarity of being. You just take a half-step back and a more consistent awareness of who you are comes quickly from that.
In this way, by simply leaving the mind alone — just like leaving a stirred-up glass of muddy water alone — the water settles and clarifies, and so does the mind. It naturally becomes a truly useful asset.
So, give these a go.
Do let me know what you find, I’m excited to hear.
Go well!
Arjuna
PS.
There’s an old saying – “Go within or go without”.
It’s not strictly true, as many people get by without an inner practice. Yet having one makes a world of difference.
A quieter, clearer, more supportive inner environment makes living your life soooo much simpler, more effective, and consistently enjoyable too.
If you're ready for the best tools, I have two more Ascension Courses this year (17-19 October and 21-23 November). You'll learn a powerful but enjoyable practice – one you’ll look forward to doing –
And you can repeat the course for free forever! Get in touch for details.
Or, if you prefer a more personal approach, I have a few slots open for one-on-one mentoring. Whether you just need a single chat or something more long-term, you'll know what's right. A little guidance can go a long way.
Again, get in touch and we’ll chat about the details.