There is real value in being persistent, even dogged, in choosing to pursue your joy, your success, your health…whatever it is that moves you to stir from your status quo to reach for something better.
It ain’t gonna feel like joy and success when you start. At first, it really does require a practically moment-by-moment choice—a commitment. As that choice ingrains itself onto our neural pathways, it takes less and less monitoring to stay on course, but we’ve got to be persistent in the beginning. Do you see what I’m saying here? We’re talking about being the masters of our brains, rather than the other way around.
Because in reality, brains are dumb.
They are like radios where all stations are set to “spew,” and the volume control is broken and stuck at 10. When we are tired, low on emotional or physical resources, or otherwise not completely in charge of ourselves, the role of master may default to Brains only because brains are tirelessly, incessantly loud and often spray infinitely and creatively variegated filth in the voice of our deepest, darkest fears and self-doubts. May I introduce you to “The Critic.”
The Critic mentally preys on our weaker moments, and in such an unscrupulously abusive fashion: it pokes us in our tenderest spots so that we will feel even less well-resourced to fight back (remember, our sovereign Selfhood is a complex whole of which Brains is only a part). Not trying to be a trigger here, but in the principle of the thing, Brains and Self can get stuck in an abusive relationship. And as is the nature of all abusive relationships, it is intrinsically self-perpetuating as long as Self agrees to play by The Critic’s rules.
Making a choice to cleanse what goes into your mind and eliminate all known sources of negativity (even if they are within your own Brains) is a big piece of that.
I have a theory that our connection with infinity comes from within — literally, our imagination is an infinite mind-space contained within a finite body/brain. It’s elegant and sacred geometry writ into our genetic code. You can’t control infinity, you ought really not even to try. It’s a waste of time, and puts your attention on strengthening the wrong muscle playing a game you can’t win. Ever. And as for our habituated thinking (never mind the endless creativity available through our imagination), our thoughts may be ingrained from months or even years of treading the same mental path. My encephalomyopathic grandmother comes to mind, bless her beautiful heart.
This is where the “dogged pursuit” comes in. If you find yourself thinking negatively (again), or The Critic’s voice is loud, you can exercise your right and your power to choose something different to pay attention to. Music that you know uplifts you. A few pages of a book you personally find inspiring. Picture of kittens on the Internet. You see what I’m saying? Garbage in, garbage out. Change the channel, tune in to a better station, one more to your liking. That power of choice is something every single thinking, aware being has available at any time, any moment. Even if it’s the choice to set an alarm to take your meds, if you need a little clinical assist. No shame in taking care of yourself. No shame in getting what you need to be and feel better. To give yourself the power to choose better.
Many of us face all manner of challenging or even debilitating circumstances, and while I know (like, know-know) that there are always many layers to any given issue, it could be very important to make sure the added layer of negativity that sometimes creeps in unnoticed is not given free reign. Even if it feels like you are faking it, or it is a joke, or stupid….if you are at all able in the moment to feel those feelings and then try something better anyway, you may find that a small piece of the weight is lifted. At first. Keep on doing it consistently and…
And see what happens. You may be surprised by how far you were able to come by simply remembering to exercise the infinite creative intelligence of your mind instead of your dumb, dumb Brains.
Samara Powers: Blog 