30 July 2013

BRAIN & MIND - Thinking vs. Awareness



















We tend to equate a powerful mind with being mentally fit, but this is really a misunderstanding of mental fitness. In fact, our minds will tend to limit us at every turn and drain our power away. We need to “get out of our minds” to see situations more clearly. Mental fitness is not concerned with the mind, per se, but rather with awareness. Someone who is mentally fit is aware. With awareness we don’t fall victim to the mind’s limiting tendencies that rule us if we lack mental fitness.
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Our minds will create doubts–escape thoughts–when we are stressed. If we listen to these doubts we’ll tend to react and escape the stress by saying “take” or going down. In some cases like yes-fall zones we need to develop the ability to push through these doubts. Doing this expands our mental fitness. To do this we need to operate from a part of us that is different than our thinking mind. That part is awareness.
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What is the difference between “thinking” and “awareness?” Thinking is thought intensive while awareness is presence or simple attention in the moment. “Thinking” is when your mind creates thoughts about the situation you are in. “Awareness” is when your attention is focused on the situation simply observing with your senses. You are aware through what you see, hear, feel, smell, taste. Thinking separates us from the immediacy of the situation. Awareness gives us direct perception of the situation and allows us to perceive it more accurately.


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