The Mind Is Not a Computer, It’s a Receiver
Part 1: The Brain is a Receiver, Not a Computer
Many people think that the mind is a computer. They believe that the brain controls the body. But the brain is more like a satellite receiver than a computer. I think that this is important because it allows you to change what you’re thinking about. It allows you to eliminate negative thoughts and build an enjoyable life. If you assume that you are a victim of the brain, then you are powerless. On the other hand, when you understand that you can control what you think about, you can transform your life.
Watching TV
When we watch TV or Netflix, most of us probably have some connection to the internet: a cable modem, a cell tower, or something else. There is a receiver that delivers the information to you. We know that Netflix is not on the cable modem. We know that Netflix is not on our home WiFi. However, it would be easy to prove that it is, after all, we can connect various electronic devices to a cable modem or a satellite dish. We can prove that the content is coming from whatever receiver we have. It’s all there. Even though science and technology can prove the receiver has it all, that doesn’t mean that’s an accurate picture of the actual mechanics.
A Porthole
If we are on a ship, we can look out the porthole and see lots of different things. We move in one direction and see certain things, and we move in another direction and see different things. It would be easy to prove that what we are seeing is in the glass. We could hook up all sorts of instruments and measure how light comes through the glass. We could prove that cloudy glass affects what we see. But we know that the world is not in the glass.
We Can Imagine More than Can Fit in Our Brains
Whatever we see in our lives, our brain is processing it. But we can also think about things that couldn’t possibly exist. We can think about more than we experience. We can remember things incorrectly. A large part of experience is things that have not even happened, or in many cases, couldn’t ever happen. We can think about the craziest things. Look at our dreams.
Successful People Receive Thoughts
If you follow successful people closely, something that comes up a lot is that their great ideas were “received.” Judd Apatow, the writer, producer, and director behind films like 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People, Bridesmaids, Superbad, and just about any funny movie you know, says that his best ideas just come to him. It’s like they are downloaded.
Paul McCartney says a few of his greatest songs, like Let It Be and Yesterday came to him in a dream. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, and Jack Sparrow’s father, says the song Satisfaction was just magically received by him. Einstein suggested that to be successful, you should be separated from the world so that you could be clear to receive thoughts, and he sailed by himself, and played the violin to clear his mind to be in a receptive mode.
Part 2: How Is The Mind Tuned?
So this all comes back to why we think what we’re thinking and how we can think about different things. How do we get great ideas? How do we get more positive ideas? How can we get more enjoyable thoughts? First, I’ll explain some of the mechanics, and second, how to change your thoughts.
Our Identity
The truth is that it’s always right here and right now. In that moment, we are always deciding who we are as a person. In a sense, you might say that all that is, creation, is the white light of all that is. Each of us is like a prism, and we filter that light into the specific individual that we are. We are sparks of that white light. We separate from that light.
This occurs through our self-definition. On some level, we have decided who we are. “I am rich. I am poor. I am attractive. People like me. People don’t. Good things happen in my life. Life is random. I am powerless.”
All of these self-defintions make up our identity.
We Trust
We then experience life, and based upon our identity, we make decisions about what is going on. A poor person without cash says they are poor. A rich person without cash is happy because they are fully invested. Warren Buffett, one of the richest people in the world, doesn’t like having cash because it means he’s not growing. You get to decide how you interpret your circumstances. If you want to insist that they are bad, then they are.
We Act
Based upon our fundamental beliefs, we act in a particular way. A person who believes they are rich will act differently from a person who believes they are poor. It’s these actions that you take based upon your identity that have you thinking a particular way. Put more simply, if you act like a rich person, you will be a rich person. If you act like a happy person, you will be a happy person.
Part 3: How To Change The Channel
Most of us are not conscious of who we are. We have let the world decide. Instead, decide consciously who you want to be.
1. Decide Who You Want To Be
This is very simple. Decide who you want to be. “I am…” and fill in the blank. Write it down. Update it as time goes on. You can keep tweaking it.
2. Imagine: Make a List
Ask yourself what someone who had those beliefs would do? What would they do in your situation? What would a rich person do in your shoes? What would a rich person do if they didn’t feel they were good enough? Make a list of what the ideal you would do. Do you want to be happy? What would someone who enjoys their day do? Do that. Are you a happy and rich person? What would they do?
What would that ideal you do in your current situation? This is your recipe. This is your blueprint. This is your plan.
3. Act
Act like the ideal you. No matter how much you think, what makes it real is taking action. You can wish that you were watching a different channel. You can wish that you were in a different streaming app, but ultimately, you have to change the channel or select a different app. You have to act like you’re in control. Act like you’re in the driver’s seat. Force it.
In addition, when you act like the person that you want to be, you will see yourself being the person you say you want to be, and this reinforces your decision. If you decide you want to be fit, then seeing yourself exercising and eating well will remind you that you are who you want to be.
If, after deciding, you find you are not acting a particular way that you want. Ask yourself why? Do you really want to be this person? Maybe you think it’s hard. Then update your definition, “I am the person that I want to be, and it comes easily to me.” You can be anyone that you want.
