The Moving in Your Mind Understanding How Your Thoughts Work
“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.”
Jamie Paolinetti
Did you know that the story of your life creates a movie in your mind? The movie you have created thus far goes with you everywhere. Each time you meet a new experience or moment, it is broadcast onto this “movie screen of the mind” and interpreted through the lens of your life. Not only do you have your own personal movie, but so does everyone else you meet. Since no two life experiences are the same, no two movies are the same. Each of us sees and interprets the moment based on our unique experiences.
Understanding this concept can help us learn a lot about ourselves and about our interactions with others. Differences of opinion and disagreements are easy-to-explain given we are all operating from our unique experience.
Just as a television screens have controls like “brightness” and “contrast,” our screen has controls. Our beliefs, emotional state, physical energy, needs, history and genetic disposition act as controls. Each control can fluctuate, creating many different ways our moments can be viewed.
What you need to know about the movie in your mind
Reality? Many of us think we are seeing “reality.” We aren’t. It is impossible to be 100% objective. Our movie, our experience, will sway what we see. We don’t see reality, we see what is playing in our mind. That is why it is so important to be aware of what you feed into your mind to begin with. A scientists job is to see objectively–to only see fact. Yet even scientists and astronomers such as Claudius Ptolemy (convinced the earth was rotating around the sun) can be misled by their beliefs and convictions.
Your Thoughts are the Voice Over: Whatever you are thinking you are adding to your internal movie. These thoughts become the voice-over. We all know that in a real movie the narrating comments have the ability to make or break a flick. The same is true with the commentary you add to your movie.
You can tune-up your T.V.: Just as you can take in a real television and have the controls adjusted, you can adjust your controls. Positive materials, classes and group-support are all mechanisms for fine-tuning your programming. On the flipside, hanging out with negative people, self-destructive habits, and poor self talk will distort your screen.
Your mind doesn’t need TiVo(R): While we might need a VCR or TV to record our favorite programming, the mind has its own TiVo. It records, catalogs, and collects your experiences. When you face a new experience, it goes into the archives and finds related experiences. This is often all done at a subconscious level. This is why awareness is so important and “fact-checking.” Before we make important decisions on “auto-pilot” it is a good practice to check the information we are basing our decision on. Often the information may be outdated. It might be relevant in the past, but given our development, the old data may no longer be applicable.
We also need to be careful of what “scene” is playing when we are communicating with others. Often a person may come to us with an idea or brainstorm, and we might play a past “criticism script” and infer the information in a negative way. Becoming aware of what messages are playing can help us “hear” what people are actually saying more objectively.
Your emotional and physical state affect what you see: Have you ever noticed that some days a to-do list will seem absolutely impossible and overwhelming whereas other days that same list seems like a piece of cake? How we feel both emotionally and physically dramatically affect the screen of our mind. Have you ever seen a television show where the audio track doesn’t line up with the picture? The person is speaking but the words don’t match her mouth movement? This is what happens in our minds when we are tired and over-extended. We keep talking but it doesn’t “match up.” If we want our minds to give us a solid base for living and loving life, we have to maintain self-care that keeps us emotionally and physically strong.
You can edit your movie: Now that you are aware of the movie in your mind, know that you are also the sole producer and director. You can change the voice over and future experiences to change the script.
Your Turn:
This week be aware of the “movie in your mind.” When you are happy, take a moment to think about what is “playing.” When you find yourself upset or distressed–what’s on the screen? Are there any outdated scenes you need to permanently archive? What voice-over commentary and new experiences can you add to take control of your script?
Brook Noel is the creator of the best-selling 70 Day Life Makeover Program for Women .. The Change Your Life Challenge. http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com
This program has helped thousands of women take control of their home, finances, relationships, clutter, time-managmenet and more.
She is the author of 19 books and maintains three free newsletters. The Daily Rush is devoted to quick and easy recipes; Good Morning! is a daily newsletter to get your day off to a great start and The Challenge Weekly offers a personal challenge for self-improvement each week. To sign up for these free newsletters please visit http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com/news.htm
Tags: affirmation, happy, misison statement, negativity, optimism, optimist, positive thinking, thoughts