[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
I lived half a century before I learned how life really works!
Even though it took so long, I’m very grateful I eventually learned it. Sadly, most people never do.
You see, we are brought up believing the world works one way, when it actually works another. It isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s simply a misunderstanding perpetuated by our society and culture. A very convincing misunderstanding, for sure. But a misunderstanding, nevertheless.
However…
When we learn how things really work, it can transform our lives in amazing ways!
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[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Did you know that you have two minds?
If you’re like I was most of my life, you may not be in tune with what’s going on in your head at any given moment. So you may not be aware of your mind’s seemingly split personality. However, if you pay attention, it doesn’t take long to see our two minds in action.
There’s our “ego mind” and our “wisdom mind.”
Our ego mind is filled with fear and is mostly wrong about everything, yet it loudly and proudly proclaims its rightness.
Meanwhile, our wisdom mind is filled with love and sits quietly in the background knowing the real truth, and having the right answers.
In some ways, our split mind is like the proverbial angel and devil on our shoulders.
Here’s the problem…
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[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Have you ever noticed how certain people are always up in arms about something?
Whether it’s a situation at work, home or in our social circles, we can easily find a reason to feel put upon. As soon as one problem is cleared up, there’s always another around the corner. Plus there are plenty of horrible happenings in the news to feel bad about just in case we can’t find anything to complain about locally!
No doubt, there are a zillion things we can be up in arms over. But why would we want to? It seems kinda dumb to me. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Jill Whalen | Posted in Psychology, Thought | Posted on 28-06-2017
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
“What wise or stupid thing can man conceive that was not thought of in ages long ago?“
–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, Part 2, Act II, The Gothic Chamber
For the past month or so, I’ve been hanging out at a few Facebook anxiety groups. A common question I see there is: “Am I the only one who experiences X, Y, or Z? Or alternatively, “Am I the only one who thinks these things and feels this way?”
The answer, of course, is a big, fat NO, as evidenced by all the others who join in and comment about their similar experiences. Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
I had a bit of an insight about our “true selves” last week which I’ll try to put into words here. I hope it makes some semblance of sense.
Here’s what I’ve seen…
As human beings, we are so wedded to our personality. Our individuality. Our identity. That part of us that seems to make us who we are. Our uniqueness. Our specialness.
Yet these aspects of us are also often our downfall. Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
In a recent popular post I talked about how keeping our mouth shut when others seem to do or say things that bother us, can go a long way towards strengthening our relationships with them.
While this practice has been very helpful to me (when I remember) I can’t help but wonder…
Why am I’m bothered by them in the first place?
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Warning…this post contains bad language!
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Which would you prefer: feeling good or feeling bad?
I’m guessing most of you would say feeling good. And yet…
…so often when confronted with “negative” situations, we hold onto bad feelings a whole lot longer than necessary.
While we go through many emotions throughout our day, the negative ones can seem so “normal” that we don’t even notice them. However, I’ve found the more I make a point to observe my thoughts, the more aware I am of when they are in turmoil. Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Now that I’m often observing my thoughts, I’ve noticed some that surprise me. For instance, I never thought of myself as judgmental, yet some of my thoughts tell me otherwise. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Jill Whalen | Posted in Relationships, Thought | Posted on 15-02-2015
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Let’s face it, we are egocentric beings. We live in our heads and see the world through our own unique (skewed) perspective. Most of the time we forget or simply never think about the fact that everyone else on the planet is doing the same.
And guess what?
99.99% of others’ thoughts are all about them–just as 99.99% of yours are about you. (My made-up statistic. 😉 )
This is not to say that none of us care or have empathy and compassion for others. We do. But most of the time when we have other people on our minds, we are usually wondering what they’re thinking of us, or how what they’re thinking might impact us. Read the rest of this entry »
[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version.]
Plugged Into Intuition!
We’ve all had “gut feelings” about people or things at some point in our lives. I’m sure you can think of times where you had positive experiences when you listened to your gut, and negative ones when you didn’t.
How many times have you thought something like “I knew shouldn’t have had that extra cookie!” or “If only I had taken my umbrella like I had been thinking of doing!” or “There was just something that wasn’t quite right about him,” etc.?
Yet most days we go through life without paying much attention to that little voice inside us even though it’s always accessible. Read the rest of this entry »
