Releasing assumptions.

William Michael Forbes




The mind has a memory that causes some people to forget who they really are.. wmf

A Well Known Fact: The Ego only sees what it remembers...not what is real. To see what is real one must forget to remember in order to be in the truth of any moment.


My Bluetooth earpiece had gone missing for four days. On the fourth day it had cooled somewhat and the rain was falling and we decided to take the dog out for a walk. Tika and I stood by the front door waiting for NJ to put on her boots...first the left and then suddenly she screamed...

“aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!” and leaped onto my body becoming an instant part of me....”there’s something in my boot....I think it’s a mouse!” We were looking down at the boot on its side both anticipating a furry grey resident scurrying away...nothing emerged. NJ gently uncoiled herself from my body and stood beside me. I moved cautiously towards boot, lifted it up and looked carefully inside and began to laugh as I pulled my missing Bluetooth from within the boot...then NJ and I were laughing hard for a good minute, then began to wonder, how her mind could interpret the sensation of the Bluetooth in her boot as if it were a mouse, which then caused the behaviour of NJ leaping onto my body. First there were the obvious similarities, a mouse is small...sometimes grey, with small legs and paws. My Bluetooth was small, grey and has a long slim arm that fits around my ear.

Other than those similarities...a mouse and my Bluetooth are nothing at all like one another...one is alive one is inanimate, one is furry one is hard plastic, one plugs in the other eats food...NJ’s memory and not what was occurring in the moment was what had caused the misperception that caused her behaviour. Had she had the information of plastic, hard, she would have simply reached into the boot, pulled out my Bluetooth and said...”Here’s your Bluetooth William. Information was missing from the moment and therefore conclusions and actions followed from what was available a the time. The same is true in any moment of our daily lives...if we are operating under limited, inaccurate and incomplete information...then our behaviour will be governed by that information, unless we choose to, which brings us to today blog on How to be happy in fifteen minutes or less.

For two minutes out of each of the next seven hours...(more if you like) notice when you or others around you are making decisions, based on either limited or preconceived beliefs ( a tip for identifying when this is occurring is when there seems to be a hint of conflict or something doesn’t feel right...an awkward silence)...especially notice if find yourself behaving negatively or others are behaving negatively towards you...chances are there are preconceived notions going on in the mind(s) of those involved in the current situation. At such points ask yourself the question...what thoughts am I thinking right now, and what can I ask to find out if they are true? Often miscommunication happens not because anyone intends it...but because we are coming from a mindset of preconceived ideas about the situation and people involved. Remember to breath, relax and smile before and after each two minute period and...

Have a great day!



William

Copyright © 2010 by William Michael Forbes. All rights reserved.