The real power of mind control isn’t in controlling other people but in controlling your own mind (and as a result, controlling or influencing your action, behaviour and habits. To make changes requires diligent awareness of your internal motivations and emotions.
What’s driving your behaviours? How do you react to the various challenges that you’re presented with every day?
Become a scientist of yourself. Study how you operate, from almost a detached, observational way. The insights that you get into observing your mind will help you make the internal changes you want to make.
My friend, Ryno, who is a sharp personal development devotee, first introduced me to this idea of “mind control”. I think we talked about it in the context of purposefully calming the mind to deal with challenges and overcoming the frequent background hum of various ongoing worries and fears (that usually don’t actually happen).
Mind control means that you no longer emotionally react…you thoughtfully respond to situations. Mind control is deliberately stopping an action or behaviour that you know is not healthy or not in your best interests. You intentionally put the brakes on when you notice that an impulse come up (fear, anger, self-blaming, etc…).
Mind control asks, “Is this really true? Is there another way of looking at this situation?”
The Middle Way or the Middle Finger?
A few years ago, I used this type of mind control to stop myself from getting into an angry (and pointless) argument with a bus driver while I was driving.
A bus was pulled over on the right side of a two-lane street to let off some passengers. It was halfway in the lane and halfway in a narrow bus pullout, and was signalling left to get back into the right lane of traffic. I was in the left lane, slightly behind the bus when he was signalling and we were both positioned fairly close to a traffic light.
I didn’t realize that the bus driver wanted to get into my lane and so I moved forward and unknowingly blocked him from getting into my lane. I thought he only wanted to go into the right lane, not my lane.
There’s no way I could have known that he wanted to cross two lanes so quickly. A blinker doesn’t tell you how many lanes a vehicle wants to cross.
The bus driver opened his left-side window, pointed at his blinker and angrily yelled at me, “Do you know what this is?!”.
My first instinct (which I didn’t do) was that I was going to give him the middle finger and call out, “Do you know what this is?” which I thought would have been kind of funny (for me, at least). Plus maybe toss out a few curse-laden insults his way. I thought I was in the right and so his snarky comment triggered me momentarily.
What did I actually do? I used mind control…on myself.
I said absolutely nothing. I focused on my breathing. I observed the negative thoughts I was having and just let it wash over me. I told myself that this isn’t worth getting into and that I’m going to remain calm.
Yes, that was hard to do. I really had to restrain myself from my original impulse. This approach really worked and I’m glad that I did it.
I didn’t give the bus driver any further ammunition and I didn’t create any additional stress for him or for myself. There’s already too much negativity in the world…I don’t need to get drawn into it or contribute to it.
Mind Control and Your Goals
Think about this “mind control” technique and how you can use it. Watch for situations when you can put it into practice. It’ll help you stay internally stable when life tries to mess with you (which it will).
By staying balanced and cultivating internal calm, you will increase your success in reaching your goals. This is a very supportive practice to do throughout your day and it will free up your energy for working on your health, business, career or personal development goals.
Do you use similar mind control practices? Got any stories where you’ve “re-written” a situation in a way that kept you feeling internally stable or strong? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading…Stay focused on your goals and vision!
Nigel
Accountability Coach
Holding Your Feet to the Fire