Thought Experiment—Don't Think, Just DO! [Day 1 of 30]
Now what could I possibly be after, if the goal is to lose my mind?
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For the next 30 days, I'm going to purposely not think! Rather, every time I catch myself thinking of something, I'll replace it with an action instead. Should be fun!
Wallpaper Cave
This Experiment Will Help Me to
1- Auto-pilot myself to a level of mastery
2- Boost productivity by zoning out
3- Caring by not caring
4- Allow reality to properly manifest around me
Autopilot to Mastery
There is something fairly attractive to practicing something so unrestrictively that it becomes second nature to do. I am one who doesn't do anything unless I have what I feels like a solid understanding or idea of a direction. While that may lead to a stronger execution in any pursuit I may go on, more often than not, this leaves me waiting for the illusion #1 perfect opportunity (that we all know doesn't exist).
Many of my skills have been improved over long periods of time just doing the motion, without much thought behind each action. It's good to be mindful when doing anything, but these thoughts should come naturally through the process, and not through a force of will by overthinking. I'm very guilty of exhausting ideas to the core, so it's important to take a step back... but how far?
Thrive Global
Boost Productivity By Zoning Out?
Before you come at me with a million questions of how, we can take a look at what I've been up to today. This morning I was groggy waking up at 9am. I got in the shower, and got ready to head out and do some shopping for the house. I came back home, took out the trash, did dishes, cleaned my entire kitchen and bathroom, then did the laundry before I was mentally "all there".
This was what I wanted most of my waking experience to be like. Normally I would think, and thus worry about every minuscule detail. "Is there anything else I need, not already on the list? Should I go to a further store for better product selection? Do I have everything I need to clean? Am I throwing anything out? Is it too busy in the laundromat right now?" You might be surprised, but I normally give this much thought and focus to everything around me regardless if it really makes a difference or not. Today however, I caught myself in a trance and did everything without thinking about it at all.
Wallpaper Engine Wallpapers
It can be easy to put yourself in a trap that illusion #2 things can't get done unless we are thinking actively on them. It doesn't require a neuroscientist to put detergent in a washer. And while, many things I do may require thinking, it's far less than I believe it does.
Caring by Not Caring
I need to read a lesson or two on not giving a f***. Everything I want to do at this point doesn't happen, because I am frozen in anxiety. The journey of a thousand miles right? I want to not take a step, but run a marathon without worrying about tripping every leg of the way there like I have been. There's a certain level of detachment needed, but it's far from a complete disassociation—or becoming a machine.
This is what tripped me up a bit. If I give anything less thought, do I care less? In a lot of ways yes, when it's pitted up against the "highest potential" of how much I could care, but really is it? Thinking that illusion #3 if you can't give it your undivided attention, you don't care at all. I'm lead to believe that caring is the final manifestation in an action and not the thoughts made leading up to. If there is no action, then no matter what the thought is, it will never count.
Pixabay
Allow Reality to Properly Manifest Around Me
A big one in shifting towards your ideal reality, and in manifestation is to allow the universe to do it's work. This doesn't happen if you can't release the thoughts. I want to progress, improve, and acquire a life I genuinely want to live. Holding on to these thoughts and feelings relentlessly however, is evidence of a scarcity mentality. I found the catch 22 in this. illusion #4If an idea is not in my forefront thoughts at all times, it won't manifest.
If there is any change I want in my world that doesn't currently exist, then holding on to all the thoughts and emotions associated with them, and not allowing it to fall back into the world... Is my way of saying that I'm scared to release these thoughts, afraid of losing them, as though my wishes are the consolation prize in never reaching my goals for real. This energy needs to be let go, and released lest my reality lay dormant. In other words, it's in my best interest not to think, not to worry.
Verdict!
Let's see what happens. Will not thinking or worrying constantly free up my world and welcome drastic change? I could put more questions, but the more I think the more chances I have to chicken out! :D Let's go!
Day 1/ 30
Thank you @bollutech for this art!
Lol I was there day one and I definitely tested you on your resilience more then a handful of times xD
Yeah you, just appearing from left field. I don't think my life would be the same without some existential crisis every now and then :3
xD I just really needed to talk to you lol I just was a day behind... If I actually did what you're doing now It probably would have been sooner. I did end up giving it a try today and I got a lot done. Also, gotta have those crisis's to grow more. Lol as long as you learn from them though x3x
Learning is an understatement for all the things that happened. We shall see what the future has in store!
Doing is awesome. It is the producer of the result but the thinking is also part of the doing process. The difference between reaction and action is thinking. Thinking makes the doing productive. Think but don't over analyze. Kudos
Hello @rescitate!
I feel that there is a threshold that I've passed over between thinking and doing. Hopefully, by actively working on changing it, I can find equilibrium. No over thinking for a bit! <3
With love,
@shello
The over thinking is the problem because it leads to over analysis and delay in the action. But thinking constructively is always a good idea because it will benefit the action.
This is it. I can't figure out the line between thinking constructively and overthinking. I have been on one side for a long time, so it would be a refreshing change of pace to try out the other route c;
Funnily, I've thought and exercised this very same thing myself, shutting down the "monkey brain" when needed. When I recognize some resistance within me when I'm supposed to take on a task that I anticipate being tedious, I "zoom out" like you phrased it and don't take my own thoughts so seriously, the brain just does some farting at times and doesn't really know what it's doing or what's actually best for you.
One way for me to practice this is cold showers. Every time I take a shower I crank the water as cold as it gets (and in my mother's place it's COLD, like literally brain-freezing). Sometimes just before doing it, a thought might arise: "goch that'll be uncomfortable", but then I'm like "no monkey brain, you know nothing, I've done this numerous times, it's not like I'd suddenly die this time", and then just do it without hesitation.
The body will adapt and its nervous system will get used to sudden changes but the mental aspect is at least as important as the physical one.
I still wash myself with warm water tho to get clean but I always crank it to cold at the start and at the end.
Welp, as you put it this "monkey brain"... of mine is running loose at all times, and you can't just shut it off without offering it some sort of counterbalance. I try to zoom out, but it has failed to work up until this point. All I can hope to do is to zoom in on a physical action to nullify the thought. Kind of like thought replacement but with an action instead, so I can keep moving.
I'm legit going to try your cold shower idea, even though I already know that my brain will somehow try to talk me out of it—but that's the point right? I could see this as working in my favor as a mental trigger to not think about the future, and by doing so not worry. I take showers so hot, I may as well live inside a volcano xD
Yup, I think so too that a lot of it is about the anticipation of future, which of course is inevitable for us humans when we plan on something new we haven't yet done, for example. Or evaluating a given activity that we have a big enough snapshot of data (or just practical experience) to estimate how beneficial and fulfilling it actually is in the long run.
Surely there's no one right way to do it, so do what works for you.
Oh yeah, avoiding coldness is probably the brain's favorite activity 😁 Of course you can do it by gradually decreasing the temperature but I like to jump head first into the dragon's nest.
I'll give you a key example. While it normally takes me days to reply to a comment, I'm not even worrying about that shit right now. Instead of anticipating what I'll say—I'll just write it now.
Forsure, different strokes for different folks, it's just a matter of finding a system that will work out for me. Thanks for the encouragement! :3
Yeah, avoiding the cold is definitely hard-wired into us. I see movies sometimes when characters are put into ice baths as a form of mental-breaking torture. Should be interesting to see how breaking my own mind goes for me lmao
I'm looking forward to it! 😄
No thinking presents: Cold shower challenge!
Hmmm I never thought about the level of detachment needed to not give a f*ck... Interesting to compare the two!!
Pardon my language, but a literal mind-fuck yes! This backwards logic goes something like this; If I am taking an action towards anything, then I clearly give a fuck. Why think about it?
I guess it's my first time hearing it broken down like that. Makes me think about what it is I'm actually doing here in Korea. I have an 'I give af attitude' about pretty much everything and feel more liberated than I did years ago when I was try to "be someone cool". I guess because I can play the foreigner card so easily and that give excuses about certain things I do.
Hahaha, I also had a "Imma care about everything demeanor" myself, but at some point I couldn't continue to think more than my body could move. You playing the "foreigner card" is definitely an example of not giving a f—so that you can care the way you do!
I think this is a great Project. Especially when we consider the role our subconscious mind plays compared to our conscious mind.If we can press pause and stop thinking it will allow new actions to be formed, a new way fo doing things and we will see our life change for the better because we are no longer repeating the same habitual program of thinking the same thing. Spontaneity in action at times can birth breakthroughs and transformation
This is the ticket. There's only so many revisions that can be made until the plan changes entirely. My main goal is to not worry on one sole thing to the point where it has me changing my original direction. You may be onto something with habitual actions and patterns brought on by habitualistic thinking!
If we can take the actions first, the thoughts should in theory catch up to match the actions being made.
I look forward to tracking your outcome. This will take a lot of discipline to pull off godspeed!
I dwell too much in my head-- hence why meditation is virtually impossible for me unless I use an object to focus on.
Also, here is a quote my high school teacher used to say... it will help you stay motivated:
"Where attention goes, energy flows..." ― James Redfield
Me too haha! This will be fun and eye-opening in many ways that I don't even know yet! As long as I'm doing, then it will all work out.
I over analyze a lot more than a person would normally, so it's nice to tell my brain "no!" for once. Meditation is enjoyable but sometimes hard to apply to daily situations (when not meditating just to meditate but to solve a problem).
Thank you for the quote. It reminds me to keep as much of my energy in the physical—at least for this next month :3
losing one mind is a great path to finding ones self. I'm happy I found your profile!!
Mhmm! You can't find something, if it's already there xD
I'm also happy you found my profile, Bulma is one of my favorite woman influences. She speaks her mind and is a strong person. Stylish and smart too!~ 💞
Like the ancient Greek goddess always said: Just do it!
I'll upvote you if you can tell me which Greek goddess this is! c;
it's Nike ;)
ayeeeee :D That put a smile on my face!~
Nice! Always remember: a shared smile is two smiles! (...well especially when you share it with a mirror :D )
Hahaha that's humbling af! Thank you ^_^ omg I went to your page....
THIS IS GOLD. Keep doing what you're doing. (also upload a profile pic). I'll be sure to read a review if I find myself debating on watching a particular movie. I'm off to bed for now. Good night!
Thank you :) good night!
💖 Welcome to Steemit muh boi!~