A Love Affair with the Mind
What’s Next for Self by Design
I’m kicking off this new year, and new decade, not with a “New Me, New Year” attitude as I’ve done in previous years, but with a better, more integrated and whole me, mindset. One that’s evolved a lot over the last couple years and one that’s acquired a lot of knowledge on the way our minds work. Mostly because I fell in love.
I fell in love with the process of understanding myself. Really, deeply knowing myself, so I could really deeply know others. That process was delighted to hear I finally showed up (and opened up) to receiving all it had in store for me and enthusiastically smiled back, wrapped its sturdy hand around my delicate fingers and led me down the deep corridors of neuroscience, psychology, and higher consciousness (otherwise known as spirituality and our connection to a greater purpose). Sometimes, those rooms weren't particularly well lit and what I found there wasn’t particularly what I was looking for, but I’ve learned so much about this construct (phenomenon) we call the mind and its trusted companion, the brain.
That journey has taken me from the soft grey linen of my couch reading dozens of books on neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to change itself), the subconscious mind, and the limbic system to the blonde oak wood of my kitchen chairs watching dozens of more videos and courses on the neuroscience of consciousness, creativity, and meditation, to the black leather seats of my Mini Cooper listening to the ways in which our brain heals itself, reorganizes itself, and recreates itself, all the way to the standing room of the BART train (because I can never get a seat and quite frankly don’t want one) listening to the neuropsychology of why we do the things we do and feel the way we feel. It even brought me to the surprisingly outdated upholstery of the Stanford University seats for weeknight and weekend classes studying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Science. Sprinkled between those opportunities for learning have been many more workshops, seminars, conferences, and coffee shop conversations with neuroscientists, psychologists, professors, authors, practitioners, and basically anyone who’s willing to indulge in my fascination of the mind over caffeine and croissants.
This year, it’s taking me to the hopefully better-upholstered seats of an NLP Practitioner Training Program studying Neuro-Linguistic Programming, the language of our subconscious mind.
Problem with all of this knowledge and exploration of the mind, a lot of it’s still swimming around inside my own mind (so meta) instead of on these pages and in your mind where it could also be beautifully bathing. As a result, I’m committing (that word still freaks me out a little) to a new style of writing and sharing this year. One that’s more informative and educational but obviously just as witty and inspirational as always. My musings will be longer and my thoughts will be deeper. My purpose will be the same though, to show you the power of what’s inside is far greater than anything outside. The power of your mind, heart, and soul.
Looking forward to closing one chapter, and opening another together.
