Your Ultimate Self

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Tag: personal-development

  • Reclaiming our Power: The Battle of the Mind

    How we view the relationship we have with our thoughts seriously changes the way we interact with our own mind and leads to some interesting outcomes. Instead of letting our thoughts dominate our mental space and lead us toward negative behaviors that cause distress to ourselves and those around us, we can learn to acknowledge the thoughts and meet them with a more objective familiarity; regaining the power that was reserved for our self.

    “Your Mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master and not its slave.”

    ― Remez Sasson

    Before we can change how the thoughts we harbor affect us we have to acknowledge that they are a fundamental part of our biology. They originate from the mind and they arise from both external and internal events that we perceive from our senses. The more we try to fight with our thoughts, repress them, or try to control them the more power we give to them and the bigger monsters they become in our head. This is what leads to rumination and even acting out, mainly to our detriment, due to the thoughts which only turns to increase our own stress and put us in these all so familiar negative thought – behavior loops: (Negative thoughts – inappropriate behavior [drug, acting out, self abuse, overeating, under-eating, etc] – stress – even more negative thoughts) 

    With all this information we can change the questions we ask ourselves about this issue. No longer does it serve us to ask, “How do I get rid of these thoughts” but instead we are enlightened to ask, “How do I move forward after having these thoughts”. Like a surfer that doesn’t fight the wave; an exercise in futility and potential catastrophe, we have to learn how to ride the currents and waves of thoughts that arise in the ocean of our minds. The best way I have learned to do this for myself and many others is to practice mindfulness by sitting with the thought. Instead of fighting the thought, trying to judge the thought and immediately remove it from my mind I simply sit with the thought and allow it to pass by like a cloud on a breezy spring afternoon. 

    Understanding that you are not your thoughts is a key element of this practice. Our thoughts are byproducts of the mind and we have the choice to choose the thoughts we want to bring into our lives as well as accepting the thoughts we want to deem as real. With these two fundamental understandings and a nonjudgmental outlook we can transform our own relationship with our thoughts, reclaim our internal power, and loosen the vice grip thoughts hold on our emotions and behaviors that we so often feel is out of our control. 

    Dr. Shaikh M.D

  • AI and Human Mindset

    In a world where information and technology has become the great equalizer, how can we differentiate ourselves from others? Tools such as AI have leveled the playing field in terms of obtaining knowledge and information. No longer does one need to spend hours perusing the library and engaging in punctilious research to find the answer they are looking for. 

    So then, it would seem as though everyone should easily reach their goals in greater numbers than ever before. But a quick survey of those close to us would illustrate the contrary. Of course there are more technological resources now than in the past, yet it seems like human achievement is relegated to only a select few in spite of our abundance. 

    Clearly, there are other factors at play. While many different forces can be attributed to this observation, I’d like to emphasize the invisible role that mindset plays and how its role will grow in importance as the sands of time sink in the hourglass of our lives. As technology continues to even out the playing field in life, what will be more and more important is the way humans are able to play the game. Hence, our ability to overcome our inner circumstances and challenges will prove to be just as crucial if not greater than our external environment. 

    Dr. Carol Dweck makes an interesting point about the difference between Fixed and Growth mindsets that we can take with us as we navigate our own lives. Having a fixed mindset is a means for our egos to avoid failure at all costs; mainly at the cost of our own self development and evolution. “Whatever talents I have (intelligence, gifts, abilities) are all that I will ever have” is the story that those with a fixed mindset tell themselves.

    On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset embraces failure and challenges and sees taking risks as an essential part of the process towards success. The stories told by people with growth mindsets sound like this, “I will only reach my highest potential by taking risks and accepting uncertainty as part of the growth process”. Failure for them is something to be learned from instead of shrunk away from. 

    Thankfully, the way we make meaning and the stories we tell ourselves are mutable. We can shift towards growth or we can fall into a fixed mindset; for most of us this is a dynamic process that ebbs and flows from one to the other. When we become aware of these stories and thoughts is when the magic happens and we can start crafting the meanings for the challenges of life in a way that lead us to our highest potential. 

    Dr. Shaikh M.D