What if I told you that you have been hijacked by your mind?
You would probably think that I’m crazy and you would probably want a hit of the crack that I appear to be smoking. Well in truth, I am dead serious and at this moment, completely sober and this article may in fact rewire and change your whole perception of who you are and what’s possible.
But before you can resonate with any of this, you first must take back control of the throttle that your ego has so desperately wrapped itself around. You see, what most people fail to realize is that you are not your mind and until your realize this critical fact, you will forever be a slave to your mind.
Once you can disidentify from your mind by observing it, it’s no longer in control and you can use your mind as a tool, as opposed to being taken over by it. It’s almost like human beings were created with a glaring flaw. A flaw that would prove so destructive that it would poison any and all chance of happiness.
As humans we walk through life in a daze and our minds are constantly running all over the place, doing whatever it can to escape the very moment that we’re in. If you go about your day as normal, you will witness your mind wander continuously.
For example, you’re at work but desperately looking to the weekend for salvation. Or maybe you’re at the gym working out but instead of focusing on the set you’re doing you begin to let your mind drift off.
Next, imagine you’re at a bar and you see a gorgeous girl. Do you bring your attention to the present moment, walk up to her and meet her. Or do you retreat to your mind, and wander what you should say and if she will like you, and then do you justify your lack of action by coming up with a creative reason for why you shouldn’t talk to her.
Your mind is stopping you from talking to her because of it’s unconscious fear of rejection. So long that your’e inside your head, your ego is in control and anything that may potentially hurt your ego, you will avoid.
When you bring your attention away from mind activity and into the now, your ego no longer exists. Fear in all of it’s forms disappears and you are truly free. Furthermore, it’s only when you are deeply present that true happiness can arise.
Projecting Fulfillment into the Future
Our mind likes to do whatever it can to keep us out of the very moment that we’re in. It pushes our very happiness and fulfilment into the future. And in doing so, the present moment, this moment right here, becomes reduced to a mere stepping stone into future without any real value.
Everything we do in life becomes a chronic obsession to arrive, to have and to attain. The enjoyment from our moment to moment life is gone as everything becomes a means to an end.
We tell ourselves that we’ll be happy when we have that job, that car, that perfect girlfriend or those six pack abs. But as long as you’re projecting your happiness into the future, your mind will keep it there. What you need to understand is that to the ego there is no present, only past and future.
If you’re identified with your mind and seeking fulfilment in the future, your mind will always keep it in the future. What people initially think will make them happy, inevitably makes them feel empty again.
When you seek happiness through ego validation, it quickly wears off and before you know it, you need another fix. So long that you’re seeking happiness in the future through catering to your ego’s need, you will never truly be happy.
And as a result, any and all relationships and interactions will secretly have a hidden agenda. There will be an outcome, to feel validated and to give your ego a more complete sense of self.
By all means have a vision for yourself, go after your dreams, build an incredible physique and date amazing women. But don’t do so on the premise that it will make you happy. The true power and fulfillment that you get from working towards your vision comes not from the end result, but from how deeply it brings you into the present moment.
To truly succeed and create the life you want, you must honor the now. You must learn to utilize your mind and not become hijacked by it. When your attention is in the present moment, all limiting beliefs will have disappeared and you will be in an empowered state that is clear, focused and confident.
In pursuing your dreams and taking action, you will have strengthened your presence power and taken control of your mind. This is the ultimate form of freedom.
Letting go of the Ego
I want you to imagine that your entire life up until this moment has been erased. Everything you know of till this very second is gone; your name, your possessions, your past experiences and your identity!
As Tyler Durden said in Fight Club, “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” What was he talking about? This is so much deeper than losing your job, your car, your money or your looks. This is about losing your ego!
Without any past there is no pride, no fear, no insecurity, no judgements, no mental labelling and no emotional complex’s and thus, you can simply be! That being is the very essence of who you are.
To achieve this state you need to bring your fullest attention to what you’re doing, to the very moment that you’re in, only then will you feel peace, aliveness and joy.
Your life will flow with much more grace and ease and things will start to go your way as your mind will no longer be holding you back and it will no longer become dependent on an outcome. Your mind will no longer be taking you out of the moment, which is all we ever have.
How will this transform your life?
Without any ego identification, there is nothing holding you back. In the words of Jordan Belfort (Wolf of Wall Street), “Most people tell themselves this wild story about why they can’t take action and in truth, the story they tell themselves is exactly what’s holding them back from being successful.
They complain and justify and that stops them from moving forward.” With no ego, there is no fear of failure! Your excuses and false rationalizations will go out the window. You will have empowered yourself by taking complete and absolute responsibility for everything in your life.
Only once you have accepted that the buck stops with you and only you, only then will you be free to conquer your goals and to take action. And only then will you stop subconsciously sabotaging any and all attempts at fulfilment, success and happiness. “No fear no distractions, the ability to let that which does not matter truly slide” (Fight Club).
Actionable Steps to Success
1. Know that you are not your mind
Understand deeply that you are not your mind. Treat your mind and it’s thoughts as a six year old child. Observe it, don’t judge it. So long that you are observing your mind and not identifying with it, you will withdraw all power if has over you.
For example, if you catch your mind telling you a story about why you can’t succeed or why you shouldn’t take action, observe the thought. Overtime these thoughts and self limiting beliefs that have been emotionally tied to your ego will no longer bear influence over you.
2. Bring your awareness into the present moment
Keep your mind focused and honed in on the present moment. There is a whole realm of intelligence far beyond thought. Without deep presence your ability to execute and perform at a high level will be greatly hindered. As Bruce Lee said, “Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless like water.”
Let your mind become still and intensely focused on the present moment. This is where you are your most competent and the most effective. You are ready, alert and adaptable. If you find your mind is wandering and taking you out of the moment, try to catch it.
If you can observe your mind and it’s thoughts, you will be back into presence. With time, you will be able to spend greater lengths of time in the now. Being in the now will put you in the best possible state. And it is the quality of your state that determines your success and happiness.
3. Create a vision
See things as they are and then see them better than they are. Decide how you want your life to be and make it so! A clear, identifiable and purpose driven vision is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful.
If you don’t have a vision for where you want to be, it will be really hard to get motivated. But when you have created a strong vision for your life and for yourself, it’s easy to be motivated and nothing can get in your way. Nothing can stop you from taking right action. And with this vision you unleash a greater sense of purpose, drive and ambition.
4. Have a strategy
To build an incredible physique or to succeed in any pursuit, you must have a strategy in place. You must commit to a plan! Unfortunately there is so much information available to us that we become overly convoluted and have no idea where to start.
We keep changing things up, complicating things, trying new things, constantly looking for a different approach when we never put the initial one into action. We feel as if we are moving forward but in actuality we haven’t even left the driveway.
It’s as if you’re about to embark on a journey but keep stalling, wondering if you’re taking the right approach. It’s okay to fail, it’s okay to make mistakes, this is what being human is all about! But for gods sake, take action and adjust as necessary along the way.
This is one of the reasons why I think having a coach is so effective! This is also why I have worked with many coaches throughout my life in several different areas. Not only are you learning from someone who has walked the walk and helped hundreds of people succeed, but you have invested in them. You are accountable to them.
Final Comment
I have spent the last four months immersing myself in the teaching of Eckhart Tolle and Practicing the Power of Now. It has had such an incredible impact on my life that I can’t help but share it! Letting go of mind identification and staying deeply present will improve your life in all areas.
Everything in life will bring you much more joy and people will sense this deeply sincere and incredible energy about you that they can’t help but be drawn to. Further, you will become so deeply grounded in yourself and in the moment that vary rarely will anyone or any circumstance have the power to upset you or get you off your game.
In this weeks episode of the road to ripped podcast, Christopher Walker and I discuss freeing yourself from this false mind made identity and escaping the addictive victim mindset. Take a listen:
[audio://traffic.libsyn.com/roadtoripped/Destroying_the_Victim_Identity_-_Road_to_Ripped_Podcast.mp3]Subscribe to the Road to Ripped Podcast Here
