Strengthen The Gatekeeper
A Situational Pattern.
Situation
Ever experience a thought pop into your mind and take hold before you fully realize it? Next thing you know all thinking is repurposed to chew on this single idea. Well it happens to me more than I’d like. And it happens on evenings and weekend when I’m looking to detach. So how might we get better control? Start by strengthening the gatekeeper of your mind.
Pattern
1. Be aware of the process.
Ok so a thought pops into your mind. It’s shows up and within seconds it begins to take hold. And when it takes hold it brings along its buddies like guilt, pride, anger, etc. You get the picture and you’ve likely experienced this cycle again and again. So what do do?
2. Intercept the thought.
That’s right. For a split second you have the opportunity to intercept the thought and decide what to do. Maybe the first few times this will be awkward. But when this happens think about a little flag going up that says “Hey, this is one of those moments… moments where you need to decide what to do next!” Consciously make a decision.
3. See it to the door if necessary.
Once intercepted, consciously make a decision about what to do next. If it’s really pressing and needs to be dealt with that second, then by all means indulge. But, if it can wait, then see it to the door. Sometimes I like to imagine walking the thought to the front door and letting it go until it returns the next time. Or you can also walk it to the side room where it can be stored until you are ready to deal with it later.
4. Practice, Practice, Practice.
Again and again and again. You really just need to practice this one. It gets easier in time. Easier to become aware of the thought that comes to life in your mind and easier to decide what to do… and then do it. Every day is practice for me. ;-)
Why
You decide how you experience the world… Every. Single. Day. You are bigger than one thought or collections of thoughts. And you are in control. Doesn’t always feel like that but the more that you can manage the gatekeeper of your mind the more you’ll realize this. And by realizing this you’ll be able to experience the world with ever increasing mastery.
Curious about Situational Patterns? Learn more about Situational.ly.
