The value of asking the right questions and not putting your mind into reactive mode in the morning is hugely beneficial. If you go through this exercise and do it regularly, you’ll find the results surprising.
Do you start your day with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or emails? If you do, you’ve severely limited your brain’s power for the rest of your day. The analogy from the book Switch is that your conscious mind is like the rider on an elephant. And the elephant represents your subconscious. By checking your social media as soon as you wake up in the morning, you’ve put your elephant into a tailspin and left your rider out of control.
Your brain is stimulated and dopamine is released. You want more. And more. And some more… What started out as 10 minutes ends up being much longer than that. Your mind is overloaded with sensory information that your brain now needs to process, leading to reactionary thoughts and feelings. Why hasn’t my friend replied to my messages yet? Shit, I completely forgot to reschedule that lunch today. Oh I see that my friends had a great time going out last night. My night was good too… I guess. The rider has lost control and needs time as it tries to relax the elephant.
Your mind is actually a very powerful tool. More powerful than any computer or AI (at the moment, at least). But it needs the right fuel and…
