| I've just received an email from a reader who tells me | | | | feel uncomfortable or inadequate or stressed out, |
| that, after wasting many years on "normal" living and | | | | these are not the times to begin to start that process |
| "normal" people, she is now determined to take the | | | | of relearning. We have to train our minds before we |
| necessary steps to find peace of mind, contentment, | | | | play on the field of the game of life. |
| happiness and success. Her use of the word "normal" | | | | In other words, you need to devote quiet time to |
| refers to many of my articles and videos which | | | | relearning the importance of, and what it feels like to |
| explain that, in fact, so-called normal people are crazy. | | | | experience the reality of the present moment through, |
| Years of research, when taken together, confirm just | | | | our five senses. This retraining can utilize formal |
| how crazy normal people are. In essence, the normal | | | | meditation. However, many people have preconceived |
| person's life is controlled by their subconscious mind's | | | | notions of meditation that make it difficult for them - |
| preference for dwelling on the past and the negative. | | | | and, indeed, many can't find the time to formally |
| The past in question is each individual's unique set of | | | | meditate. Therefore, I suggest that you start each day |
| mental programs, installed when they were young and | | | | with just five minutes simple training. Find somewhere |
| impressionable - what generally might be referred to | | | | quiet to sit, close your eyes and simply listen to what |
| as their formative years. | | | | you're hearing - the fact that you are paying an |
| The child mind absorbs everything - that's we say | | | | abnormal amount of attention will give you the |
| children are like sponges. Unlike the adult mind, a child is | | | | impression that someone has turned up the volume! |
| completely open-minded, fully in tune with the moment, | | | | Alternatively, give yourself a short break - it could be a |
| fully alert to everything and anything that is taking | | | | coffee break - during the morning to simply see, feel, |
| place. However, what most captivates the open mind | | | | hear, smell and taste where you are. However, |
| are the events that make an impression on how we | | | | retraining an entrenched adult mind is not easy, so |
| feel about ourselves. Consequently, the things done for | | | | you're going to have to take that coffee break on |
| us or to us that make us feel good or bad about | | | | your own, where you won't be disturbed by normal |
| ourselves are photographed - what psychologists call | | | | colleagues intent on the negative gossip that is part |
| snapshot learning - and installed deeply in the | | | | and parcel of the normal coffee break! |
| subconscious mind. In adult life, the subconscious uses | | | | These are simple steps that will lead to a heightened |
| these key reference points to make sense of what is | | | | level of awareness and, indeed, self-awareness. They |
| currently taking place - and, in the process, makes | | | | are simple steps on the road to effective, efficient, |
| nonsense of it because, obviously old photographs are | | | | happy and content living. And every such step counts - |
| irrelevant to the present moment. However, it is these | | | | no matter how small. And, if, like my reader, you |
| old photographs that control our behaviour and | | | | believe that you have wasted too much of your life on |
| reactions in the here and now and, as a consequence, | | | | wallowing in normality, so what? That, too, is in the past |
| we reactively go through our adult lives without really | | | | - there's little point in beating yourself up about it, or |
| either experiencing what is happening nor acting | | | | wishing that you had seen the light sooner. And if, like |
| appropriately. In this way, our lives become ongoing | | | | many of my clients, you find that, having taken some |
| self-fulfilling prophecies based on the self-beliefs that | | | | of these simple steps towards an abnormally happy |
| we have held dear since our formative years. As | | | | and successful life but find yourself lapsing back into |
| such, the subconscious mind controls the normal | | | | normality, so what - the minute you've done whatever |
| person - not the other way around. A sure and certain | | | | you think you shouldn't have done, that's in the past |
| definition of what it is to be crazy. | | | | too! |
| But anyone can leave this nonsense behind. It doesn't | | | | The point is that, in reality, life is lived in moments - |
| mean abandoning who you think you are - it means | | | | each a new and unique opportunity to be the very |
| abandoning the knee-jerk reactive behaviour that | | | | best you that you can be. If you fail in some moments |
| stops you being so much more. In order to stop | | | | - as we all do - so what, the next moment presents |
| reactive behaviour in its tracks, we need to stop giving | | | | you with the opportunity of a fresh start. And, speaking |
| our attention to these latent programs. As I said, this is | | | | of opportunities, you will find that as your awareness |
| not to deny their existence, it is simply a question of | | | | develops, you will become more alert to the |
| choosing not to waste our energy on them. This is | | | | opportunities that, perhaps, have always been staring |
| achieved by diverting our energy to the actual reality | | | | you in the face but, because your eyesight was |
| of the present moment. In much the same way as a | | | | shrouded by the subconscious fog of outdated |
| child experiences the reality of the here and now by | | | | photographs, you never actual saw what was staring |
| fully engaging all five senses, we, as adults, must | | | | you in the face! Life is full of opportunities for better |
| relearn how to use and pay attention to our five | | | | living - open your eyes - see, feel, hear, smell and taste |
| senses. Obviously, if we find ourselves under pressure, | | | | the wonderful reality of now. |
| in a situation in which our old programming makes us | | | | |