“So let it be written, So let it be done” – Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett, Burton – Metallica
Hold on to those lyrics for a bit, I’ll get there in a moment. Different context but you’ll see the relevance.
Have you heard the saying “too much of a good thing…?”
Just think of “healthy” fats; avocado, coconut, etc. They are healthy for you in moderation. At the end of the day, they are still fats and once you cross that line and consume more than your recommended daily serving, you are entering negative territory.
I touched on the old adage a bit in the last two parts of this series. I discussed two positive things that occupy my mind yet eat at my brain in excess; ideas and day dreams.
Both are great things and are the catalysts for all advancements the world has seen in history. Maybe not all started with a daydream, but I can’t conceive of any great idea or change not having a daydream involved at some point leading up to the change. Perhaps it was referred to as a vision or an inspiration. Whatever the case might be something initiated the desire to do something that created the change.
What comes first is a chicken and egg discussion and I don’t want to go there but here is how my mind works; I have an idea then I daydream about it and how it will impact my life and the world, or I daydream and an idea comes to me. It has happened both ways for me and is so common I have hard time thinking about it any other way.
Here is the negative side of it, however; I have the idea or daydream and I can’t stop thinking about it. I become totally obsessed and consumed and can’t focus on anything else. There is no resting moment of peace but constant chatter and banter in my head. It’s exciting and frustrating at the same time. That’s it when I cross the line into too much of a good thing territory.
In the last two pars I wrote about ideas and daydreams individually, but as you can read they usually go together for me. When I either occur they fuel the other and get trapped in the rabbit and I simply can’t function.
Regardless if something is inherently positive or negative, anything in excess usually ends up as a negative. There are always exceptions, love and kindness, for example. Unless, of course, you focus all your energy on outward love and kindness but neglect yourself. That could be a problem. I don’t want to go there today.
The point is we all have brain eaters that we need to be aware of learn to manage properly. There are plenty of things we can do to manage them so we don’t turn into zombies. What works for some might not for others. I only know what works for me and my personality type.
My head is like a water hose from the old cartoons that start to bloat and grow bigger and bigger until they finally burst from all the pressure. All the issues I have discussed in this series build that pressure and eventually they are going to find their way out. If I don’t open a pressure release valve, it’s not going to be pretty. Here are some things that I do that really help:
WRITE:
This helps me get what’s in my head out and relieves some of that pressure. It takes away some the squirrel food. Good or bad, I need to get it out of my head. It not only relieves pressure, but it also helps me gain a bit of perspective on it. Once I put something on paper it takes away some of the power an mystery. This is especially true for the negative things like fear and resentment. Once I put it down and read it to myself I can see how silly it all is.
TALK:
Share the secret. In business, when I get lost in ideas I need to share with someone else to help ground me so I can focus on what needs to be done to make the idea a reality. With the negative stuff, sharing with another takes even more of the power out. What is even more powerful, is that the viewpoint of someone that lives outside of my crazy head is usually much more logical and practical, if you choose your sounding boards wisely, that is. There’s a common saying “you can’t solve a problem with the mind that created it.”
MEDITATE:
Great spiritual leaders have been advocating this for centuries. I have practiced this on and off for years. I just recently begun to burn it into my daily routine and it has paid dividends. There are so many theories, opinions, styles, and methods for meditating. It is easy to get overwhelmed and confused but it really is hard to do it incorrectly. It is a personal thing and I encourage you to explore the possibilities and give it a try.
EXERCISE:
This is my “active” meditation. Whether I am alone or with friends, it is me time. The health benefits of exercise are obvious, but the mental and spiritual are not as obvious. I am biker and a runner. My love is mountain biking and trail running. I love to be off the grid and away from the hustle and bustle. I have added road biking because the trails are not accessible year round where I live. These activities allow me to decompress and blow off steam and I also do a lot reflection and brainstorming. It just does wonders for me. If I don’t get it done, I feel it, and so do those around me.
There are so many things you can do. These are just the things I choose to do and are just a fraction what is available. I encourage you to find something that works for you and start doing it. I only touched on these for the sake of brevity, but I could write pages on each one detailing what I do and how is has impacted and improved my life.
Hit me up if you want to talk more about these or need that sounding board to help walk you through your current fire. Either way, doesn’t let your brain be eaten…let it be written, let it be done!
Talk Soon,
Kevin W. @Leap272
Owner – Operator
You have to leap if you want to live.
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