I am an addict.

Today I listened to a pod cast called "The Science of Success" (very good, you should check it out) the guest speaker was Mr. Scott Halford who is a professional speaker and authority on the brain as it relates to achievement. Mr. Halford spoke on a number of topics but one really stuck with me, he was explaining how "Activation precedes Motivation".  He said and I'm paraphrasing "The medial orbital frontal cortex of the brain is where action originates.  When we take action and accomplish a task it activates our bodies reward system, our reward comes in the form of endorphins being secreted with one of the most powerful ones being dopamine. Motivation on the other hand is a psychological construct that looks at the "why" or the "desire" behind action.  In life we all have things that must be done and things that we have no motivation to do and that is where activation comes in.  If we can just get started, just force ourselves to do it we can begin to activate our bodies reward system.  The dopamine that is released when we begin to accomplish tasks is registered with the same neurotransmitters that are active during drug addiction. So through the consistent act of activation and achievement we can literally become addicted to success." 

How awesome is it to know that through your own efforts you can train yourself to be a "doer"?  Through willpower and consistency we can con our bodies and minds into to creating a system where doing what is difficult becomes pleasurable.  Achievement becomes your drug, your brain is the dealer and all debts are paid with effort... This is no motivational speech or self help technique, this is science, this is how we are wired and anyone can tap into it anytime they want. 

You and "I"

Have you ever felt trapped? Not in a basement or air duck, or any of that sort of thing, I mean have you ever felt trapped within yourself.  It's like within you, you know there is so much more, more to give, more to be, and become but none of that can find its way out.   You are quite certain that some where in there is the real "you" but its almost like that person or at least the spirit of that person is trapped behind so many layers of bullshit it may never see the light of day again.  Sometimes I cant remember the last time I was me... That person only comes out in brief flashes nowadays, it's sad.  Our society goes about bombarding that part of us that is truly us way back in our childhood; teachers, parents, adults all telling us what we can and cant do based on the failures of their life.  Killing that voice inside of us that pushes us to make this experience match exactly what we want it to be.  

Have you ever thought about exactly who or what that voice is? Have you ever pondered on the concept of "I"?  I know, it sounds crazy but give it some thought.  When we speak we say "I have a heart or a mind or a soul." so that suggests that we are not those things, we have those things but those things are not us...  We speak in terms of ownership and possession, we do not address them as if they are what we are, no, they are just what we have.  We don't say "I am soul", we say "I have a soul."  So who is I?  We all can agree that a person is so much more than a name or a title, or even a gender.  What we are, what we truly are seems to be without classification.  Our level of consciousness can't be clearly defined, yet we all know what it is.  To be truly conscious is to realize that the body is nothing more than a vessel and the soul or spirit of that vessel is nothing more than its true personality... But you are none of those things.  You are an expression of life, or to be more accurate you are an expression of energy.  

Deja vu, intuition, instinct... all are words we use to help ourselves not get too freaked out when we are able to know what we couldn't have known and experience what we know we have done before.  This is life happening on its purest level, when energy can freely flow and allow our consciousness to tap back into the universal powers we all sprang from.  There's a reason you can "speak things into existence" and "prayer works", when we do those things, when we allow ourselves to focus energy towards a specific point and that vibration tears down the worldly confines that "I" is trapped behind.  It grants us permission to be.  In those moments nothing is beyond our grasps, fore we are now what we have always been and that is who "I" really is. 

“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.” 
― Alan W. Watts

Cache

Memories are some of the most powerful things in the human experience.  Our minds are capable of transporting our current selves back in time to relive things that have happened many years ago.  Some of our most meaningful memories still carry the emotion of the time, not only can you recall what happened you can also smell,  taste, and feel the moment.  The recesses of the mind are filled with scenes of times past and in those recesses we store some of the memories that we would much rather forget.  Things that your insides ache when you think about them, whether it worked out for the best or not we all have memories that transport us back to a time where all we knew was sorrow.  

And then there are those memories that bring a smile to your face as soon you think about them.  Like opening up a present they evoke feelings of joy and happiness as if you were experiencing them for the first time all over again.  Often you find yourself gazing off into the distance with a devilish grin when entertaining those past moments where everything went right and all was good.  

Our minds are like a grand storage system of our life's archive. A system that allows one to recall not only a time but also the emotion of the event.  We are allowed to navigate through this labyrinth any time we choose, granting us access to relive what once was and will never be again.  Memory lane is such a great place to visit from time to time but make sure you don't overstay your welcome, there's so many more memories that have yet be made. 

Waze

Think about where you are right now, where you live, what you do, who you hang around.  Now think about all the events that took place to get you there, all of the decisions made or not made, all the turn rights instead of lefts, everything that has happened in your life is responsible for where you currently stand.  When I think about my life, my current circumstances and past, I think about the avenues I have travelled due to the people I chose to be around.  We are all a product of our environment and nothing encompasses more of that environment than the people we allow in our lives.  The closer a person gets to knowing the real you, the more influence they possess over you.  

Think about that in the terms of relationships.  We tend to look at our lives in chunks of time whether it be "when I was a kid", "high school years", "college"... but we also devote large portions of our life to people.  Right now if you think about the last ten years of your life you will most certainly group a part of it with the memories of a particular person, those moments spent with or devoted to that person will serve as a bookmark in the story of your life.  In life we meet people and form bonds, sometimes those bonds are so strong that we let them navigate the course of our life.  All of our decisions are made with them in the fore front our our minds, whether it be as small as where to eat or as large as where to live we give that person permission to influence our path.  Now imagine if you could go back in time and delete a person from the history of your life, whatever the two of you shared never happened, you never met at all.  How would this affect your story? Would you be where you are right now if it weren't for them? Would you be happier, better, or worse...?

During our lives we will make millions, upon millions of decisions, some of which are small and some of which are major but I believe none to be more important than who we choose to love.


"The choices you make in Love can alter the course of your entire life..." Meagan Good