Three • On The Lens Of The Mind
discussion points from The Refreshing Change podcast
Journal entry three from my conversation with Nicola Scott on her podcast The Refreshing Change is on the lens of the mind. You can listen to this section of our discussion, along with some accompanying thoughts, below. You can also listen to the full episode on Apple, Spotify or at nicolascottcoaching.com.
Three • On The Lens Of The Mind
I find the ‘lens’ analogy to be an extremely useful way of understanding how our perception of the world and everything in it is shaped by our minds.
It goes like this:
Imagine you were born with sunglasses on. And for the next 30 years you wore those glasses non-stop, unaware that the tinted lenses filtered the natural colour of the world around you to something less… vibrant.
Then, one day, you question the sunglasses. You ask yourself if you can take them off, why you have kept them on so long, perhaps who put them there in the first place.
Finally, you pluck up the courage to step outside into the sun and remove them from your eyes. You’re met with an explosion of colour and, suddenly, you’re able to see the world in technicolour.
For so many years these sunglasses have been the only lens - a constructed lens - though which you have been able to see. But no longer.
It’s the same with the mind.
If, for all the time you’ve been on this earth, you’ve never really questioned why your mind works the way it does, or how your thoughts, beliefs and value systems have been constructed to shape what is your own very unique perception of the world around you, it’s like you’ve been wearing shades the whole time.
Your mind is the lens through which you see and experience reality. And you can choose the exact shape, colour, tint and clarity of that lens to help you see differently if you learn how.
Everything, absolutely everything in your life is experienced through the lens of your mind and manifest as energy in the form of thought, emotion, physical sensation. If you can invest in your mind and treat it with respect, treat it healthily, it is inevitable that your perception of reality will change with it, as will how you show up in the world for yourself and for the people around you.
Another (arguably more famous) analogy that illustrates this point is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. It’s worth giving some thought…
MYM Journal discussion points from The Refreshing Change
This was recorded before I launched MYM as a practice - at the time, it was only an idea with a fledgling podcast (How To: Manage Your Mind). It was also before I undertook any formal training in mindfulness, meditation and hypnotherapy. How time flies…
Given the depth of conversation and how the ideas informed my thinking over the resulting 12 months I’m taking the opportunity to break it down into a series of MYM Journal entries landing with you on a Saturday morning for some light weekend consideration.
You’re always welcome here.
JR
