The Current Mood 

Today I woke up in a very distracted state of mind, plus I did not bother myself with my morning ritual. Which usually involves a lot of silence, awareness training, gratitude, and breathing exercises. I am big on morning intentions, but today I had no intention of doing anything. I thought it would be one of those days, you know? I will just wait for it to end so I might sleep early and then make it up tomorrow by waking up early and doing so much, so I don’t feel bad about taking it easy today. 

However, an hour into mindless scrolling on the internet, my self-talk gets even louder, more vivid. “Is this really what you want to do? You keep refreshing your FB page, but you will still have no new notifications.” Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, Instagram – one after the other, not knowing what I am looking for ­­ — just mindlessly scrolling to pass the time.

Suddenly something just shifted; I got so tired of my thoughts that my mind decided to take over. I am baffled as well. I know it makes no sense at all. How can I get tired and my mind take control? Are they separate from one another? Okay, this is a conversation for some other time but think about this one. Ask yourself, “Am I and my mind separate?” In my case, “Who is that I, that expressed the feeling of frustration and fatigue, and who decided that it’s enough?” 

Anywho, I “decided” I was going to catch up on all the books I had left midway and started reading the book called “Essence of Mind: An Approach to Dzogchen – Book by Jes Bertelsen.” I realized I only had about two chapters left in the book to read, so I kept reading with that constant distracting chatter still going on in the background of my mind. 

If you asked me anything about the chapters I read, I would honestly have nothing to tell you. I read it! I accomplished my goal of reading, but I wasn’t there! Haven’t you as well felt like this before? Whether you’re at work, having a conversation with someone, cooking, or driving? You reach the destination, but you have no clue how you arrived there? Mind-numbing stuff. 

The next book on my list is Michael Neill’s – Supercoach. I only have about 70-80 odd pages left, starting from chapter 7 – Listening Made Fun. And knowing my ability, I can finish reading this in 70-80 minutes. 

The External Trigger (The Insight)

Learn to Listen, Listen to Learn

“. . . and words are dangerous, because you might listen to them. And that would be a mistake.”

— Ram Dass

“One of the things I challenge coaches on my “Coaching Mastery” intensives to do is to become conscious of their unconscious assumptions, filters, and habits and how each of those aspects of the coaching process impacts the results they’re able to produce with their clients. In particular, I ask them to become aware of how they habitually listen, whether they’re listening to their clients, their teachers, their colleagues, their children, or even themselves.” – Passage from Michael Neill’s Book – Supercoach

The Thought / The Emotion

As soon as I read the above passage, BOOM – I suddenly started experiencing a state of quiet self-awareness. I am now, here! I am reading and aware of my mental chatter, which subsides and 10minutes into reading, and suddenly I think about writing this blog. Then I am aware of making the decision of whether I want to continue reading or stop and start writing? Well, if you’ve read this far, you know what I chose to do. 

Okay, this passage is not the only thing that caused self-awareness. I also listen to some fantastic music when I read or write. Primarily classical music or some kind of brainwave music, which further helps my mind focus and fall down into flow. 

The Behavior / The Action

As a result of this newfound serenity, I start writing. Words just keep forming sentences, and sentences form paragraphs. I don’t have words to explain what takes over the flow of this blog, but before I even know where I want to go with this blog, the blog writes itself. I am not dictating what comes next or what goes where.

Yes, a pattern does emerge as to my vision for the blog post; I want to talk about the basic and fundamental principles of reality. So first, I describe 1) My current mood, 2) I described an external trigger, 3) I talk about the thoughts and emotions that arise as a result of the trigger, and finally, 4) I describe what action/behaviour change occurs as a result of those thoughts and emotions. 

The funny part? I am still in this action; I am right here. Unaware of what I am typing, yet aware that words are being formed and making sense, at least in my head.  

The Takeaway

I have written almost a thousand words in precisely 60 minutes. However, I had no clue an hour had passed. I only realized an hour had gone because I record each and everything I do on a daily basis. Whether I read a book for 30 minutes, listened to a podcast for an hour, coached someone for two hours, or am writing, everything gets tracked. 

So, what is the takeaway here? Now I am intentionally trying to be aware of my writing. Because there are so many takeaways from this blog. What are they? 

1. You can see how unconscious thoughts work and how you cannot control them. 
2. Stop fighting your thoughts and emotions; just be aware of them. See them as passing clouds. Detach.
3. I literally gave away my coaching philosophy. I mean, this is the root of my personal philosophy. Impermanence is true nature. 
4. You can use this as a strategy when you’re stuck. I use this technique with my clients called Trigger Tracking. We look at what triggered you to feel a certain way; we look at the mental chatter and the behaviour resulting from that chatter. I also have a trigger tracking card, but it’s not for everyone. It may be for you and if you want it, get in touch. 
5. You can see how flow states can be triggered and that you can’t sustain them. If you’re constantly seeking, you’re missing out on it by seeking it. When seeking stops, knowing appears. 
6. During this flow state, the “I” dropped. There was no Dishant writing; there was just writing. No spiritual powers involved, just plain old surrender. 
7. You can also see how ONE, just one insight changed the trajectory of my day. That is what DailyKensho (readmore)  is all about. Seeing the true nature, e v e r y d a y! 

Every moment, you have an opportunity to be enlightened, to live here, to experience now, to be this moment.

– Dishant Sheth