“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly – you usually don’t use it at all. It uses you. This is the disease. You believe that you are your mind. This is the delusion. The instrument has taken you over.” – Eckhart Tolle
I recently shared a “Map of the Mind” inside our Path community.
It can be applied to your business, your work, your relationships, your performance, your health, your social life…
Everything you use your mind for, which is (hint) everything.
Super powerful.
Take a look:
The first four levels of mind can be divided into:
- Impulse
- Emotion
- Thought
- Intuition
And, even though they are interconnected, the real magic happens when we observe them as separate parts.
Here’s a (simplified) starter guide…
Impulse is the least intelligent form of mind:
Driven by our “lizard brain” (the brain stem), which seeks survival and pleasure.
Emotion is slightly more evolved:
Driven by our “monkey brain” (limbic system), which seeks status and social connection.
Thought is still more evolved:
Driven by our “human brain” (neocortex), which seeks understanding and meaning.
And then there is intuition…
A phenomena not fully understood (and, often misunderstood) by science.
Intuition exists on a higher order of intelligence than thought or emotion:
It is the gut, the heart, the little voice inside, the part of us that simply knows, even why we don’t understand why we know.
Getting these signals criss-crossed…
(for example)
Mistaking impulse for emotion (ie. the horny dude who thinks he’s in love with the girl he just met)…
Following emotion over rational thought (ie. an investor panic-selling during a market dip, instead of following his long-term strategy)…
Mixing emotion with intuition (ie. staying in a toxic relationship when you know it’s not right for you)…
Using thought to justify impulse (ie. “I deserve this ice cream, I had a stressful day”)…
Or, following thought over intuition (ie. remaining in a career you hate, instead of following a deeper calling)…
…Is the source of much human error.
Which means, learning to:
- Notice the signal
- Discern which level of mind it is coming from
- Follow the higher, and override the lower
…Is a critical skill in the human development game.
Just keep in mind, this is a skill:
Which means it takes time and practice to develop.
Here are some simple rules to help you along the way:
- Override impulses when they do not align with your higher goals.
- Feel your emotions fully before you make decisions or take actions.
- Take your thoughts into consideration, but do not mistake them as facts.
- Follow your intuition, even when it doesn’t make sense.*
* just make sure it’s really your intuition (and don’t be so sure you know…)
If this feels confusing, at first, that’s because it is confusing.
You’re developing a higher-level human capacity, and that sh*t don’t come for free.
But make no mistake:
It will transform every dimension of your life, if you master it.
When you have a moment, I’d love to hear what insights this sparked for you:
Do you have trouble feeling intuition, or getting it mixed up with a different signal?
Do you have trouble overriding lower signals (impulse / emotion) to follow higher signals (thought / intuition)?
This is a new model I’ve been playing with, so your feedback is appreciated.
– T
P.S. To the keen eyes who noticed I said “first four levels of mind”…
…Yes, there are levels beyond intuition.
And maybe we’ll talk about them, someday.
But not today 🙂
If you’re still hungry for more, click here.
