09 Aug ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
Moss Jackson, PhD
Psychologist Success Coach
General Patton?
Mother Teresa?
Marco Polo?
Brigitte Bardot?
MENTORS AND GUIDES
My friend Jeff DeLone came down recently to our beach house for a day of conversation, golf, wine and dinner. While we were talking, we came around to the topic of Mentors and Guides: individuals we would like in our lives to go to in times of confusion, uncertainty and apprehension. Jeff smiled as we conjured up our desired mentors, either dead or alive. Names like Einstein, Socrates, Lincoln and Oprah came up. So did Mark Twain, Ferris Beuller and JFK, among others.
IT DOES NOT MATTER IF THEY ARE DEAD
As we talked, I expressed some disappointment that we would never actually talk to these mentor fantasies as they were either dead or unapproachable. Jeff smiled and said he talks to a number of mentors and it does not matter if they were dead. He said that whenever he invites a meditative state up to his consciousness during the day, he travels in his imagination to a distant place in the Universe where he talks one by one with his heroes and internal guides. He simply closes his eyes and pictures a guide and asks him/her an important question. He then stays quiet as he attentively listens to the answers.
MY COUNCIL OF GUIDES
Jeff is not alone in his imaginary conversations. I too have my Council of Guides.
I have Thomas Jefferson who represents my Rational Part.
I have Marco Polo who counsels me on living life as an Adventurer.
I have Mother Theresa who helps me to feel more Compassionate toward others.
I have a Dennis The Menace who urges me to make trouble and have mischievous fun.
I have Oliver North who speaks about how “the end justifies the means!”
I have the Greek God, Zeus who sees the Big Picture.
These guides are not all positive and there are a couple who try to take advantage of situations or to behave inappropriately. I do not shut their voices down. I want to hear what they have to say, lest they try to influence my judgement and actions in a more manipulative way.
THESE GUIDING VOICES ARE PHYSICAL
Neuropsychologically, these imaginative conversations can impact us in a very positive way. New neural pathways get created through the process of neurogenesis, the construction of new neural connections between the emotional and thinking parts of your brain. It doesn’t matter if these conversations are in your imagination. Your thoughts are photons of energy and have a direct impact on the health and vitality and power of your internal well-being. It all depends on where you are focusing your thinking. Are you always immersed in worry and dread? Then that is the Brain you are creating, your own internal bully or monster. Or, are you focusing on your life purpose, exploration of choices and getting feedback from your real and imaginative Mentors and Guides? If so, your brain and mind are probably much better environments to live in.
QUESTIONS
Look at your internal conversations and ask yourself these questions:
Who am I talking to?
Who do I listen to?
Who are my wholesome and enhancing Guides?
Who are my troublesome and villainous voices?
Am I building a healthy brain environment or a negative one?
Do I have any tools I can use to lessen the impact of my negative voices and to increase the volume of my positive voices?
I have written over a hundred posts on Life Navigation, both in the external and internal environments. You might want to scroll through them here and read the ones that can best serve you, or, if you are up to it, read my first book “Navigating For Success” for a deeper understanding of what makes you tick and help to design the life of your dreams.
These voices or guides will never stop trying to influence your thinking and decisions. Your job is to listen to what they have to say and then be your own Life Navigator and choose the guides that best serve you and the best life you can live.