I have been working hard on myself since 2005, when I had zero choices but to authentically examine some catastrophic, careless life mistakes. Usually, in mid-life, we are overwhelmed by the desire to reinvent our bodies, our minds, and our lives. But it’s just not as easy as trading in your old car for a new model. To make real changes without having a choice taken away, we have to start from the core of our inherited thinking and slowly work outwards, understanding we are NOT one-dimensional know-it-alls.
Self-Analysis For Personal Development
My new book, The Worm Inside the Onion, is a self-analysis guide based on my own journey of personal development after losing millions, homelessness, and a near-death event in 2000. It took me five years after losing my money in the stock market crash, spiraling downwards to the bottom in 2005 when near death forced me to change and finally take personal responsibility for my messed-up life.
Through the teachings of Carl Jung, his idea of self-analysis was the only real path that made any sense to me in a crisis. I began to truly understand myself and all the mistakes I had foolishly made without thinking. It was beyond my mind and behind my fake self that I discovered the true antidote for my pain. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It is simply common sense that a positive attitude in a crisis will manifest good energy for the wellness and happiness you need to get through the unmanageable things pulling you under.
Manifestation & Personal Development
When we believe in ourselves, our bodies manifest confidence, wellness, and harmony with the rest of the world. This is where our inner shine comes from. Being honest and open to owning and displaying your flaws and mistakes, basically telling your truth, radiates to others you are not judging or hiding anymore. Your clean energy is tangible, visible, and quantifiable; basically, we all control our own destinies. Think of your subconscious mind like a placebo effect on other people. Because you are telling the raw truth about yourself, not making excuses, or blaming anyone else, your brutal truth has a positive effect on every cell in your body and on the feelings and behaviors of those around you.
To make authentic and lasting internal changes in how you think and behave, as well as how others treat you, requires self-reflection that is not all or nothing because that is way too daunting to imagine. You need slow and steady progress towards realistic goals, healthier choices around life balance, body image, relaxation, and how you sleep at night. It means anticipating and managing ingrained lifelong triggers that will constantly sabotage your progress.
Talk Is Cheap But Powerful
Today, I am in control of my mind, emotions, actions, and behaviors. I am not perfect because that is not realistic, but I am conscious. Self-analysis, basically talk therapy with yourself, brings realizations through awareness and connections in the conscious mind. I discovered that ideas, thoughts, and triggers all happen before they enter your conscious mind because they remain buried deep in the subconscious mind and are rarely accessed. Think about when you cannot for the life of you remember your pin number, then you are doing something else consciously, and it suddenly pops back into your mind.
Your unconscious mind is where you store all memories of any traumatic events that your conscious mind is not aware of. I began my journey of self-analysis by first understanding these three elements of my mind: conscious, subconscious, and unconscious. Until I did this in mid-life, I had no idea of how powerful understanding the workings of my own mind could change me and my personal behavior beyond belief. The key to being aware of your own thinking patterns is to practice pausing and noticing what is going on in your mind. Once you learn to do this, you can choose whether to pay attention to thoughts if they are present or to let them go if they are not.
Final Thoughts On Gaining Conscious Control
Conscious thought does not guide moment-to-moment actions. Conscious thought offers insights about your past and your future, socially shared information, and cultural rules and regulations. Conscious thought is largely unique and includes self-awareness, inner reflections, and deliberations, so begin your own journey today, looking consciously at whether what you believe is real or being dictated by the other parts of your complex mind.
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