Harnessing the Power of Choice: Know Your Monkey Mind by Susan Aplin Pogue, CNSF

I’ve always loved the phrase “monkey mind.” It evokes so many vivid pictures – you with a tail bouncing back and forth between your legs, not moving anywhere for all your movements; millions of monkeys unleashed in your brain running around like crazy grabbing all good thoughts and gobbling them up like bananas; a creepy mechanical clapping monkey stressed out, eyes bugged out, banging and banging and banging away with his cymbals, making sound but no one wants to listen. Just pause for a moment and get your own personal visual of what you see when you think of “monkey mind.” Got it? Good.

Monkey mind has an actual definition. It is a Buddhist term meaning, “unsettled; restless; capricious; whimsical; fanciful; inconstant; confused; indecisive; uncontrollable” (Wikipedia). Does that match your picture? Does it enhance or focus your picture?

Now sit for a moment again and ask yourself if you have “monkey mind.” If you think your mind may be experiencing moments of Monkey Mania, take this week to note the times the monkeys take over. Note how your energy was, how you slept, were you hungry, were you experiencing a conflict, did you smell perfume that was like your bad prom date’s? Just note whatever takes you there, where are you at work or home, or anything that is interesting to you about when or how the monkeys arrive. Also note how long you stay in this state of mind. Is it all day some days? Is it in flashes during a day? Do you go entire days with no monkeys?

Next in this blog series, I’ll share a compelling equation that shows the issues monkey mind can create in your brain and how it can rob you of your power to choose your reactions, your goals, and your best life.

Thanks for reading and “talk” with you next time!

Helpful, Relevant, Interesting links…

www.neurosculpting.com

www.susanaplinpogue.com 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_mind

Susan Aplin Pogue, CNSF

Hi! I’m Susan and this is my bio…which I think is a nice way to say “hi” to you in cyberspace and let you know who is “talking” with you in this blog,

I am a woman who has had many personal and professional successes and blessings. I am also a woman who had a complete breakdown in my early 40s and nearly lost everything I had achieved, been gifted, and loved. Through some trial and error (lots of error), I crafted together a set of support tools that help me define who I am and what legacy I want to leave in this world. Now, every day, I have a moral compass to help guide my actions to help me achieve what I know I am here to do in this lifetime.

Thank you for reading my blog! May my words serve as a reminder that you are not alone in the world, as a line to hope, as a support to change, and as a lighthearted but intelligent way to question your actions and place in the world.