“A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
My mind has been captured by an unconventional idea about human psychology and behavior, and I’m not quite sure what to do with it… yet. I’m hoping that by thinking out loud and sharing my idea with you—and receiving your questions and feedback—I’ll be better able to discern both its potential value, as well as its form and structure.
Here is the main premise:
Being conscious of what you want (and why) will determine your potential and well-being, as well as the well-being of the world and of others.
And here are some additional hypotheses:
You can’t fully become yourself and express your unique genius without being conscious of what you want;
You don’t have to do (or think) anything that you don’t want to;
What you do (and think) is what you want to do (and think);
You want what you want because you believe it has value (whether or not you’re aware of it);
Because you believe it has value, you focus your attention on it; and
Because you focus your attention on it, you manifest it.
My premise may sound simplistic or perhaps ridiculous to you. It may even seem ridiculously simplistic or simply ridiculous. No matter. I would really like to understand your feelings and thoughts, and would appreciate hearing any and all of them.
Note: With regards to the final hypothesis above, I am absolutely not saying that you will manifest a particular goal or outcome if you focus your attention on it. My theory is not a kind of prosperity gospel, like “The Secret.” What I am saying is that your attention to your thoughts and experiences will inevitably manifest those thoughts and experiences. Big difference!
Anyway, thanks for indulging me. You can email your thoughts to hello[at]tomasacker.com. If you’d like to hop on a call to discuss it, just let me know.
Thank you in advance for your continued support. I owe you one. In the meantime, here’s an oldie that you may enjoy:
Your mind has a mind.
You’re walking down the street, rushing to a meeting.
Finally arriving at your destination, you discover that it’s located directly across the street.
There’s no crosswalk, and there’s little traffic.
You can continue on and cross at the intersection.
You can turn around and walk back to the previous intersection.
Or you can simply hoof it straight across the street.
Of those three alternatives, which will you choose?
The simplest, most comforting and direct one.
The one that makes the most “sense” to you, at that moment.
And you won’t even pause to consider your options.
Unless you have a really good reason.
Perhaps you’re pushing a baby in a stroller.
Or a cop is standing next to you, glaring.
Your mind goes through a similar process when it forms beliefs.
It “desires” the easiest, simplest, most comforting and direct path to an answer.
Cognitive scientists have analyzed this propensity to death.
They’ve even invented an entire lexicon known as cognitive biases.
But all you really need to know is this:
Unlike a computer, your “analytical mind” has a mind of its own.
One that “desires.”
To rapidly generalize and estimate.
To see what makes the most sense, based on what it has seen before.
To seek comforting patterns and create cause and effect stories.
To find information that confirms its assumptions.
And to remember information that’s consistent with its beliefs.
Yes, I know that referring to a “cognitive bias” as a “desire of the mind” is controversial.
I don’t care.
The human brain is not a computer.
Your mind is alive.
And it’s motivated.
Once you’ve come to terms with this mad reality.
Everything in life will suddenly become clear.
Stay passionate!
Thanks, Tom ... loved all the miscellanea and added all three quotes to my collection (which is now up to about 6,000, collected over last 40 years). As for your book idea ... absolutely! although I am almost terminally triggered by the word manifest. It has been so misused. Reading Mark Manson about radical responsibility makes me think we are "manifesting" all the time ... understanding how we can shape that manifestation is, or should be, a learnable skill. Looking forward to more.
Hey hey Tom,
Glad to see you're still chipping away at the 'self'. I'll send an email shortly for a call, it has been a while.
"being conscious of what you want will determine your potential" = is that a causation relationship? Is some sort of internal affirmative articulation of your desire linked to your ability at it necessarily? I guess this depends on how you define "potential" - is it the agent's assessment of themselves - ie do they feel they're living their best life?/ do they feel great at they do?
"you can't fully become yourself [] without being conscious of what you want" - then, those who aren't being conscious of what they want, and are (presumably) aimlessly wandering about, are they not their "self"? are they a half 'self'?
I would think even that limbo space is still their 'full self'. I think these ideas work fine without the addition of 'self':
You can't express an ideal version of yourself (as defined and aspired to by the agent itself, not any external audience) without having a clear idea of what you want, which is founded on what you believe has value. Once this clarity is achieved, your thoughts and actions increasingly fixate on the goal, allowing you to achieve your own defined potential.
on the note of manifestation, i agree, spending more time in the space of your desires, both mentally and physically, will yield more associated experiences in the world. They may not manifest in any necessarily envisioned way, but they will be connected nonetheless.
But I have to ask, overall, what insight or problem is being surfaced here in this train of thought?
Knowing what you want (and working towards it) as a route to happiness / potential / well being / your best life / a greater sense of identity is consistent with conventional wisdom.
We can talk of this more on our call, excited in any case you're working on the skeleton of a new book.
Cheers!