perception Archives - Custom Calm

A Thought or Reality?

Posted by Ellen Sichel on December 19, 2011

Definitions of the word think:

To have or formulate in the mind.

To reason about or reflect on; ponder.

To decide by reasoning, reflection, or pondering.

To judge or regard; look upon.

To believe; suppose.

All of these definitions have one thing in common: They are all filtered through our minds and are layered with our perceptions.

Our thoughts create reactions. Sometimes we feel guilty about our thought, obsess on our thought or believe strongly that our thought is the only way to see things. No matter which it is, our inner peace is disturbed.

Our thoughts are not reality. They come and at some point they pass.

One of my teachers had such a simple solution to help us get beyond taking our thoughts so seriously.

Try this the next time you are obsessing on a thought:

Notice the thought, take a breath and say: It’s just a thought…

Let me know in the comments below how this worked for you. Did it help shift you thinking? If not, what do you think got in your way?

Einstein Knew the Power of a Quiet Mind

Posted by Ellen Sichel on May 13, 2011

“ No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it” – Albert Einstein

Consciousness defined: A term used to refer to a variety of aspects of the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts.

In other words, if the mind keeps the same relationship with how it perceives things, then it stays stuck in the problem.

Often we try so hard to figure something out, we end up even more confused and frustrated. This happens because our minds are cluttered with the same old thoughts and perceptions, resulting in our inability to resolve anything. We think our way to exhaustion.

Only when we still our minds and find a place of calm are we able to stop the cycle. This is why meditation practices are so important. We need a clean slate to work with or we end up with a disorganized mess.

Einstein knew that his mind had to shift to solve a problem, and the evidence of what he achieved is a powerful testimony.

He took meditation naps during his working day to develop new theories. He said: "The really valuable thing is intuition". "Through meditation I found answers before I even asked the question."

Einstein’s word is good enough for me!

Let me know in the comments below if you have practiced meditation and how it has worked for you. If you have never meditated, would you like to start?

Tags: consciousness, exhaustion, intuition, meditation, perception, quoet mind, stuck in problem, thoughts

Posted in: A Calm Perspective