Some people aim to follow the clear mind approach. They aim to focus on the important things in situations, clarify the possible ways forward and apply themselves to achieve the desired positive results.
Some people follow the cluttered mind approach. They may feel overwhelmed by events or fail to prioritise what is important. They may also over-interpret things and feel stuck in situations.
Different people follow these approaches in different situations. Let’s explore these themes.
The Clear Mind Approach
Looking at your own life, what are the things you do to clear your mind? How do you translate these into action? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?
Some people simply sleep to clear their mind. They find this can help them to see things in perspective, let ideas incubate and then focus on their real priorities.
Some people go for a walk. Sometimes they may simply potter around and, on some occasions, even have Eureka experiences. They then return feeling refreshed and ready to move into action.
Some people aim to recentre. Some may close their eyes and let their mind wander. Some may do deep breathing. Some may aim to meditate in their own way.
Some people aim to detox. They may remove all distractions and dive deeply into a topic they want to explore. They may, for example, count their blessings and focus on the positive things in their life.
Some people aim to reflect and explore their priorities in life. They are then more able to see things in perspective, focus on what is important and take steps to shape their future.
Different people clear their minds for different reasons. Some people do it to relax, recentre and refocus. They then feel revitalised and ready to move into action.
Some people clear their minds to make considered decisions. Some then use use the Three C approach for clarifying and following their chose way forwards.
Clarity: They clarify their real results they want to achieve and translate these into a clear picture of success.
Creativity: They clarify the possible ways forward – together with the consequences of each option – and the other potential creative solutions.
Concrete Results: They clarify the route they want to follow and translate this into a clear action plan.
Such people then pause. They rehearse what they are going to do and follow their ritual for moving into action. They then apply themselves properly and do their best to achieve the desired concrete results.
The Cluttered Mind Approach
Some people may follow a more cluttered mind approach. This can lead to challenging consequences for themselves or other people in their lives and work.
Some people may feel overwhelmed by past events. They may have experienced difficult issues in their life, for example, that they continue to find hard to manage.
Some may feel overwhelmed by present events. They may be experiencing toxic relationships or other challenging situations in their personal or professional lives.
Some people may find it difficult to prioritise things. They may continue to dash around from task to task rather than prioritising the important things in their lives and work.
Some people may feel out of control and experience challenging symptoms. They may also feel helpless by continuing to focus on what they can’t control rather than by aiming to build on what they can control.
Some people may have a negative mindset. They may continually focus on negative things happening in their lives and in the world. This can lead to them feeling depressed rather than focusing on potential solutions.
Some people may clutter their mind by over-complicating things. They may spend lots of time trying to interpret other people’s motives rather than simply focusing on people’s behaviour and the consequences.
Some people may not know their own approach to decision making. Whilst it can be important to have a clear mind when facing challenges, it can also be useful to not needing reinvent the wheel when knowing how to make decisions.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Imagine that you want to follow elements of the clear mind approach in the future. How can you do this in your personal or professional life?
You may choose to sleep, go for a walk or relax in another way. You may aim to buy time to think, see things in perspective or follow your own approach to making decisions.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to describe the things you can do to clear your mind. You will, of course, follow this approach in your own way.
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