What is the difference between what we think we are and what we REALLY are?

Your mind is like a studio: scenes take place, emotions rise, decisions are taken, lots of joy… But as in any studio, what is happening there is not necessarily… real… For instance, if you see a news anchor reading today’s news, you wouldn’t know what is going on around them as lots of people moving in a rush, confusion, cables all over; nothing that reflects the elegant person you are watching. And let’s not talk about the fact that maybe they are not well-dressed off-screen frame… Hoping they ARE dressed.

Now, let’s say you are going to work and your mind starts to show images of how things will be there, mixed with the commuting and, of course, yesterday night fight with your partner and the fact you are still using an old cell phone. But of course, that is not the reality you are living and even though a part of it is real, most of the things are not.

So, when you or I think about the self, it is just a piece of the reality, and there may be a huge difference.

Beyond the frame of mind there may be talents, skills, values, virtues and powers you don’t even imagine! They would be so useful to solve that problem at work or family, to give a different perspective on what is going on in the world, and much more.

What we REALLY are is there, beyond what we think we are and it is very, very deep and beautiful, powerful and gentle.

By meditating, contemplating or reflecting, you can break the frame of your mind and experience the whole thing. When you do that, naturally those things you find there will become part of your life. After all, they are already part of life, you just don’t know it…

What is the real difference between us and AI*?

The main difference between humans and AI is that humans have consciousness, emotions, and self-awareness, while AI does not. AI is a “machine” that has been designed and trained to perform specific tasks, but it does not have the capacity for experience or subjective thought. Additionally, AI operates based on pre-determined rules and algorithms, while humans have the ability to make decisions and exhibit creativity based on their experiences and beliefs.

The former paragraph was written by an AI… but, as a human being, I would like to explore this more. Or at least, in my own way.

• AI is great to compile information and knowledge, but humans are able to interpret information, to give context to knowledge and to reach to a point that knowledge turns into wisdom, something AI does not. I hope.
• Wisdom can be defined as living knowledge. AI cannot live knowledge… we can.
• Awareness is the main point of difference and it is that which creates a huge difference between us, humans, and machines. We are aware, you and I, of everything around us.
• Our decision-making process is… different. We mix logic and intuition, facts and suppositions. Spiritually speaking, to make a decision starts with DISCERNMENT, then IMPLEMENTATION. AI’s… well, their decision is based on others’ decision and they come from a collection of information bits.

I think Ais can help a lot in areas of creativity or routine and it is here, right now! Let’s use it, with respect for their creators and collaborators, but let’s never forget our own power.

* AI is the abbreviation for Artificial Intelligence. It is not a machine in the mechanical sense, only in terms of its processing capacity.

Working on your tendencies to procrastinate

We all procrastinate something: cleaning our room, working on that project, talking with that person, studying for the examination, writing this article, etc.

But there are master procrastinators, people with a diploma on the subject who know the right moment to get distracted (I have just finished a Mahjong game!), who know the right technique or tool to use and postpone what they should have done long before…

And then there is this map of procrastination, used to illustrate this article! I think it gives a (funny) idea of what procrastination is, but I will focus this article on the following aspects, or map landmarks:

• Comfort Zone. Maybe I am wrong, but I think the main reason we procrastinate is because for some tasks, we have to come out our comfort zone. The name is not correct, as it means an area of security and confidence. The solution is to increase your self-esteem and, in this way, your self-security and confidence.
• Social Media Forest. It is a very dangerous distraction since it may take hours from one person and they won’t even feel it. The worst is that gives a sense of happiness and even accomplishment! To forbid yourself to navigate social media does not work so well until you find other sources of happiness, but there is something you can do and it is to find a trail in this forest and restrict yourself to it; for instance, only checking social media once in the morning and once in the evening.
• Daydream Beach. Ah, yes… our mind wanders away effortlessly. To come back from that daydream is a big effort, so it is better to just relax there… NO, no, no… Self-control! We daydream because something is not giving us what we need for that moment and, even though it is hard, self-control is the solution, maybe from a meditation practice from which there is a clear sense of accomplishment too.
• River of Excuses. For every delayed task there is the perfect excuse or justification. The reason is that people are inherently good and they procrastinate not because they are bad people, trying to undermine something… The strong solution is to improve a sense of responsibility, but without tension, by align the task with purpose and values.
• Mountains of Distractions. Did I tell you I just played a game online WHILE WRITING THIS ARTICLE? For me, this is the easiest of all the aspects to be solved because the name is right and distraction is not what many people think it is. It is a mountain that has to be climbed and it requires effort to get distracted. Find happiness, joy or peace in the task you are doing, in other words, enjoy it, and if you really feel like have a distraction, consider a relevant break, something that will make you feel better.
• Sea of the Unknown. The last two landmarks in this map point to hidden reasons we procrastinate. The first one is the fact we don’t know what we are doing. Maybe we do know, but the results are not clear or the reasons behind are unclear. Best solution ever is CLARIFY everything you do, trying the best to be aware of the different dimensions of those activities.
• Isle of Good Intentions. The second landmark can be interpreted as an anomaly or a paradox, because good intentions are… GOOD, right? The idea of an island comes from the fact that many times, because of good intentions, a person accepts to do a task they cannot do and as a consequence, the person gets isolated from the activity. So, let’s keep the good intentions, but it is important to have a balance between intentions and reality, including the personal capacity for doing something.

Hope this will help you to come out of the Land of Procrastination a better person.

A map to understand cause & effect

In terms of solving problems and personal change, there is a special element that was forgotten, at least by me: cause & effect.

If there is a sickness, by understanding its symptoms (effect) as connected to a cause, it is easier to heal; if anyone only focus on the symptoms, trying to fix that, it is possible the cause remain intact and later on, symptoms will come back. It is a principle that medicine follows, and so other areas of our human complex society: if I am hurt by someone (effect), by finding the cause (something I said) I may fix it; if you are not going well in terms of business (effect), by finding the cause (bad marketing skills), it is possible to solve the problem, and many other examples.

However, in life things are not so simple. One thing is the ONE CAUSE – ONE EFFECT, but what about if there are many CAUSES and one effect? Or worse, when causes and effects are not easy to track…

So, here is a small map of a sort and I hope it helps you to deal with different situations in which you can identify causes and effects.

• One cause, one effect. It is the easiest one, but the trap lies in trying to fix the effect and leaving the cause alone. Go for the cause, the effect will fade away.
• One cause, several effects. If you see situations come to your life and you can track them to one common cause, again go for the cause, but because there are many effects, work on them too; it will make life easier.
• Several causes, one effect. Yes, it is possible that one single effect has different sources, which means it will take time to solve it. Solution would be the same as before, but my personal suggestion is… forget the causes! Just focus on the effects and, at your own pace, deal with a few causes that come on your way.
• Several causes, several effects… or not! This is the highest level of complexity and causes & effects model won’t work on this case. Focus on your objectives in life, check about your specialties and make a plan to move forward.

Hope this map works for you!

Walking and moving on…

It's another year and you're still out there... walking and following...

I remember one of my favorite Brazilian songs, Tocando em frente, particularly a few verses:

Penso que cumprir a vida – I think to fulfill life

Seja simplesmente – It is just a question of

Compreender a marcha – Understanding the walk

E ir tocando em frente – And move along

Perhaps we have had fantastic and exotic dreams.

Maybe we had fabulous plans.

It may be that the route we have designed was different from the one we follow today.

And yes, a lot of whom we are today is not exactly what we envisioned.

But this is the path we are on and if we look closely, we will see something…

We will see the possibility of having new dreams and planning something new.

We will notice the landscape of our life, what a beautiful landscape that every day greets us and takes leave from us.

And the reality we are, we really are, is exactly the best of ourselves.

Keep walking…

New Year 4 – Implementation…

So, you have New Year's goals or resolutions, some objectives or a long-term vision...

Besides, you recognize that you have to develop a few qualities to fulfill all this and...

EMPOWER YOURSELF! The fundamental thing for this to take place.

And now just ... DO IT!

When it comes to implementing, the best plans end up being changed or simply do not work, so here you have some tips for their implementation; for this purpose, I will be calling New Year's goals, objectives or resolutions as a plan:

• Keep the plan in writing to guide you.
• Do it step by step, date by date. You can use tools such as a scheduler or send you an email scheduled for a specific day.
• Do it slowly and fast... That is, meditate, reflect or contemplate before each step, but do not stop.
• Before making any changes to your plan, reflect deeply, something you can do even as you talk to someone who can actually cooperate with you.
• Celebrate every victory, it doesn’t matter its size.
• Transform every defeat into a lesson and an opportunity for improvement.

New Year 3 – Self-empowerment...

You may not know, but the reason you fail to fulfill your purest and highest resolutions for this new year is that you lack power.

Power is what makes you overcome the different barriers that life usually places on us. It is therefore important that you generate a routine of self-empowerment. I share mine as an example:

• Every day I wake up to experience raja yoga meditation for almost an hour. Meditation may not be your thing, but there are several things you can do such as praying, reflecting or walking in the middle of nature, with a clear purpose.
• A short while later, I study daily; it is a spiritual class which objective is to give me elements to change my life and live it better. Instead of receiving news, usually bad, focus on receiving a knowledge that uplifts you.
• During the day, I meditate and reflect on the daily class or other similar sources of knowledge; it is important for me to maintain this state of consciousness. Looking for the continuous flow of knowledge that uplifts you is fundamental in your work, even doing breaks for your self-improvement.
• An important thing I found out and included in my routine is to serve others in some way. Volunteer service generates an enormous amount of power.
• Finally, I OBSERVE MYSELF DAILY; I see what I could change and find out what I couldn't. Self-observation, even if it is not followed up with decisions or changes, may transform reality.