I mention “Monkey Mind” quite throughout this article. It constantly seeks instant gratification. It works on instinct and impulse. It thinks through feeling, not logic. We all have it, but with reason we can turn it off.
Keep reading, you’ll get it.
Do you wish to create / start something new? Or perhaps you are starting out on something new? Maybe a business project, YouTube channel, Blog, a highly new important job, or even raising a child?
Well, you may be having the SSNO syndrome. The Starting Something New Out syndrome (for the record: this is not a technical term, it’s definitely something I’ve completely made up).
We hear motivational speakers or “would-be ” entrepreneurs say this a lot: “The first step is always the hardest.”. Which gives an impression that it gets easier as time passes by. You only need to take the first step.
Well, firstly, this is not the case. As Paul Rabi said on The Knowledge Project podcast “There’s a reset button at every level. Meaning you can be the best in class. And when you go to the next level you’re then at the bottom.”. So, if you think, it’s all going to be roses roses till the end right after you’ve taken the first step, I’m sorry, but that doesn’t happen. It gets harder. But, the ones who are destined to succeed, become comfortable with difficulty at the various “levels” they face as they progress on their journey. Still, it never gets easier as time passes on. Inertia can make it easier. But, you won’t win or survive, in fact if you’re doing the same things (aka not making any progress).
Secondly, the first step seems to be the hardest step because it’s change. Starting Something New Out requires change. And the already comfortable, always seeking instant pleasure, Monkey Mind (we all have) doesn’t like it. Not at all. It doesn’t like to change things. It doesn’t like the idea of there being a chance of failure and people mocking you. It doesn’t like getting up from the couch and working all too hard. It doesn’t like Starting Something New Out. And that’s okay. You know why?
Because the monkey mind isn’t you. For the monkey mind, everything there is, is you, and your body. But in your case, turns out you’re not, rather we’re all not that helpless after all. In addition to the Monkey Mind, we have the Intelligent, Rational, Reasoning Mind.
We can use it to first understand that we’re being guided by the Monkey Mind, and then after the awareness, kill the Monkey Mind.
Like I said, everyone has a Monkey Mind. But the ones who win, they don’t allow the Monkey Mind to win over their Intelligent Mind. At first, it’s hard to defeat the Monkey Mind which has long since been the only one who sits on the throne and controls your actions. But, as the Intelligent Mind gathers awareness, it builds up a plan. And uses the plan to win over the Monkey Mind. After several blows, the Monkey Mind gives up, and the Intelligent Mind becomes second nature, the king if you like, of your mind, making you make better choices. Monkey Mind is a part of all of us. And logic gets to control how much of an impact that part makes over the rest of our lives. Make sure to use logic.
The Monkey Mind would inhibit one from starting something new out. It keeps people at the stage where they wish to start something new. But they don’t.
Good logic has its ways to turn down even the “logic” that seems to arise from the Monkey Mind. For example: the fearful Monkey Mind will say, “If you start this business and fail, you’ll lose a lot of money. You’ll just be one of those many, many people who started an ambitious project and failed. You’ll be laughed at. And will have trouble getting by.”
That seems sound, doesn’t it? But it’s just one of those ways in which the Monkey Mind hypnotizes you to it’s low-grade way of thinking and inhibits other possibilities and perspectives.
The good logic will have a different outlook. When creating thoughts for you about business failure it shall say, “If you fail, you will learn from your failure. In a sense you succeeded in finding a way that doesn’t work. And now have gained valuable experience. Sure, people will laugh. But do I care? It’ll be tough “getting by” if the business fails and you lose all the money. But you will build up again. You know how money works. You will build up again. Who needs a lavish place to live in anyway? And would you rather be a failure who didn’t even try, or a failure who tried and failed and got up again?”
Good logic, all of a sudden makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? Now, the Monkey Mind loses. And you win, for you are being guided by Reason, not inferior feeling.
When you have SSNO syndrome, your Monkey Mind is at cause of it. The step to take when getting veered off from the path of starting something new out is to eliminate your Monkey Mind. Through good reason, this is simple.
Arjun Khemani 