Welcome to the Grow Inward Podcast, I'm your host Adrian Petrillo.
You may have noticed that these first few episodes are following a bit of a theme? These subjects form a simple collection of highly useful and effective tools that you can immediately start using to live a healthier and happier life. I would like to highlight the extremely complimentary nature of these tools, when used together consistently.
I certainly don't want to give the impression that the world will be all sunshine and rainbows by following these steps, or that you will never experience issues in your life again after establishing your own personal practice. We all know that life never works that way, and we also understand that everything worth having requires at least a modest amount of effort. There are no silver bullets, different choices and challenges are always going to be a part of the human equation.
That being said, the choices that you do make are nearly always the primary driving force behind your experiences, good or bad. By simply keeping this in mind, it does help to make better choices when you do have the time to think about the potential consequences that may result. As simple as these concepts sound, I am sure you have figured out that this tends to be slightly more difficult in actual practice?
Practice! I do love that word. Why? Because it really does embody the mystery of what our life and experience requires of each of us. None of us were ever handed a manual providing clear instructions to follow for creating a wonderful and fulfilling life. If such a manual does exist, I would say the closest I have ever found is the book Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by B.K.S. Iyengar, but for most of us, we are just experimenting and learning as we go. Flying by the seat of our pants, in you will! There’s nothing wrong with this, but we can make it slightly easier on ourselves when we study and learn from the experiences of others, it can save us enormous amounts of time and effort by doing this.
This leads me to my own experience and what I would like to share with you. These simple tools which I have been discussing in these first few episodes have made a significant impact in my personal life, and they are not incredibly difficult to understand or to practice. I have found that these tools can be summed up quite nicely with three general areas of focus and attention. These are mindset, movement, and meditation.
Today's podcast is going to focus mostly on the mindset aspect. In the previous episodes I have touched on the other categories of movement and meditation very lightly, and although I made no mention of this particular framework yet, it is one that I have found to be highly effective and holistic in that we are able to strengthen all the different aspects of ourselves. I am referring to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects.
I would like to introduce this framework to you for your own consideration, as you begin finding and experimenting with implementing your own personal practice. Movement can obviously include all sorts of different activities. To this point, I have only mentioned yoga because I believe that yoga is the most comprehensive and beneficial choice available when it comes to movement specifically, especially when taking age into consideration. This is an reasonable consideration, because depending on your age, you may want a tool that is low impact, very flexible as far as difficulty, and yet highly effective for both strength and flexibility.
But I digress! Let's turn our attention to the matter at hand, which is mindset. When considering the most important, or the most beneficial tool to use right away, the truth is that it kind of depends? It all depends on the person, the context, and the circumstance, when it comes right down to it? I do have to say though, that mindset can easily be the single largest determining factor on the outcome of nearly effort you put forth in your life.
If you take a moment to think about this, your thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions are the literal composition of the very reality that you experience. These different aspects of you are actively conspiring and coloring every single part of your physical and non-physical experience, these things are the foundation of your reality! Isn't it interesting that these aspects have infinite combinations, and are different for every single person on this planet?
For every event and circumstance that we experience, the events and circumstances themselves are quite static in form, meaning that they each happen in one very particular way, and one way only. While they could potentially play out in any infinite number of ways, they ultimately have one final unfolding of events which are shaped by our mindset and choices. Isn't it interesting that the very same events or circumstances can have infinitely different meanings and interpretations from person to person? You see, it is only ever our perception which changes, the events and circumstances themselves always remain the same?
This kind of thing always reminds me of the fractal nature of our universe and the infinite complexity ever unfolding into the very world around us, and how it is not only possible, but probable that our choices and perceptions contain infinite possibilities? For every thought, belief and perception that you have today, never forget that there is always a different perspective available, if you are willing to see it. Have you ever considered entertaining an alternative, or several different alternatives for your views about different areas of your life?
So how do you view your life and the world? Do you believe that people can change? What are your thoughts and beliefs about what is possible for you in this life? What are your thoughts and beliefs about your health, your body, or your ideal self? What about your relationships, your job, your goals, your strengths, your weaknesses, or money?
In every single case, your thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions are painting a very specific picture of your life and, as a consequence, the very reality that you are actually experiencing. But what if I told you that many of these aspects of yourself are not static or fixed in nature, but rather that they can be quite malleable, and they are indeed capable of being molded to create any number of very different realities and experiences?
From a purely physical perspective, the mind is a very powerful tool that we can, and should, use to our advantage. Unfortunately, there are a number of complexities that come into play with the very nature of our mind, complexities which often keep us from achieving a higher level of understanding and discipline when it comes to bringing our thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions under our conscious control and direction.
To identify just a couple of these complexities, let’s first consider how our emotions happen to have a significant impact on our thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions. Strong emotions coupled with particular experiences can often have stronger and longer lasting effects on our memory of them. Emotions, can and do, have a powerful sway on our thoughts and perceptions in many different and significant ways, and they can be a very formidable barrier to overcome in many cases.
Consider some of your most powerful memories, ones that have been with you for a lifetime and that can still be experienced surprisingly vividly. Chances are, there is a strong emotion which is connected to that memory. This could be an emotion of unforgettable love or appreciation or maybe one of immense fear or intimidation, and anything in between. These kinds of emotions amplify your ability to remember the experience. The point to take away here is that by attaching a strong emotion to your thoughts and intentions, you can strengthen them considerably to help to make them much more lasting and effective. You should try doing this with your own mindset, and the new thoughts and beliefs you want to have about your life.
Another complexity that can come up is having the presence of mind to see through the clouds of our culture. We live in a world designed to distract you from yourself. There are endless tasks and responsibilities that you must tend to, just to survive. There is a relentless barrage of carefully curated negative media that is broadcast 24/7 globally, anxiety, depression, loneliness, alcohol and drug use is common, and some might even claim necessary to cope? It's no surprise that there is this general malaise that can creep into any life that feels out of alignment, or without purpose. We often feel a deep desire to escape and rest every free moment we have, just to recharge and find enough energy to do it all over again tomorrow. To rise above these things takes some serious will and determination, but you must and you can!
It is important to recognize where you stand when it comes to your own mindset, especially if you intend on reaching for something more, something beyond where you find yourself today. This applies to all manners of endeavor which require some level of change and discipline. If you are unable or unwilling to accept that change is even possible for you, how do you suppose that will affect the outcome?
I mention many of these negative aspects not to discourage you, but to encourage you! I am simply pointing out a small part of an endless list of reasons that the external world you experience is not where you will ever find the answers you seek. Modern life is not designed to give you answers and solutions, it is designed to keep you busy and distracted! It is up to you to cultivate a new mindset, one that deepens your desire to turn your attention within, and create new thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions, ones that are charged with powerful and positive emotions to better support what you are here to experience and create.
I made a statement in episode #02 of this podcast about how our physical health affects our mental health, and vice versa. By taking small steps toward improving your physical health, you are clearing out the clutter in your mental space as well. You will be very surprised how much physical health and wellness impacts your ability to think and act more clearly. Feeling limited is not your natural state, and you do not need to accept that it is. You need to change your perception!
To help create a mental space that is conducive to adjusting your mindset and creating positive changes in your life, consider your physical health as a great place to start paying closer attention. I only point this out because I have learned how supportive this is in the overall picture of your growth and your ability to make meaningful progress toward adjusting your mindset.
Clearing out the clutter in your mind and body is the best way to begin finding clarity and the strength that will go on to support all areas of your life and growth. I do hope you feel encouraged to take a new approach to your own mindset, your mindset is everything!
Please follow this podcast, and leave a comment. It’s very helpful for the show, and always appreciated. You can also email me directly using the link below if you have any questions or comments, or would simply like to connect.
I have included a few links below to a free pdf I have created with steps to work on your mindset, and also to the book mentioned in this podcast episode.
Until next time, never underestimate the power you have within you, and keep growing inward.
