Reflecting – An Unconscious Superpower

Reflecting – An Unconscious Superpower

Imagine you were born with a superpower but no one told you. It has been helping you out all your life, but the whole process is unconscious.

Maybe you noticed an aspect of it though you likely misattributed the source and the access so you could not use this power purposefully. When you don’t know how something works, it’s hard to use it never mind use it well.

Reflection is one of those superpowers. Out of nowhere, a useful thought appears in your mind. You might notice it happens in the shower, or when walking the dog, or when gazing out of the window on the train. You are thrilled or relieved with the thought but probably didn’t wonder too much about where it came from or how. Or you decided the circumstances did it. A client told us she  got her best ideas in the bath. She had lots of baths when things got tough at work!

Now imagine, you could access this capacity purposely (without the bath!). Imagine that for any situation, complex or simple, personal or generic, you could have a flow of wisdom in the moment to help you out. That would be great, wouldn’t it?

We all have this capability. It is built into the design of the human mind. It is the innate capacity to access deep wisdom.

So how do you use this capability consciously?

It is quite simple, though sometimes not easy.

When your mind is quiet, and you ask it a question and then wait without working the topic (thinking about it), wisdom arrives. Not always immediately, but usually.

Here’s the strategy I developed since I realized this, though you may come up with your own strategy. My rule of thumb is to not work on a problem mentally for longer than 30 seconds. If nothing arrives, I then set it aside.

From experience, I know that one of three things is going on:

• My mind is tired and it is not the right time
• I’m asking a complicated question and the ‘guys’ (or girls) in the back office need a bit of time to work on it
• I’m not asking the right question.

My second rule is if after three attempts (over a period of time) I get nothing, I suspect the issue is the question. In which case, I reflect on, “What would be a better question?” and wait to see what shows up. Invariably something arrives and when I ask the new question the answer arrives very quickly.

This understanding of what is innate in all of us has changed many aspects of my life – how I parented my children, how I’ve dealt with crisis or difficult events, how I’ve made important decisions, and many of the mundane things I’ve needed to decide on in life. Again, this is my strategy. Once you realize for yourself how your mind works, you can find your own way.

It’s like owning an e-bike but not knowing it has an electric motor. You mostly have to pedal hard because it is an extra heavy bike with a motor and battery. When you accidentally switch it on, cycling becomes easier. What a surprise!

Isn’t it good to know how the e-bike was actually designed?

Happy cycling!

Robin Charbit