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Abstract

ow would things sound if I stopped thinking?</li></ul><h2 id="9fa8">Somatic Field</h2><ul><li>Which part of my body is the least comfortable?</li><li>Which parts of my body are hardest to detect?</li><li>What happens when I concentrate on two body parts at once?</li><li>Do any bad emotions arise during the body scan?</li><li>How would my body change if I stopped thinking about it?</li></ul><h2 id="778a">Taste Field</h2><ul><li>Does the taste change as I roll it around my tongue?</li><li>How does the intensity compare with other things I have tasted?</li><li>How would it taste if I had never smelled it?</li><li>Does my feeling about the taste change between first contact and swallow?</li><li>How would it taste if I were asleep right now?</li></ul><h2 id="a87c">Olfactory Field</h2><ul><li>Would I recognize the smell if I had not seen it?</li><li>What adjectives are suitable? (Smooth? Bold? Sweet? Floral?)</li><li>How close must it come to me before my nose can detect it?</li><li>Does it improve my mood or worsen it?</li><li>What memories does it bring to mind?</li></ul><h2 id="5631">Cognitive Field</h2><ul><li>If my thoughts were rabbits in a yard, how crowded would the yard be?</li><li>If my attention was a dog, which rabbits would it chase?</li><li>How much of my focus three seconds ago was on the past?</li><li>How does a little circle make me feel?</li><li>What would I be dreaming now if I were not awake?</

Options

li></ul><h2 id="9690">Emotional Field</h2><ul><li>How easy or hard is it to turn each feeling on and off?</li><li>What changes will happen when I start to pray?</li><li>If I were the prow of a ship would my sea be bright under the sun?</li><li>Who have I shared this suffering with?</li><li>How deeply do I love you?</li></ul><figure id="ef74"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*31vXTbzWPAdDxN72iuu31w.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by Author | Dancing with the Goddess</figcaption></figure><h2 id="1f17">Questions After the Scans are All Finished</h2><ul><li>Did I close my eyes for most of the scans?</li><li>In what ways are mental fields like maps?</li><li>If I were only allowed to keep one field, which one would I choose?</li></ul><h1 id="010c">Note</h1><p id="4022">To the best of my recollection, all the questions are in my own words. If I copied anybody from unconscious memory it was probably my first remote meditation teacher, <a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/mark-w-muesse/">Mark Muesse</a>, a Therevada practitioner from Texas.</p><h1 id="d3c3">About the Author</h1><p id="f104">Tom spends his workdays asking people in a big store if they would like any information about heating and cooling. He often wears an Indiana Jones hat. A grapevine in his front yard convinced him to let her live and to even provide her with a little support. That’s all. :)</p></article></body>

How far, is too far?

Pushing friends and influencing people based on “Can't Hurt Me” by David Goggins

In the book “Can't Hurt Me” David Goggins lays out a story of his own life, how he battled unlikely odds to become a strong hard man. He endured many extremes and pushed himself in realms that not many people deem possible.

It was a striking and inspirational book in the sense that he opened my eyes to the capabilities of the mind. He showed, through his own will, that with determination, whatever we dream of is possible.

I was thinking of my dreams this evening, what I hope to accomplish, and who I wish to become in the coming years. It dawned on me that whatever it is that I truly want, I will really need to work for it.

Ive been building a garden out back, every day I will spend some time digging, turning the soil, removing sod or rocks… Ive been on a decent schedule with it because, well, I'm excited to establish it.

This evening I realized I had been putting something off, I forgot to plant a tray of seeds that came late. So, I reluctantly planted them, without much drive or will.

Before starting, I imagined in some sense that the entire project was going to be a pleasure. I was enthusiastic, and energetic in all the moments I was thinking about it. There was nothing internally holding me back.

But there still came that point where I had to push.

I was recently talking to a friend who has been close to me for at least ten years. He was telling me about a certain day trading strategy and was, in a way, pushing my knowledge base. He was “testing” me, and I immediately became a little defensive.

I am generally happy with what I'm doing, I don't necessarily enjoy being exposed to the fact that I can do more. I enjoy the feeling that I am doing the best I can.

I don't enjoy the feeling that I am “inferior”.

I had to sit down later that evening and consider why I became so emotionally defensive. I came to the conclusion that it was because I personally felt like I could do more. I fundamentally felt like I wasn't doing enough. So my insecurity became exposed, and I became defensive.

It drives me to question, where does that inner voice come from? Who is the one within judging my place?

I chalk it up to my ego. My identity is defined in my mind. There are two drivers here as well. This is the point that is really interesting to me.

Driver one

The guy that does things for other people.

How do you want to be seen?

Driver two

The guy that does things for some internal force.

What is the heart calling for?

I like to feel like I'm doing enough. In that place I am secure and content, I do not need to continuously push. The way I think of it, if I were a hermit in the forest, the natural experience would be the only thing to push me.

Winter is coming, I must prepare wood and food.

But, I am in a society, a world where influences come from the perception of other egos and souls.

I am also a human that yearns for connection.

I value my friend, I think he has some great opinions and has an admirable amount of passion. However, I consistently question his fundamental drive, perhaps because I don’t always trust my best interest is in his mind, and perhaps because I see his vulnerabilities, I see that he does a lot of things (in my eyes) to look good for the outside.

When I am pushed by a person, I then need to draw within and see if this “calling” is aligned with my soul, or just a distraction passed to me by someone else. But it isn't easy to analyze all of this with all the mental chatter that flows through. Here are some prime examples of my ego getting in the way.

Why are they pushing me?
Why cant they leave me to push myself?
Why do they need a part of my success?
How can he assume to know what I truly need?

It's like gods work, It's like by pushing someone you are taking on an act of God, a righteous idea that you know what's best for someone else.

Who says it's wrong?
Why do I find it important to stand on the throne of “success” alone?
Are we not little creators on this earth?

We could look at many people that pushed humanity to think differently. We even glorify some of them… Jesus? Perhaps my mind, being so protective of its own identity is the same mind that crucified a part of me that was trying to help.

Would I say that in the times I have been pushed, I had grown from it? Yes, absolutely.

Would I say that the times I have felt internal resistance are generally because I needed to address something internally? Yes.

So my friend, whether or not his intentions were clear, did something good for me.

I did something good for myself by “checking in” to see if what he was pushing me about was valid for my goals and dreams.

I took what he was saying and decided to sign up for a class on value investing. I also decided to set aside time to learn about other goals I have more in-depth. I used that bruised ego, to push me further.

So I am using my “insecure mind” my internal identity, my attachment to a persona, to drive me deeper into change. Using the weakness and insecurity of my own mind to reach my hearts goals.

WHO DO I WANT TO BECOME? This is a question of the heart.

WHY DO I WANT TO BECOME? This is a question of the mind.

It's not easy to push someone, in a way a good friend or family member may be the only person with enough repour to do it successfully. But, I encourage you to try pushing yourself- it's difficult because it's hard to see certain traps you set for yourself.

It's hard to tell all the time where you're at. A friend, especially one that you are transparent with, can see those traps, and upon reflection, you can loosen yourself from them.

In the book “Can't hurt me” we see a man doing it all alone with the fortitude of his own will and mental power. He will be able to stand on the podium alone, “in first place”. But, I must argue, we humans are meant to be together. It is possible to do it alone, but, by swallowing a little pride, we may get further- together.