Your mind fools you and limits you and knows you well.  It likes to play with you like a cat to a mouse – our mind is the great trickster.

Swami Parthasarathy an internationally eminent philosopher said:

What is not on the quote is that this also includes the selfish actions of YOUR MIND (what your thoughts are) not only what you do in action.

You have heard quotes like:
“what comes around goes around”.
“you sow what you reap”
“Sow a thought, and you reap an act”
“Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.”

I need to stop myself otherwise I will get carried away and write an entire article on the subject.  The purpose of this article is for those of you that want scientific proof that was conducted by the regents of the University of California, about the power of our thoughts, I have inserted their article below that was written by Olivia Goldhill.  It is a long article but worth the read.

FREE YOUR MIND

Scientists say your “mind” isn’t confined to your brain, or even your body brain, or even your body.

You might wonder, at some point today, what’s going on in another person’s mind. You may compliment someone’s great mind, or say they are out of their mind. You may even try to expand or free your own mind.

But what is a mind? Defining the concept is a surprisingly slippery task. The mind is the seat of consciousness, the essence of your being. Without a mind, you cannot be considered meaningfully alive. So what exactly, and where precisely, is it?

Traditionally, scientists have tried to define the mind as the product of brain activity: The brain is the physical substance, and the mind is the conscious product of those firing neurons, according to the classic argument. But growing evidence shows that the mind goes far beyond the physical workings of your brain.

No doubt, the brain plays an incredibly important role. But our mind cannot be confined to what’s inside our skull, or even our body, according to a definition first put forward by Dan Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine and the author of a recently published book, Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human.

He first came up with the definition more than two decades ago, at a meeting of 40 scientists across disciplines, including neuro-scientists, physicists, sociologists, and anthropologists. The aim was to come to an understanding of the mind that would appeal to common ground and satisfy those wrestling with the question across these fields.

After much discussion, they decided that a key component of the mind is: “the emergent self-organizing process, both embodied and relational, that regulates energy and information flow within and among us.” It’s not catchy. But it is interesting, and with meaningful implications.

The most immediately shocking element of this definition is that our mind extends beyond our physical selves. In other words, our mind is not simply our perception of experiences, but those experiences themselves. Siegel argues that it’s impossible to completely disentangle our subjective view of the world from our interactions.

“I realized if someone asked me to define the shoreline but insisted, is it the water or the sand, I would have to say the shore is both sand and sea,” says Siegel. “You can’t limit our understanding of the coastline to insist it’s one or the other. I started thinking, maybe the mind is like the coastline—some inner and inter process. Mental life for an anthropologist or sociologist is profoundly social. Your thoughts, feelings, memories, attention, what you experience in this subjective world is part of mind.”

The definition has since been supported by research across the sciences, but much of the original idea came from mathematics. Siegel realized the mind meets the mathematical definition of a complex system in that it’s open (can influence things outside itself), chaos capable (which simply means it’s roughly randomly distributed), and non-linear (which means a small input leads to large and difficult to predict result).

In math, complex systems are self-organizing, and Siegel believes this idea is the foundation to mental health. Again, borrowing from the mathematics, optimal self-organization is: flexible, adaptive, coherent, energized, and stable. This means that without optimal self-organization, you arrive at either chaos or rigidity—a notion that, Siegel says, fits the range of symptoms of mental health disorders.

Finally, self-organization demands linking together differentiated ideas or, essentially, integration. And Siegel says integration—whether that’s within the brain or within society—is the foundation of a healthy mind.

Siegel says he wrote his book now because he sees so much misery in society, and he believes this is partly shaped by how we perceive our own minds. He talks of doing research in Namibia, where people he spoke to attributed their happiness to a sense of belonging.

When Siegel was asked in return whether he belonged in America, his answer was less upbeat: “I thought how isolated we all are and how disconnected we feel,” he says. “In our modern society we have this belief that mind is brain activity and this means the self, which comes from the mind, is separate and we don’t really belong. But we’re all part of each other’s’ lives. The mind is not just brain activity. When we realize it’s this relational process, there’s this huge shift in this sense of belonging.”

In other words, even perceiving our mind as simply a product of our brain, rather than relations, can make us feel more isolated. And to appreciate the benefits of interrelations, you simply have to open your mind.

If given a choice, your managers and colleagues prefer to have around them an individual who:

• Has an inexhaustible good nature and is habitually affable.
• Has a determined cheerfulness and is easy going even in adversity.
• Is happily disposed and always on an even keel.
• Is flexible and not easily rattled. Doesn’t always have to have things go his or her way.
• Is always pleasant.
• Is uncomplicated, without drama.
• Does not feel like a victim.

Continually chooses a productive, constructive perspective rather than a destructive, negative, sour, sullen, dissatisfied, agitated, and discontented viewpoint.

The best in every field of endeavour gets coaching — that being objective, professional advice and direction. Whatever field you’re in, your competition is getting outside input right now.

To compete you should too but just don’t tell anyone. Not that it’s a sign of weakness, far from it. But because whatever you do in executing, it’s YOU executing it’s not the coach.

When Lewis Pugh swam the Antarctic Waters in next to nothing, his coach and team didn’t quip about the great coaching, pointers, guidance, direction or advice he was given. No, they rallied about that he braved extreme temperatures to advocate for a pristine ocean region.  When Lewis Pugh talks about his “team”, he talks about “support”. He does not say, “It was due to the great coaching” that he managed to achieve what he did.

When you similarly win and they say good job, you say, “Yes, I have a great team.” Do not say, “Yes, I had great coaching.”

News anchors on your local television network affiliate are totally scripted and coached as to what, when, and how to report the news. The casual banter is scrolling across the monitor for them to read along with the physical gesture or expression to use that corroborates with the words.

Whether on the athletic field or on television everyone gets coached but the success is in what you do with it — your execution. It’s just not necessary to say it’s due to coaching. I tell clients that I coach in the business world to take full credit for anything good they did even when I helped with the strategy and approach. I got paid, that’s my thank you. I tell them, “You are the one who did it and that’s why you take credit.”

So that’s why I say:

1. Do seek life, business or executive coaching (from me preferably!).
2. When you do great things, say thank you and own the success. It’s due to you.

I was reading an article on brand identity which plays a critical part in companies where core values came up and thought of an article/blog I wrote a while back “Core Values”.

Brand identity is who you are and what you value as a company. Not only are Core Value’s the “essence” of individuals but in business as well. While reading an interview that took place with John Durham, CEO of Catalyst SF, the interviewer asked about Core Values in a business and whether there was merit in establishing those before developing your brand identity?

John Durham’s answer was:
“Absolutely. Aside from focusing on the business model and the financials, one of the first things you need to do is establish your mission as a company. This is especially important in today’s world. People care about what they are buying. They care about products and sustainability. They care about the values that companies offer, and a lot of times they will choose their products and services based on those values. You need to write a manifesto that you can be proud of.”

The interviewer went on to ask guidelines to writing an effective set of core values. In which he replied:
“I like the idea of narrowing it down to about four or five core values, and no more than that. It’s about two paragraphs. The first is about what you stand for. The second is how you want to make a fair profit. People are not bothered by people making money. I think we have to get over that myth. People understand that we operate a business. If you are a for-profit business, then you want to make a fair profit. You want to make sure that the products you sell are high-quality, desirable products. And you want to set standards for how your business is run”

Many small businesses wear multiple hats. So, whether it’s everyday decisions like the types of images that get posted on Instagram, or bigger decisions like overall marketing strategy, how do you know you are working in a way that accurately reflects your brand identity?

John Durham went on to say to be sure to never insult your customers. And to never underestimate their attention to detail. One of the best places to start is to ask yourself what you like and what you want. Some people can be so afraid of making a decision on identity because they don’t want to let their own bias or personal feelings come into play. But we often forget that we, too, are customers. And when you bring that to bear, I think people, particularly small business owners, feel a lot better because more often than not, their business is an expression of who they are as people.

Would love to hear your thoughts and input.