Creating Patterns of Consciousness with Language, Attitude and Discipline

         Everything we do to increase our consciousness adds to our equanimity, our ability to produce results and contribute to others. Listen carefully to the words you select. If a student says, “I’ll try to have an assignment in by Friday,” they are acknowledging that they really don’t plan to have the work in on time. Plan on Monday at the earliest. If you use the word try, decide before you go any further if you intend to produce a particular result or simply “try.” While I do not approve of the labor practices at all, the Egyptians didn’t try to build pyramids, they built them.

         When you think you are tired, if someone gave you a million dollars, would you still want to lie down? If so, you’re tired. If not, it was an idea, a concept before the mind. When the alarm goes off in the morning, do you think, “Ah, I got just the right amount of sleep?” What do you think about? What would happen if you decided it was the perfect amount of sleep? What happens when you are hungry and someone mentions food? In the 50’s and 60’s operators of drive-in movies in the United States used to splice a single frame into a 35mm feature film to appear just before intermission. The single image would be of a hamburger, soda or French fries. This practice was enough to pack the snack bar during intermission. Much less obvious ideas have become part of our everyday existence and are accepted as if they were the absolute truth. What ideas do you keep before your mind on a regular basis?