Nothing in the world can bother you as much as your own mind.

Trying to clear your mind of something that is troublesome can be almost impossible. The overwhelming feelings of fear, dread, depression, disappointment, anxiety, trepidation and anger are, in many times, all consuming.

When we get to the state of complete mental unrest, we desperately seek solutions that are a cure to bring our own mind into stasis.

The solutions unquestionably vary as our mind (desperately) searches for anything to squelch the insistent and pounding reminders of whatever is torturing our soul.

Under these circumstances, we are exposed to different perspectives, philosophy, training, therapy and anything else we can get our hands on…including intoxicants to numb the pain or anxiety.

In reading The Power of Now, and coming to the realization that I am not my mind, I am awareness which is able to watch my own mind and see how my mind is capable of devolving into whatever insanity happens to be plaguing it at that moment in time, I found the best resource that worked for me.

I was genuinely surprised that such a distinction could actually have value beyond the first impression that it it is anything shy of pure mumbo-jumbo.

I discovered that I could train myself to watch for when I would slide into what I call “mindfuck.” This is the condition where my brain ceases to be valuable in the present because I am so lost in whatever is causing my anxiety. At this moment, I have learned to bring myself immediately into the present moment and ask myself “what is available to me right now?” (for me to continue to be productive). Even if this tips the scales slightly in my favor, I find that it gives me greater capacities than I had prior to snapping myself back into the immediate moment at hand.

Others report that meditation is the solution. I have not been able to do this successfully, but in truth, I have not spent a lot of time trying beyond the first few failed attempts. I find that walking for 5 miles in the morning clears my head and helps me return a different person than the one who had taken off on my journey.

I also use these aphorisms to help get my thinking on a constructive path. I share all of this today because so many people I am encountering are plagued with larger than life circumstances and hopefully something I share may be of value.

When we are prisoner of our own mind, it feels all oppressive and inescapable. If you find yourself slipping into this untenable state, look for solutions that bring you into a more gentle equilibrium in which you might find your path through the trauma that is plaguing you. Happy Monday!

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Written by Brian Weiner
When I was 5 years old, I discovered that the lemon tree in the backyard + dixie cups + water and sugar and I was in business. I have been hooked on that ever since. In 1979, I borrowed $14,000 to create a brand new product... photographic greeting cards with no text on the inside, called Paradise Photography. That was the start of The Illusion Factory. Since then, The Illusion Factory has been entrusted by all of the major studios and broadcasters with the advertising and marketing of over $7 billion in filmed, live, broadcast, gaming, AR, VR and regulated gaming forms of entertainment, generating more than $100 Billion in revenue and 265 awards for creativity and technology for our clients. When I took a break from film school at UCLA to move to Hawaii, my mother did not lecture me. Instead, she took 150 of her favorite aphorisms and in her beautiful calligraphy, wrote them artistically throughout a blank journal. That is the origin of the Lessons from the Mountain series. Since then, on my journeys to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise, I have spent countless hours contemplating words of wisdom from the sages of all races, genders and political persuasions, constantly accumulating the thoughts to guide me on my life path. I hope you enjoy my books. Please let me know your thoughts, as I highly value your feedback!