The Wandering Mind Is An Unhappy Mind

THE IMAGINARY VIDEO TAPE

Here she is. Sitting in front of me with her hands folded. Perusing through these words she can only glance at what I write. Deep down she is preoccupied. She moves her coffee cup to the side. She shifts in your seat. An irresistible urge plucks at her hand. She picks up her phone. She is checking for a message.

His message.

No reply.

Her thoughts run away, “Where is he!?”

Slowly, in her mind she imagines his day. He never takes six hours to respond. She knows he’s not at work. His location shows an odd road somewhere on the opposite side of town. She checks it. It’s not a residence or a store. He is simply in transit.

She looks back at her laptop to my article. She can’t help but wonder. He’s given her the feeling that he was a little distant this past week. Both haven’t been intimate in over a week. Sleep has been tough. These thoughts take her for what seems like an hour.

Ding-Dong.

She snaps out of it. She gets up from my words on her laptop to answer the door. It’s her husband.

“Surprise! I’ve been nervous this whole week. I had the biggest surprise for you. I know it’s our anniversary tomorrow. I had this special piece made for you! I was so concerned it wouldn’t make it in time. I was worried when I was going to pick it up. I had to drive around out the way to make sure if you checked my location you wouldn’t know where I was. I left the car in an odd spot and caught a lyft while freezing my location. I was so nervous. I have not been able to sleep. I’ve been so stressed. It’s our 10-year anniversary! And it had to go perfect! Sorry if I’ve been off. Here’s the anniversary present!”

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU

We suffer more in our minds than we do in reality.

People love to poke holes in faith. After all, faith is belief in something in the absence of evidence. I wonder if you have ever considered an alternative point of view. Perhaps, it is not you lack faith but have faith in the wrong things?

In our example above, this woman had faith in the feeling her husband was doing something wrong. She based this solely off her perception of odd behavior. She allowed suspicion to overcome her. Rather than observe the fact a significant relationship event was inbound (their ten-year anniversary) she allowed a delayed text response, an odd location and the fact they were not intimate to frame her perspective incorrectly.

She was not curious of the behavior. She was upset by the assumptions she inferred based on her own interpretations of her peception.

She had no evidence something was awry. She simply believed it. In this instance she instilled faith in herself something bad was occurring.

I wonder how many simply have faith in the negative rather than the positive. I wonder how many convict themselves of the negative based on erroneous assumptions.

I have been guilty of this. Are you?

SEPARATE REALITY FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE

Perception is not the same as observation. Framing is not the same as a point of view. In psychology and the cognitive sciences, Perception is — the process of getting, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information. (2)

We suffer more in our minds than we do in reality.

Sensory information is raw information obtained from eyesight, touch and hearing.

Most people act on their gut. A gut feeling often results from perception. In fact, studies suggest a possible reason for people going with their gut has to do with anxiety disorders and depression that is improperly managed by the body in the ‘gut-brain-gut communication’ (3).

It is possible most of what you experiencing is nothing more than self-inflicted anxiety based on manufactured outcomes which are fictitious in your mind.

To be more specific a “Framing Effect” in psychology refers to the bias where people react differently to a particular decision depending on how it’s presented, or “framed”, emphasizing either the positive (gain) or negative (loss) aspects. (4)

Perception is not the same as observation

People tend to favor options presented positively. This is often true even if alternative options, which are perceived negative, have the same outcome.

The same information, when framed differently, can alter people’s responses. This is an example of “Framing”. For example, people may be more likely to choose zero sugar over sugar free if they are diabetic.

So, in our woman’s example she chose to believe her conclusions, based on the framing of events, because it supports her past experiences men only move secretively when they are doing something nefarious.

It never occurred her husband might simply be nervous because he was trying to surprise her with her favorite piece when she tracks his location.

DO YOU LIVE IN FUTURE IMAGINATIONS RATHER THAN THE PRESENT?

It is valid to headline this section with a question. Do you really spend your day in your thoughts? Do you embrace the present or preoccupy yourself with ‘what if’ scenarios? Are you constantly imagining what might happen instead of tending to what is happening?

I do not argue anticipating possibilities is a bad habit. What I do argue is overthinking about something imagined is a waste of the present. Today is occurring right now.

In front of you are your children, your family, a pleasant no traffic drive to work, a nice sun shining and a warm cup of coffee. Many say to enjoy the simple things in life. I say to simply enjoy the experience of life.

It is possible most of what you experiencing is nothing more than self-inflicted anxiety…

In my opinion, the worst thing a person can do is waste a positive present experience by imposing a present behavior derived from an imagined fictious future experience.

You can choose to choose to live in the present at any point. Unfortunately, not all my secrets will be discovered in this free article. You must pick up a copy of my international best-selling book “I Made It Then I Didn’t” or order “Many Paths To Profit” for that.

The concept I teach in this article is free. My personal stories are not. Don’t let pennies get in the way of showing you something much more valuable than a dollar. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Remember today is happening in real life. Don’t let an imaginary future preoccupy you to the point where you’re somewhere else in your mind while living today.

To Your Knowledge Success!

Sources

1) The life of Christopher Knight Lopez a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t” & Co-Author of “Many Paths To Profit” with the original shark from Shark Tank Kevin Harrington.

2) International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology. Definition Search ‘Perception’, conducted 24 August 2024. Last Updated 2024. Link: https://www.iomcworld.org/medical-journals/perception-39571.html#:~:text=In%20psychology%20and%20the%20cognitive,by%20the%20brain.%20.

3) Front Behav Neurosci. “Gut Signals and Gut Feelings: Science at the Interface of Data and Beliefs”. Holzer, Peter. 2022; 16: 929332. Published online 2022 Jul 5. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.929332. PMCID: PMC9296981. PMID: 35874652

4) Psychology. Cognitive Psychology. “Framing Effect in Psychology”. Perea, Ayesh. September 7, 2023. Reviewed by Saul McLeod, PhD & Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc.

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Certain elements in this story may have been fictionalized to illustrate a creative story. This is a form of artistic expression not narration of fact. Not a form of investment advice. Please consult a professional registered to give you advice about your individual circumstance. This article is for educational purposes and entertainment purposes only. Please do not email the author about advice on investing or strategies on making investments.

About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t” and Co-Author with Kevin “The Shark” Harrington “Many Paths To Profit”. Christopher has opened over 7 businesses in his 15-year career. Christopher’s purpose is to take advantage of various market-driven opportunities. Christopher is a certified Master Project Manager (MPM), and Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Christopher previously held his Series 65 securities license examination and was a Master Financial Planner (MFP). Christopher also held his General Lines — Life, Accident, Health & HMO. Christopher has managed a combined 286mm USD in reported Assets Under Management & Assets Under Advisement. Christopher has work experience in 33 countries, raised over 50mm USD for various businesses, and grossed over 13.0mm in his personal career. Christopher worked in the highly technical industries of: biotechnology, finance, securities, manufacturing, real estate, and residential mortgages. Christopher is a United States Air Force Veteran. Christopher has a passion for family, competitive sports, fishing, martial arts and advocacy for entrepreneurs. Christopher provides self-help classes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Christopher’s passion to mentor comes from belief that entrepreneurs need guidance. The world is full of conflicting information about entrepreneur identity. See more at www.christopherklopez.com.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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