How your reactions affect your results!

The condition! 

At the time I began to write this article I had about a 70/30 chance of recovering very important data on one of my office PC’s; 70 as in not likely to get it back at least not cheaply. This is a PC that I had intended to replace and actually had another computer but had not taken the time to make the switch, which is another story altogether.

The thought had come to me again earlier this day that I should set aside time to make the switch or at least back the data up and not keep putting it off. So as I was rebooting the machine in trying to get MS Outlook to retrieve my emails, after failing to do so several times in a row, another thought appeared and said; “Remove the spyware program that is slowing up the rebooting of this machine”, and so I unconsciously gave into that thought and began the process of removing the program immediately.

Upon removing the program and the next reboot the machine went into a continuous loop with the dreaded blue screen now appearing with each reboot and flashing by so quickly we could not read what it was saying. To make a long story shorter and to get to my point; the voice in my head kept wanting to label this event as bad and wasted no time in telling me this; “Why did you have to remove that program?” “You are now going to lose all of your data”, “This will cost you time and big money” ”This is the absolute worst timing for this to happen” “This is so stupid”

Thoughts and Emotions Originate in Mind!

In my experience I have discovered if I become aware and more alert of the incessant conditioned self talk that is constantly going on in my head and not react to its demands I am in a better place to greatly alter the outcome of any event. Why? Because when I am unconsciously absorbed by the voice in the head I unconsciously respond to these seemingly ‘bad’ events in a way that more often than not result in triggering a series of related events stemming from my first reaction; cause and effect.

Thoughts and emotions originate in our mind which habitually labels all events as ‘good or bad’. This labeling process is greatly  influenced by where you were born and the various environments to which you were exposed; religious, social, political etc.

Labeling the condition as ‘bad’ triggers the inner dialogue or voice in the head which in turn quickly absorbs my attention as it draws me into unconscious reaction and then quickly becomes emotionally charged; usually negatively. This all happens very quickly, in milliseconds.  

The problem was that I habitually labeled and then reacted to events everyday. And since I have lived this way my entire life I accepted it as normal; usually blaming the condition for the feelings I was experiencing and then also for the next chain of events that developed as a result of my reaction. 

Labeling makes it good or bad; not the event itself!

In actuality there really is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in any event; it is a selective thought I habitually attach to it. The hard drive crashed, that condition is a fact; there is no real thought or emotion emanating from the condition, the condition itself is static.

Check it out for yourself; think of something that has happened to you where you labeled  the condition ‘bad’ whatever the condition might have been;  didn’t get the sale, lost your job, can’t pay the bill, you were rejected, the car broke down, she or he is leaving you, etc.

It doesn’t matter what the condition is; if you look more closely you will discover that the pain and emotion originated within you and did not directly arise from the condition itself; this is a fact. Isn’t that interesting?

Attraction

When a person is totally absorbed in this unconscious reactive state, negative emotionally charged actions always attract more of the same type of negative energy. Creating even more problems not only for yourself but for anyone who is within an ear shot radius; family, co-workers, friends, and even your pet can get an earful.

Furthermore if anybody in that radius was mentally absorbed by their own drama the two energies will attract possibly igniting arguments; where things could be said and regretted or even worse.  Have you not noticed that if you are mentally looking for an argument, you never have to look very far? There is always someone nearby willing to oblige.

Misery Likes Company

As it goes people are then compelled to share their dramatized story with anyone who will listen; “You will never guess what happened to me?” ”You are not going to believe this?” “Let me tell you all about it”.

More momentum is collecting as the voice in the head keeps replaying the growing chain of events over and over. They are now even more compelled to share ‘the story’ with others who will agree with them; “Oh, that is so awful”, “I feel so bad for you” “How are you doing now?” which in turn validates their current negative state.

And it could also happen that whoever they are telling their ‘story’ to may have a ‘story’ of their own they would like to get off their chest and so it is quite possible someone suggests; “Hey let’s meet for a drink”. And so they meet at the local gathering place to confirm each others story proving to one another how life has dealt yet another low blow and at the same time both feeling a little better about their reactions; a classic case of ‘like energy attracting like energy’. Maybe you’ve witnessed this happen with yourself, a co-worker, a friend or a family member. It is easier to see in others first before you notice it in yourself.

This is an example of how the scenario could play itself out when people habitually and unconsciously react to events. When a person is totally drawn in by the old repetitive and conditioned reactions it creates the same results over and over like a never-ending story.

Staying present in the now

Back to my hard drive condition. Numerous times on my drive to our office I had noticed a small computer repair shop two blocks away and so I gave them a call. I dropped off the CPU and was given a ray of hope that they could recover my data to be told one day later that it was impossible and that a ‘clean room’ environment is what they recommend to recover my data for a fee of no less than $1,600.00! Again, staying vigilant by being aware and not reacting to the voice in my head, I opted for a second opinion and drove back to the office and went online to find another data recovery repair shop in my area. 

Now feeling a little more educated I made a few more calls and then dropped the CPU off at a second computer repair shop only to get a phone call the next day with similar news; they could not retrieve my data and quoted the same ball park figure of $1,600.00 for a ‘clean room’ data recovery. Upon receiving the prognosis from the tech a thought popped into my mind which I vocalized; “I really don’t have $1,600.00 right now to retrieve the data (which was true), can you offer me a tip or recommend someone else I might try?”

Synchronicity

The tech recommended a competitor of theirs called Chipheads in Richfield, MN (Chipheads Computer Repair ), he said they might have some different techniques. What are the chances of getting a business to refer a competitor in a situation like this? Especially when they know they were my second attempt?  They really had me at their mercy.

At this juncture I called Chipheads and did bring them the CPU even though the voice in my head was active and saying “This is a waste of time”, “These guys are just going to tell you what you already know”, “Now you are wasting gas driving to yet a third repair shop”.

I stayed true to the inner impulse and followed through by delivering the computer to Chipheads. One day and $99.00 later I had all of my data transferred to another hard drive!  Yes that was $99.00; I could hardly believe it myself.

Synchronistic events are more likely to happen when you are not lost in the cause and effect of old reactive thought patterns; there is space for the new and fresh to enter.

Quality of the outcome is better!

Not being totally drawn into my conditioned thought patterns or voice in my head created space around the crashed hard drive condition; which allowed room for creative thoughts to arise and be recognized.

 Instead of the same barrage of old repetitive negative thought patterns; “Why didn’t you back up the data?” “You’ve created a costly mess this time” “Just give up, you have lost the data”; which are all linked in a horizontal one after another fashion; being more aware or present allowed for fresh and seemingly vertical thoughts and opportunities to arise and be recognized!

I am thoroughly convinced, because it has happened so many times in my life before, had I been totally drawn in by my conditioned and reactive voice in my head the results in this case would have been drastically different with a high probability that it would have cost me the $1,600.

Not to mention the added chance of ‘coincidental’ chain of events many people experience as a result of unconscious reactions to seemingly ‘bad’ conditions that seem to extend to related events such as; loss of sleep, arguments, worry, stress, road rage, distraction, depression, over eating, substance abuse etc. This is much easier to detect in others than in ourselves.

The reason many people keep getting what they have always gotten is because they never really notice the true source of that problem. They don’t notice that their repetitive habitual responses to conditions regularly stem from the unobserved mind or voice in the head. They keep trying to blame or fix things on the’ outside’ not realizing that it is really an ‘inside’ job; the outer reflects the inner; always.

Noticing is the beginning

For many of us who have a high tolerance for pain it takes banging our heads against the wall many times, before we begin to wonder why things happen as they do; this is how it was for me. Yet, if it wasn’t for the so-called ‘bad’ conditions that do occur one might not be compelled to ‘wake up’ out of the unconsciousness; not many seek answers when everything is turning up roses.

It is a huge first step to become aware of the fact that you can actually notice your thoughts, which surfaces as the non-stop voice in your head. This voice is predominately judgmental and negative when reacting to ‘bad’ conditions. It is probably vocalizing and judging what I am saying now as you read this; “What is he talking about . . . notice thoughts?”, “This is crazy, I don’t have a voice in my head”, “Even if I do it is normal” “I don’t respond mechanically to conditions”.

You do have a voice in your head and it is considered by most as normal but it is not helpful and often it could be considered insane. Simply read a history book or check out the news tonight to see what unconscious reaction is capable of.

This conscious noticing creates a small separation or space from the voice in the head allowing for creative and new thoughts to arise and be noticed.

The more you practice being aware the greater the separation from habitual reactions. With continued practice eventually the mind starts to quiet down and becomes more still. This is the place where true creativity originates; not from old repetitive thinking.

Experience for yourself

Don’t take my word for any of this try it out and see for yourself if it doesn’t work as mentioned. First you must notice how often you go on automatic pilot and just respond; “Hi, how are you?” “Fine, how are you?” is an easy one to detect within yourself.

This exchange happens daily with you and others and the responses, although they are reactions that are not harmful; they are not ‘aware’ responses either and have no freshness in them; you may already have noticed this on your own. This is a small example of how unconscious we actually are even in the simplest of conditions; greeting another person.

Practice with small conditions

Try to become more ‘aware’ of your reactions with so-called small conditions at first such as; when being introduced to someone, when paying at the checkout line, responding to a co-worker a spouse or a child.

Try noticing the voice in your head and not immediately responding to it. Consciously pausing and just observing the old response that wants to automatically arise. This will seem a little awkward at first and the voice in the head may become even more active by complaining; “You must respond now!” What are you waiting for?” “This is uncomfortable!”  

Be attentive, calmly observe your thoughts without reacting to them and be still; allowing space for a fresh new thought or response to spontaneously arise. With diligent practice this becomes easier and more natural. With each occurrence you gain little more trust that it really does work.

You will be, and often for the first time, responding from a more alert and authentic place. You will discover it resonates within you and within others you come in contact with; their responses will coincide with yours in a more harmonious way.

The amazing results you experience by applying this exercise will inspire you to awaken from habitual and unconscious responses which in the past have created many more problems for you than the real condition itself.
 

A more grounded you!

You will realize for yourself that no matter what condition arises in your day the condition itself is just that; a condition. The condition itself does not emit a thought or emotion but the thought and emotion originates within you surfacing first as a judgmental voice in your head.

The very fact that you are able to notice the voice in your head means you are awakening from unconscious reactions at this very moment!

You will notice that as the ‘observer’ you have entered a higher dimension of being so-to-speak, which is prior to your habitual reaction. You can actually now pause and let the storm of old reactive thoughts pass through as you silently watch. You discover you have a choice and that you are no longer a slave to thoughts or voice in your head. 

You have effectively spared yourself and those around you the uncomfortable and often painful chain of useless drama that usually follows unconscious reactions to so-called ‘bad’ conditions.

You have broken the negative chain of cause and effect by successfully altering your response; therefore positively altering the outcome!  

You are now in a better place to experience daily life from a more grounded and authentic perspective. You are now able to consciously choose your reaction to alter any outcome for the better!

To Your Success! 

George Kuczek

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