You’ve probably seen that statement 'the technology of the 21st Century is the technology of the mind' on the Brilliant Minds website or at the bottom of some of my emails. Have you ever wondered what I mean by it?
When we talk about technology we usually mean computers – Information Technology. IT is set of tools that enable us to do thousands of tasks at the press of a button or two. Because we have technology I’m able to write this and publish on the Web so that you can read it. Because we have technology I can share my thoughts with hundreds, thousands of people simultaneously.
Because we have technology we have Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and countless other ‘social networking’ sites.
I’ve only recently joined Twitter and Facebook. I really couldn’t see the point. My friend Pete Bennett describes Twitter as ‘the ticker-tape of human consciousness’ and, to be honest, looking at most of what’s on that ticker-tape, it doesn’t give a very impressive view of human consciousness!
So maybe that’s just a first step. Having the means to communicate is a great asset. The next step is to consider what to communicate.
What is actually worth communicating? What effect does it have? Why are we doing it?
These questions cannot be answered by the technology. They can only be answered using your human judgement. In other words, your mind.
In just the same way, many people discover NLP and realise that, with a little effort, the ability to achieve whatever they want is available to them. Using the technology of the mind, it’s possible to re-pattern old thinking and create new possibilities. Released from old patterns of fear, doubt and cynicism they rush around making things happen and enjoying seeing their plans coming to fruition.
After a time, realising that ANYTHING is possible, they stop. Because if anything is possible you need to know what is worth having, what is worth doing and what is worth being.
Again these questions can only be answered using your mind, your judgement, your imagination. NLP patterns can’t answer these questions, they can only help you to implement your answers.
In the busy world we live in, there is so much ‘noise’ of all kinds that it can be hard to focus on anything beyond the demands of the moment. Still harder, sometimes, to hear the voice of our own philosophy and principles. We need ‘time out’ to reconnect with ourselves and our goals. By doing that, we can be more conscious of our choices, we can take action ‘on purpose’ to achieve particular results. We can cultivate a mindset that serves our purposes rather than doubts them.
I believe that our thoughts are creative. The simple fact of thinking something gives it energy to occur. The thing is, most of us are thinking such a random, disconnected, pointless train of contradictory thoughts (like Twitter!) that nothing actually gets created.
The consistent clarity of thought, commitment to an idea and belief in the value of your purpose is what creates the desired results. To achieve that, we have to steer our thinking away from the distractions, the doubts and the doubters and maintain the mindset for success.
The technology of the mind is available to all of us. Learning how to use it effectively is the challenge of our times.
