Keeping Your Head

Keeping Your Head
by Sam Pierson

The mind is the invisible sweetspot of our lives. Whatever is happening in there, and whatever its way of happening, is what shapes our estimation of ourselves, and of life. And that shapes who, how and what we go after.

In that unseen place we hold, as it were, a universe. It's not the universe, but a view of it. Our view of the world. It is this view that we take into our engagements with the outside world. And there, these two worlds collide or commune.

Getting & keeping our view sorted takes action. Mental action. Poets know this. Well dead ones do. William Blake calls it mental fight. "Jerusalem" carries the verse -

I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
'Til we have built Jerusalem
In England's green & pleasant land.

And Rudyard Kipling's 'If' opens with -

If you can keep your head
when all about you are losing theirs
and blaming it on you.

Great stuff. But how?

In the beginning there are questions. And in the middle too. But hopefully not as many at the end. Keeping your head is simply the act of taking just ONE question, and giving it over to your mind along with some dedicated airtime. That is, without channel surfing.

Here's some practical ideas from my own R&D lab. I've found that, when applied, my engine runs sweetly on all six cylinders. (It's the sweetness that counts, not the number of cylinders.)

1. DECIDE whether the question is really for you

Editing is power. You carry a lot of raw questions, but have only so much time. So the simplest editing policy is to ask yourself whether the question interests you. If it doesn't, don't commit to its call. Avoid all commitments that don't touch a fancy button.

2. Make LIMITED time for it

Like 15 minutes. Mature adults can probably make 20, but if you're fresh to this I recommend you shut out the world, and enter extreme isolation, for only 15 minutes. And ONLY 15 minutes.

If this scares you, give 5 a try. But really, in the first 5 you're just getting to grips with the depth of your fancy for the question. The next 5 is when the overwhelming vastness & complexity starts to rain down on you, and threaten your commitment to serving out your time. It's in the last 5 when you really make like a man, and start giving some form to your disclosures & discoveries. I'm not sure what it's like for a woman.

3. Do not expect results

Go in with the attitude that you're there to simply make a small time deposit to your mental clarity account. You're not expecting to come away with any jewels. So think explorer rather than Tomb Raider.

Equipped with this attitude you'll banish the devouring beast of urgency from your kingdom, and find peace in accepting that questions are often difficult to answer, and need time.

A time for tomb raiding will come soon enough.

4. Summarise where you've been

There's nothing like a well-placed full stop to give you mission satisfaction. So with about 3 minutes to go, briefly summarise where you've been.

The only skill you need here is that most difficult of all: honesty. Be honest about what is now clear to you (if anything), and what is not.

It may not be the most satisfying full stop, but it will be an honest one. And they tend to work.

That's all. ONE question, three actions and one temperament controller. All you need to add some precision guidance to that explosive Aston Martin behind your eyes. Oh, and a piece of paper.

For those of you who warm to a more formal structure, here's the 15 minute Head Keeper (tm) Five Step Structured Outline (c). Just fill in the form.

What's the ONE question?
What's my interest in it?
What are my first thoughts?
What are my murky thoughts?
Quick honest summary of findings

Some might like to add the optional 'Notes' section. It's for those things that pop into your head while you hunt, but really fail all criteria for justified inclusion in the process. That is, they seem related, but you've a sneaky suspicion they're really just dressed-up temptations from the devil of channel surfing. If you're German it would be grievous to include a 'Notes' section. And to you Frenchman I say, "No!" Just a 'Notes' section will not do!

What tends to emerge from this process is that it brings our most pertinent questions to the forefront of our minds, and on into our engagements with experience. We notice things in our experience that relate to, or are clues, to the answers we seek. We see more, and further, of the things that personally interest, intrigue or puzzle us. And that's good value from 15 minutes of splendid isolation.

Discuss this Article (5 messages)