Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago · 3 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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The Architects Of Thought

The Architects Of Thought

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"Meaning exists in the gaps between things, not in the things themselves."

Alicia Juarrero


As humans, we tend to define the meaning of our existence by the perceptions of our past, present and future....and all the 'things' we accumulate along the way. When we consistently lay down a framework of thought based on this concept we are attempting to 'fit' our lives into some sort of 'pre-conceived little box' that society has defined as 'the successful life.' Meaning is placed on the accumulation of things rather than the thoughts that create all'things.' The space between thoughts and things is where our personal power lies.


There is no set formula for this life we have created, nor does it come complete with its own step by step instruction manual for optimal performance. Each recipe is unique unto itself, continually changing and adapting to its own 'conditions.' The ingredients for a firm foundation requires a great deal of mental fortitude in addition to the flexibility for adapting to change and adopting new ways of 'being.'


People get stuck in the 'mind-mud' because they have forgotten their own innate abilities to ride the waves of thought and seize the moments when the time is 'ripe' for initiating change. It is a continual practice of evolving our thoughts and seeing 'things' from all angles before determining a given response.


This is evidenced very clearly in the world of medicine where people are 'categorized' by a predetermined set of symptoms rather than an in depth inquiry into the mindset of each individual.

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BUILDING A NEW NARRATIVE:

Cynefin, known best for modeling in business, works well here as our minds are fractal in nature. We have the ability to create several different landscapes in an ever changing network of inter-dimensional 'realities.' What plays out before us in physicality is the most dominant 'domain' of thought. When we continually find ourselves in chaos with every emotional charge, an internal investigation is in order. Otherwise, even the slightest tremors of 'seismic activity' will topple us to the ground.


If we consider our minds as the 'clay' and our thoughts the 'sculptors' we can create whatever model we choose...provided we have not experienced some sort of catastrophic neurological event preventing us from doing so.


The mechanism for creating significant changes in the course of our experience is in the personal narrative of each individual. In order to get a correct assessment of the behavioral patterns influencing a particular condition and/or situation, we must first identify the 'mindset' behind its creation so as to intervene appropriately.


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MIND CHATTER>>>CONTEXT VS. CONTENT:

How do we create changes in the 'eco-system' of our minds and bodies? By listening intently to the 'stories' we tell ourselves every day. Our mind engages in a constant dialogue as if we were reading from an internal teleprompter. Our daily diet of 'mind chatter' is what feeds our emotions in terms of how and what we react to. How we 'feel' is a result of what we have been mentally ingesting for decades.


We can influence this network of neurons by making shifts of perception in the 'spaces or gaps in between' the disruptions in our lives and in our emotional systems. Once we are triggered by a particular stimuli, we can consciously 'shift' our responses by choosing a healthier course of action.


In other words, in order to move away from chaos we need to 'break the chain of thought' that supports disorder and assign ourselves a more 'stabilizing' pattern of thought in its place to support positive change.

Acceptance

ACCEPTING CHANGE:

Psychological flexibility is absolutely essential not only for our mental well-being, but also for all biological systems as well. The emotional disruptions brought on by non-acceptance of the ever changing landscape of life brings about more pain and illness than one could ever imagine.


Avoiding and/or suppressing painful emotions, decisions or situations only guarantees intensifying episodes of the mental anguish that eventually transforms itself into physical illness. Many feathers are 'ruffled' at the suggestion that we have more power over our 'maladies' than we choose to believe.


If this all seems like some sort of nonsense or 'pie in the sky' theory, I would like to conclude this article by sharing a personal story with you...It is one of the last conversations I had with a friend just before he passed away....


Every end is a new
beginning


LIVING THE DREAM:


Jack was a very successful businessman living what others perceived as 'The American Dream.' A beautiful wife, big house, fancy cars and a vacation home in Maui...Sounds so nice right? Not quite...


Jack was miserable. He was drowning in debt...stuck in a loveless marriage and working himself to death to finance the lavish lifestyle he and his wife had grown accustomed to. He even admitted to manipulating people and situations to his advantage to feed his expensive habits...very often on someone else's dime.


When he received a terminal diagnoses of brain cancer he seemed not at all surprised. In fact, he almost welcomed it by saying, "I did this to myself...The cancer came along to show me all the things I had turned 'a blind eye' to."


In the end, he accepted the fate he felt he had created, stating it was the very first time in his life that he had felt true 'freedom.' His only regret was that he hadn't found the courage to 'break away' from his toxic marriage and lifestyle soon enough to save his life...He was forty-two years old...







Comments

Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago #19

#20
Yes, I saw and responded to your stupendous comment on LI...I would like to highlight this piece specifically... "Psychological flexibility is something that takes a long time to achieve, and though through various experiences become resilient enough to stretch the bamboo as long as it can. It must be nurtured from a very young age so people are well equipped with what life brings them." And my subsequent response... Absolutely agreed...As adults we need to take the time to nurture ourselves by breaking free of our 'false hoods' and recognizing the 'spaces' where things went astray...Every time we wind up in a chaotic state is a 'call to arms' so to speak, from our own beings to return to 'ground zero' ...It is there we can begin the process building anew with the resiliency of bamboo in order to weather any storm life throws at us. Yes, this will take time...But life offers many opportunities for a 're-boot'...My most profound 'shape shifter' was raising a my daughter. In recognizing the 'spaces' of my own childhood where things went astray, I was able to 'fill in the gaps' by being an emotionally available parent for her. She has been my greatest teacher;-

🐝 Fatima G. Williams

4 years ago #18

PS - I've commented on LinkedIn as well

🐝 Fatima G. Williams

4 years ago #17

Lovely trail of thoughts on thoughts Cyndi girl 😊 Ken Boddie to give me a knock on my head reminding me to move away from chaos and go on a good brain diet for positive thoughts.

Ali Anani

4 years ago #16

This is a great buzz to read and ponder on. It deserves the readers' attention

Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago #15

#15
Thank you Ian Weinberg...I have missed your presence here in the 'hives'...I hope you have recovered completely from your recent bout with illness. I am always fascinated by the stories of those who have come through what I would equate to an 'NDE' with the most vivid visions and insights into the purpose our existence...With the emerging technology of AI, we had better get a move on in the 'self-awareness' department before we are over run by robots!

Ian Weinberg

4 years ago #14

I guess it’s about creating music from the noise. The critical ingredients are self-awareness and respect for the ‘golden gap’. The golden gap is that space that we create when we get off the ever driving train of life and reflect. Unfortunately we’re living in a time of minimal self-awareness where the masses are reflexly driven in a zombie state until their trains are derailed. Only then and in relatively few, does the light just appear in the cracks. Great post Cyndi wilkins Inspiring stuff for creating self-awareness and sustenance.

Ian Weinberg

4 years ago #13

I guess it’s about creating music from the noise. The critical ingredients are self-awareness and respect for the ‘golden gap’. The golden gap is that space that we create where we get off the ever driving train of life and reflect. Unfortunately we’re living in a time of minimal self-awareness where the masses are reflexly driven in a zombie state until their trains are derailed. Only then and in relatively few, does the light just appear in the cracks. Great post Cyndi wilkins Inspiring stuff for creating self-awareness and the golden gap.

Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago #12

#7
I am very honored by such a high compliment Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee...However, the expansion of my thoughts I must credit to you... It is an amazing gift to be able to converse with and be inspired by such extraordinary group of professionals on a regular basis, who continually engage with and support authors of ALL skill levels...I truly believe it is the 'secret ingredient' to the success of this platform.

Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago #11

#9
Thank you again for your comments and 'share on LI Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador...I appreciate your support as always!

Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago #10

#1
Thank you again Randall Burns for this wonderfully multi-faceted comment...many moving parts here to be digested slowly so as to absorb the nutrients of this beautifully prepared dish for our dining pleasure! How's that for an analogy my 'chef' friend;-) I would like to address it philosophically from the 'East' as I reflect on the compassionate energies of Guanyin for the moment of reckoning Jack faces as he prepares for dying. He finds peace for the first time in his life when he acknowledges his faulty marriage built on lies, his own self-serving behavior and the manipulation he engaged in with no regard for the difficulty it may have caused others. He took responsibility for his own betrayals and accepted the fate he had felt he created...The measure of difficulty in one's life is not how hard it has been, but rather the mental burdens we carry along the way...

Bill Stankiewicz

4 years ago #9

cool and thx for sharing Cyndi

Debasish Majumder

4 years ago #8

there is a great deal of dilemma between internal and external and we usually give importance to external where as hardly we can realize that it is internal which plays the major role. we take food from external world, but it is the internal design of metabolism which eventually determine what to accept in our body politic and what to excrete. however, nice buzz Cyndi wilkins! enjoyed read and shared. thank you for the buzz.

Ali Anani

4 years ago #7

#5
You have advanced the use of the cynefin framework to encompass thinking dear Cyndi wilkins. This is a breakthrough as disordered minds produce chaos. We need to disrupt our patterns of thoughts to produce new ones that initiate a new phase in our lives. You have excelled over me my friend.

Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago #6

#1
Holy cow Randall Burns! There are so many nuggets of wisdom within your comment that I am inspired to 'take a knee' and marinate on its content. I am so glad you took the time to read the piece on "Context & Cynefin" ...so many moving parts there to digest...I also enjoyed his analogy of 'recipes'...You can certainly visualize where I came up with many of the ingredients for this buzz;-) I shall marinate my mind further within the batter of this buzz and return to expand on my thoughts on your 'brain bending' comments;-)

Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago #5

#3
Ah yes, you know I do not believe in coincidence dear Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee...as it was you who inspired the use of 'cynefin' as the building blocks for this buzz...It seems to fit very nicely within the mental framework for creating the movement necessary to break away from chaos to complexity....the chaos itself being the clarion call to 'break the chain of thought' that supports disorder'... However, as you say, we become 'stuck in the mud' of our conditions. I am always nourished with new ways of thinking by the shared insights of all the voices in the comments section...You all have served to expand my awareness in my own attempts to make sense of this 'thing' we call life...I am humbled and grateful to be sharing this 'space' with you;-)

Cyndi wilkins

4 years ago #4

#2
Lol! Thanks Ken Boddie....You have reminded me of 'The World According To Garp" as he observes with a strange curiosity and awe how his mother builds her influence over a community with her unconventional thinking in support of troubled women...many like herself struggling to raise children out of wedlock. The 'links in the chain' to support my rather 'unconventional ways' are embedded within my last piece, 'Surfacing' that I originally posted on LI...I do like to cross-pollinate between these two platforms;-) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/surfacing-path-recovery-cyndi-wilkins/ That piece contains links to many 'little gems' in support of my ongoing dialogue with Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee...which has given rise again to the concepts mentioned here in reference to this 'framework of thought.' Thanks for popping in here and enriching this piece with your humor...I love that;-)

Ali Anani

4 years ago #3

It is not a coincidence that you introduced the cynefin framework in your buzz Cyndi wilkins wrote recently in his buzz about heuristics. But, unfortunately, when we get stuck in the "mud of our thinking" we trap ourselves in repeated patterns they grow out of order, Lovely post, Cyndi.

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #2

Interesting post, Cyndi. It covers a lot to digest. Is this entirely “The world according to Wilkins” or do you have a few links you can proffer for additional reading? Incidentally I’m sure my own ‘mind chatter’ is as a consequence of my being “the most sensible person with whom I can chat”. 🤣😂🤣 Although, I’m quite sure that, at times, my personal ‘network of neurons’ is more like a ‘network of morons’. 🤣😂😂 Nice to see you back on the keyboard. 👍

Randall Burns

4 years ago #1

Fascinating post Cyndi wilkins I agree with your sentiments. Interesting analogy of "the gaps between things" while referring to our internal dialogue and yes it is important to try to, as you say, "break the chain of thought". The "Context & Cynefin" article was interesting with it's analogy of "scaffolding", (I appreciated the Chef's analogy that he used). To me the answer is to escape the "chain of thought" completely, not just the chains that support disorder. This is a basic assumption of many Eastern philosophies and the goal of T.M.; to eliminate the internal dialogue, at least temporarily. This is a concentration and recognition of "the gaps between things", or the "empty spaces" surrounding the scaffolding from that article. By recognizing and consciously cultivating this state of inner silence, of "no mind" we gain a greater perspective on our "mind chatter", through practice, (and like I always say; practice, practice, practice) this gives one the "psychological flexibility" to allow us to change. Unfortunate example story but an excellent illustration; if Jack had battled his ego and tried T.M. maybe the outcome would have been different; who's to say? I'm not saying that's the answer but I believe it is a step in the right direction, along with your perspectives in this excellent article Cyndi. Well done!

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