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The Voice in Your Head – Nerdful Mind #56

February 7, 2021 by Simon Mannes

The constant chatter in our minds.

I always thought these voices are me. That every single sentence is important. That every thought, however it makes me feel, expresses who I am deep inside.

Except it's not.

Meditation showed me, for the first time in my life, that I can listen to these voices. That there is a difference between "me, the listener", and "me, the voices".

And over the years, these voices lost their power. I can recognize these thoughts as thoughts and let them go.

This journey is not complete. It probably will never be.

But I'm glad every time I recognize a thought that makes me sad, frustrated or angry and I can let it go.

“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind — you are the one who hears it.” - Michael Singer

Reading Recommendations

Fighting the Voice in Your Head

Bestselling author Dan Harris, co-anchor of Nightline and Good Morning America, investigative journalist and war correspondent, discusses how his book “10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story” and how meditation's role in society should change.

Bumblebees Solve a 17th-Century Psychological Puzzle

“In 1688 Irish philosopher William Molyneux wrote to his colleague John Locke with a puzzle that continues to draw the interest of philosophers and scientists to this day. The idea was simple: Would a person born blind, who has learned to distinguish objects by touch, be able to recognize them purely by sight if he or she regained the ability to see?”

Lessons from 6 software rewrite stories

“Almost two decades ago, Joel Spolsky excoriated Netscape for rewriting their codebase in his landmark essay Things You Should Never Do. He concluded that a functioning application should never, ever be rewritten from the ground up. His argument turned on two points...”

Weekly Mindfulness Practice

Find three times today where you consciously follow three breaths, one after the other.

If this feels good to you, you can try to find four times tomorrow.

End Note

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Have a great week

Simon

PS: If you found an article you think others might like, and that fits this newsletter, I’d love it if you write me an email. Just reply!