MIND the MINDHow we defeat ourselves –

and how we can stop doing so

Self-defeating behavior

If we are not self-aware, we hit self-goalsEg. Mice and fish have excuses, we don’t.

Self-defeating behaviorMost distressing self-defeat: 1 million people commit suicide every year“We have guided missiles & misguided men” - Martin Luther King Jr

MIND the MIND

Bhagavad-gita 6.5 & 6.6:Our mind has self-sabotaging programs, like viruses in a software

MIND: How we defeat ourselvesM - Magnifies problemsI - Imagines pleasures N - Neglect opportunities D - Denies reality

Magnifies problems Delusional parasitosis Eg Woman – frog in the abdomen Worry is the interest we pay on loans we haven’t yet taken

Imagines Pleasure

Pavlovian response Eg Dogs salivating on hearing bell

Neglects opportunities

We are present everywhere except in the presentThe future will be brighter if we brighten the present

Denies realityDuryodhana, “I don’t see even the slightest fault in whatever I have done.”The wound denied is the wound worsened.

How to stop defeating ourselvesM – Meditate I – Illuminate (your inner world)N – Navigate (your inner pitfalls)D – Do it with others

Meditate The calm within empowers us to cope with the storm without Eg Boat – anchor Let spiritual sound empower you

Illuminate (your inner terrain)Let spiritual wisdom illumine your inner worldScience can make things better; spirituality can make people better

Navigate (your inner journals)When in doubt, get it out – remove mental congestion Journal to explore and evaluate your thoughts and feelings

Do it with othersOur desires are not just linear, but also triangularEg Soccer mania among IndiansLet spiritual association be the stimulant for your self-empowerment