Light Bulb Moments on Tap
How to Change the Way You Think
By Tom Evans | Posted 1/15/11 | Updated 11/20/20
Most people never give their thoughts a second thought. This is a shame as what you think and how you are thinking fundamentally affects the world around you.
Just imagine if your day could be full of brilliant ideas and inspirations that made you healthier, wealthier and wiser. For most people, life just gets in the way of even contemplating that this could happen.
Our thoughts are consumed by getting the kids to school, 'imagining' a confrontation with someone at work or worrying about how to make ends meet.
This series will take you through a process of how to change the way you think so your mind works to your advantage and you are not a slave to your thoughts.
For example, take a lucky person. Are they lucky because they are blessed in some way? Well this is possibly one explanation. A more pragmatic and scientifically acceptable reason is that they are just good at noticing and spotting the right opportunities at just the right time.
It is said that our unconscious mind takes in over 2 million bits of information a second and that our conscious mind can process around 7 bits a second. I would contest that both these figures are not exactly correct. The unconscious mind is constantly presented with a near infinity of bits. While the normal conscious mind can only process one thought at a time. It is our short term memory can track the 7 or so bits. I say 'normal' mind by the way as there are techniques available to all of us that can increase this number which I will introduce shortly in this series.
Now these numbers are a bit scary to own up to which is possibly why they aren't either accepted or discussed much. It is also widely assumed that our conscious mind is the generator of consciousness. The reality is that it is also a receiver. Indeed it could be that this is the real difference between some of the functionality of our left and right hemispheres.
The spiritually aware have 'known' for years that we are all part of a collective mind. The quantum physicists, and some neurologists, are fast coming to the same conclusion. The good news is that they are starting to swap notes.
Our thoughts are a mix of three main types.
First there are ones we think of as our main thoughts are those that comprise of our inner dialogue which comprises that review and rehearsal of things said, or about to be said, in our heads. It also runs a commentary on our world that we occasionally blurt out inadvertently. I'm sure you've heard someone, or yourself, say, "Did I just say that?"
These are the thoughts that we can only have one of at a time — until you learn that trick I mentioned earlier.
The next type are thoughts that emanate from our unconscious mind. In our gut and heart centres are real groups of neurons. There are more neurons in our gut than in a cat's brain. Also there have been reports of people who have had heart transplants picking up memories of the donor. The way to spot these types of thought by the way are when we say things like "My heart's not in it" or "I think I'll go with my gut on this one."
Recent neurological studies and MRI scans have detected activity in the gut neurons about five seconds before a change in the outer 'thinking' cortex of the brain. Our gut is not only always right but it seems it's ahead of us in time. This could explain why you sometimes know who it is on the phone just before it rings.
The third type of thought comes directly from the collective mind or superconsciousness. Scientists call it the Zero Point Field or i-Field. Our language again gives away when this type of thought comes our way.
If you hear anyone saying, "Off the top of my head ..." or "There's something at the back of my mind ...", then pay close attention to what they are about to say.
These thoughts enter our brains via either the crown of our head or the back of the skull through the cerebellum. A client of mine who can see auras told me once that, when I am teaching in my workshops, I often grab the air above my head and she could see me bringing thoughts in.
These types of thought also have a different quality to them. They can come in as fully formed ideas. They can appear as an image or as a knowing. Some people hear them. Chefs have been known to get them as tastes and parfumiers as smells. What is common to all of them is that they come in against your internal thought stream when you aren't expecting them. They also seem to appear out of time and in no time at all.
Newton apochraphally got one when an apple fell on his head although this is probably an urban myth. The organic chemist Kekulé got the structure of benzene in his sleep when he dreamt of a snake biting its tail. People commonly get them in the shower, when driving a well travelled route or when out walking.
One common misconception is that these types of inspirations come to us at random. Imagine if artists, musicians, writers, scientists, product developers could simply tune into them on demand.
Well that's exactly what this series of articles is all about. I'll start by explaining what blocks them. Then I will share some simple techniques to encourage them. Finally, I will share mechanisms whereby you can generate them at will.
©2011 Tom Evans. All rights reserved.
Light Bulb Moments On Tap Series
What Blocks Light Bulb Moments?
States of being, not limited to our state of mind, that stop light bulb moments in their tracks.
The Anatomy of a Light Bulb Moment
Characteristics of light bulb moments from ordinary thoughts as they affect our whole body and mind.
Moments of Light
A special mode of consciousness that turns on light bulb moments.
The Inspirational Breath
How to be more inspirational and experience more inspirations.
Left and Right Brain: Which Side Are You On?
The power in using Mind Mapping techniques.
The Goals of Learning
In order to achieve our dreams, we need to learn.
The Devil on Your Shoulder
Whole brain, whole mind thinking.
Collective Thoughts
Tapping into the Collective Consciousness.
The Cascade of Creativity
The metaphorical Four Element creativity model.
About Tom Evans
Renaissance Man and Imagineer Tom Evans is the author of several books about creativity. more