Mind Virus Alert
Until today, I believed the following quote came from Henry D. Thoreau and I’m not alone in that. I came across it in a bestselling book and if you care to search, you will find it on Pinterest and other social sources attributed to Thoreau. Often not referenced at all.
Through research, I discovered that it should be credited to Wilfred Arlan Peterson from his work in;
“The Art of Living, Day by Day: Three Hundred and Sixty-five Thoughts, Ideas, Ideals, Experiences, Adventures, Inspirations, to Enrich Your Life (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972) p. 77.”
The source of the quote isn’t the point of this post, but while we are here, sources demand accuracy and are something we should address in our research and writing if we are going to use them. Also, because referencing offers transparency to our readers and that can impact our businesses positively.
The Quote
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives”.
What Was Peterson Saying?
Well his words are clear but, let me add some context as it relates to this post and particularly the thoughts we have that dominate our lives and, DANGER WARNING, especially the thoughts that cause mind viruses because they can consciously or unconsciously lead to us wandering down paths to nowhere helpful. The more we walk those unhelpful paths; the deeper mental paths are formed.
What is A Mind Virus?
Don’t panic it’s not an illness although it can be debilitating. I would even go as far to say that to greater or lesser extents we all have them. They can pertain to thoughts, ideas or problems and they can distract us from achieving success.
We develop mind viruses as we go through life and they often start in our early days and are reinforced by the society in which we live and interact.
A Simple Example; “Could Do Better”
During my school days, my parents often came home from parent / teacher meetings with the
“could do better” comment. Not once do I remember a “well done”. Without realising it, this simple comment developed a mind virus and I was forever chasing the idea of could do better. Yet, it took a long time to do better because nobody exactly outlined the ‘how to’ of this and it wasn’t until much later that I realised I could do better because I was already doing it. I no longer suffer from that virus, it no longer dominates, nor do I blame anybody for putting it there in the first place.
Action Comes from The Rules
If we accept that the rules we operate by in life are correct, then we will form deep mental pathways and many of our actions will be found within and because of the rules. If we could open our minds and read them like a book, they would be obvious. If we accept all the rules we’ve been taught, we give up some of the independence for living a successful life. Like Thomas Jefferson said, “The care of every mans soul belongs to him”. In other words, if we allow the rules to define us, we will not be living life according to our purpose, our goals, our desires. We unconsciously offer ourselves excuses that our environment provided; they didn’t come from the soul.
Anarchy!
No, I’m not talking about that. Some rules are necessary but the challenge I believe we all face is to know which guide us and which hinder our progress. If we have self-sabotaging explanations for our actions; in other words, excuses. If we allow excuses, our journey to success will be extra challenging and we may even quit.
More from Thoreau
Apparently not, although this excellent quote was also misattributed to Thoreau. Originally by Henry Stanley Haskins (1875-1957) from his anonymously published Meditations in Wall Street (New York: William Morrow & Co., 1940) p. 131.
“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”.
Each of us has the power to accept things the way they seem or to stand up and say, ‘not relevant, the care of my soul belongs to me’. Reject the excuses. Reject the BRULES (BS Rules; a term coined by Vishen Lakhiani at Mindvalley).
Here's to a great week ahead
Recent Comments
28
This is a challenging post. A mind virus, as you describe it, can be anything. Even a terrific success that distracts us for awhile as we celebrate or compare everything we do to that one success can hold us back as much as a negative thought. I don't think, at this point in my life, I am capable of enough self-discipline to really apply what you are suggesting. But, for me, this is a really helpful, cautionary post.
Thanks Jim, I like your thoughts on positive mind virus; they too can indeed hold us back as we bask in the light of success. There's some thought for another post :-)
Hope you have a wonderful week
Steve
It's amazing how these seemingly benign sayings such as 'could do better' become so ingrained into our psyche. Mine was 'I'm not old enough.' At some point I went from that to being told 'I'm too old" for things. Is now and has always been bull.... I just didn't realize it for what it was. Thanks for sharing!
Christine
Oh no, I forgot about the too young / too old thing. Bull indeed Christine. Thank you
Steve
Hi Steve,
“...we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives”. This is so interesting, and for this reason, I am the one person in my life who has always said I can do better! I have in my mind what actually feels like that worn physical pathway, like walking through tall grass.
Now, because of my engagement on this platform, I am choosing to walk a new journey which is allowing what existed before to grow over with new and fresh thoughts. My old physical / mental pathway is becoming obsolete! Yes I am indeed one of those folks who believed that what I was doing wasn’t good enough, that my photography or my writing was ok, but it made me feel like it actually sucked!
I read in a post just yesterday I think, that what I am doing is, “comparing”! Something we do I suppose without a lot of conscious thought, but way too much of!
Since engaging with the WA family, I have cast aside much of the self doubt responsible for the self inflicted negative pathway. So yes, this incredible energy has made its way into how I think, so much so that how I feel about my contributions is manifesting itself to that point where “mental” can be seen in a “physical” sense! Who would have thought?
This, in no small part, because of people like yourself Steve! People who so freely and selfishly share a bit of themselves with this wonderful world we all cohabitate in, the WAmily! So I would agree, “...the care of my soul belongs to me”, but there are so many people here that play such a significant role in nourishing that soul!
A wonderful and blessed week ahead...
Gerry
Those are wonderful and helpful comments for many. Thanks Gerry. As I said to Twack earlier, "my brain's gone walkabout" so I will give the response your comments deserve in the morning.
You have some stunning photos on your Instagram site. Wonderful to see.
Steve
See more comments
When you live in a very rural place, you quickly learn that one set of footsteps will not make a path. If you want a path, you have to clear the outlines of the trail and then walk it many times. Your post is quite valuable, as it points out to us that we need to ensure that the mind path we are developing is the one that will be most helpful. It will take work and use to turn it into a real pathway.
Thanks for that great analogy Fran and, so true. I hope you have a successful week on the pathways you need :-)
Steve