Learning to Unlearn

Once upon a time, in a solar system in a galaxy far, far away, there was a planet named earth that had a county named America that used to be the role model for the rest of the world to try and emulate and in the process of that exercise many of those lesser but older countries began to exceed America's expectations of them; however, very few of the inhabitants of the country named America realized what was happening because they were so mesmerized by their own affluence that they became physically harpooned by their own scotomas which is nothing more than an area of diminished vision within the visual field. 

 It was and continues to be these scotomas that caused these Americans need to see what was happening to them and to their country due to the fact that it was and had been happening ever so gradually over a number of years of nothing less than 50 of them when life was as good to them as the sun's rays was to the growth of plants about which most Americans knew very little unless it was a plant that was smoke-able.

All kidding aside, these scotomas are real and they do prevent us from seeing stuff, the least of which is one's own ability and desire to achieve... that is to say that accomplishing one's goals may not necessarily be seen as being or becoming successful but on the other hand, that is exactly what it could be like and we are standing in our own way getting there.

If for instance, some of us may feel somewhere deep inside our subconsciousness that we should not be allowed to achieve our goals because they may not feel those goals are deserved; and, when that is the case that deep seated scotoma stands in the way like a huge barrier or roadblock around which or under which or though which we cannot go.

So, how do we manage any kind of work around?

We must unlearn that which we have learned.

I kinda understand why someone might want to unlearn something but what alludes me at this moment is how might one perform this unlearning?

Interestingly, this is performed simply by finding and removing one's scotomas and their extraordinary influence on our actions. And, it is sometimes not easy to see and/or admit that these blind spots exist in the first place, let alone change our mindset about them, but, this is nonetheless what we must do.

We need to introspect, become self-aware, establish a basis of self-truths, and admit weaknesses that are typically covered up either consciously or subconsciously. But, do not underestimate the difficulty of doing this because it is easier said than done. And, this difficulty does not necessarily rest on the shoulders of the male because females are just as stubborn about admitting this or admitting that something like this might even exist inside their minds.

But, it exists inside all of us and sometimes more troublesome in some of us than in others, but it still exists and that recognition is paramount to the removal of them and must be overcome.

For example, I did not seek a career in math because I did not think I had an aptitude for math and every time I needed to take a math exam, my subconsciousness informed me that I was no good at performing math problems which always resulted in me actually not performing very well on math exams. And, the more I attempted these type of exams the more I was able to reinforce that lack of ability. By the time I got to College, I was convinced that majoring in math was not a good path to pursue and moved into another direction without giving it a second thought.

What I did do when I got to College was pursue an English degree and if there were any scotomas in my mind about that, they probably revolved around diagramming sentences and recognizing the various parts of speech which had very little to do with College English because that course of study dealt with different types of literature with which I perceived that I would have no difficulty.

Another scotoma that I know that I have which I also know is going to be very difficult for me to remove is my thinking that I don't have a “silver tongue” when it comes to talking with women that I find particularly attractive. My scotoma is deep rooted and it is my perception that when I was very young (perhaps during my 3^rd grade class) that a blonde girl told me that I looked like a monkey which subsequently became manifest in my inability to have fluent conversations with some females.

BTW, I have the same problem with males but not to the same degree and the scotoma that is operating in that situation revolves around my mental competence when talking with someone who I might perceive is more intelligent that I am. However, I am fully aware as to how that scotoma developed because, in all my levels of employment over the years and no matter how much education I had received, there was no respect for my opinion until I reached the age of 40.

Age has caused these scotomas to fade and dissipate tremendously but I am still constantly aware that they are lurking somewhere inside me and may once again surface when I am tired, under pressure, and stressed.

Years ago when I was just beginning my career, I heard a speaker at a local ASTD meeting say that we should simply “Fake It Until We Make It...” And, while that may seem like living a lie to some of us, I understand to mean that we must conceal our fear or that scotoma inside of us that keeps telling us that we should not do this or time or even think that we can be successful at our goals.

And, it is difficult for us to admit that we harbor these feelings inside us because we might be perceived as unreliable or insecure... and that, my friend, is a risk that we all must take and accept regardless of the consequences if we are going to unlearn that which is holding us back and relearn that which will take us forward.

One way to accomplish this is through positive affirmations...

Affirmations, really, are simple. They are you being in conscious control of your thoughts. They are short, powerful statements. When you say them or think them or even hear them, they become the thoughts that create your reality. Affirmations, then, are your conscious thoughts.

Research has shown that we have between 45,000 and 51,000 thoughts a day. That’s about 150 to 300 thoughts a minute. Research has also shown that for most people 80% of those thoughts are negative.

Now, we have been taught to think that most of these 51,000 thoughts are “sub-conscious” thoughts meaning that they are below our conscious awareness level. Affirmations actually make your sub-conscious thoughts conscious. Affirmations make you consciously aware of your thoughts. When you start making conscious positive thoughts, you actually become more aware of the negative thoughts that are always threatening to take over.

“When you’re not aware of your thoughts, they tend to be negative.”

Affirmations can change all of that! Affirmations make you conscious of your thoughts. To affirm means to say something positively. It means to declare firmly and assert something to be true. Affirmations are statements where you assert that what you want to be true is true.

Here are some affirmations you can use:
I am a success in all that I do
I feel happy, I feel healthy, I feel terrific
Everything feels just so right
I am a money Magnet
My mind is clear focused and energized

So, let's get started... shall we?