I remember the first time I heard the expression monkey mind. I instantly related as a vision of not one monkey but several monkeys screaming in a tree filled my head.
The monkeys in my mind tree were all screaming out different things. One says, “You should have done this”, another screams, “You could have done that”. My should have, could have, would have, monkey mind had been in control for a long time, until I learned how to quiet the screaming monkeys.
I have been catching myself saying I should have, I could have, or I wish I would have, for years. This doubtful speak helps only the monkey mind stay alive, it offers no help with my spiritual quest to overcome the monkey mind.
Monkey mind is ego, and an unconditioned ego offers negative self-talk. I know the ego is speaking when the monkey mind is racing, but when I am able to catch the negative egoic speak, I can turn the ego talk around and make it positive.
For example: The other day while running errands for a sick friend I forgot to take care of some of my own business. So while driving home the monkey mind started with you forgot to take care of your business.
At first I felt a little frustrated that I had forgotten I needed to make a stop, but then I began to tell myself to look at the good that I had accomplished for my friend. After all, fortunately my business could wait until the next time I had to run out.
I felt instantly better after having a positive speak session with myself, I even noticed my body felt lighter. The monkey mind speak is negative and heavy and the positive affirmation speak I gave myself was just that, positive and uplifting.
Like anything else I do in life, if I want to do it well I need to practice, and the same goes with quieting the monkey mind. I shut down those monkeys every time the monkey mind gets cranked up.
Now I call my new way of thinking the affirmation mind, until the monkey mind returns, because those monkeys always return. They just have so much useless information to chatter about, and I don’t want to miss out on my life by listening to a bunch of monkeys that don’t have my best interest at heart.
So the next time one of life’s waves comes crashing down on me, I don’t want to be listening to a bunch of monkeys. I don’t want to make life decisions based on a moment’s wave that will eventually pass, because everything does pass. But those monkeys, they’ll try their best to keep you agreeing with the egoic monkey mind set.
Carpe Diem affirmation mind setters and monkey mind crushers.