Founding a company and being an entrepreneur is a rollercoaster ride — a never-ending rollercoaster ride. There are ups and downs, and oh boy, there are plenty of terrifying downs. But this is not the problem. The issue lies in how my thinking mind interprets the downs.
The Thinking Mind
I’m currently reading The Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ Harris, where he writes extensively about this. The short summary is that the thinking mind is the voice or images in your head that warn you. Sometimes, this happens nicely: “Don’t quit your job. You will be poor.” Other times, it happens very harshly: “You are stupid. Stop it!” or “If you commit to these goals, you will get burnout because you work too much.” These are the favorites of my thinking mind.
The Thinking Mind Will Always Be There
These thoughts will never disappear. You can’t unthink or unlearn them. There is the option to suppress these thoughts. I tried that. It didn’t work in the long term. They always come back. My thinking mind likes to remind me of my most frightening thoughts around 3:45 a.m. It probably thinks that’s really convenient. I’m lying in bed, unable to go anywhere, and I have to listen to it. GREAT!
So, if I can’t get rid of these thoughts, what other option do I have?
Taking Thoughts Not Seriously
I don’t need to act on this never-ending monologue in my mind. Russ calls this unhooking. He explains many unhooking skills in the book.
The key for me was the unhooking skill of giving my thinking mind a funny voice: Mickey Mouse, Homer Simpson, or any other character. This makes it easier not to believe or act on the voice.
When Homer Simpson says, “You are stupid. Stop it!” I need to smile instead of immediately starting to worry.