Mind & Body

I recently gave a short speech on The Three Selves: the high self, the conscious self, and the basic self. While my seven minute routine was a far cry from John Morton's detailed webcast, it was nonetheless a success to speak about a framework I use so often in my life. I'll save you the speech, and let you jump right to my take-home message: by honoring each distinct part of the human psyche, we can increase communication between the various aspects of ourselves, and in turn enjoy a more integrated whole. A lengthy way of saying the three selves are alive and real, and all worth talking to!

I've always been fascinated with different models of consciousness. I distinctly recall bursting out of my seat in an anthropology course once, thrilled to know about indigenous cultures in Latin America and India whose psychological development can't be mapped out with the same lines and Venn diagrams we're used to in Western world. I was refreshed and invigorated, ready to pick apart and critique all of my own learned models from a new perspective.

The real fascination for me is not about lines and diagrams, I assure you. It's seeing how visual metaphors function as an effective "stake in the ground" we can wrap our ideas around.

I have a close friend who is a successful freelance designer. He sees and brings to life images that people can instantly relate to. I watch him write short films based on his dreams, and whip together animations based on someone else's nebulous description. It's a phenomenal gift to be able to translate from verbal to visual. Luckily I don't have that job, but I do get to reap the rewards of other's efforts.

Speaking of which, I'm packing for another inspiring RoadMap seminar with David Allen. I've seen this particular one-day seminar about a dozen times. Not only do I learn something new every time, I also "get" the model of having a RoadMap for my life more deeply each time. So, onwards and upwards, from the runway to 50,000 feet. Literally, and then some.

There's much more to come on the topic of consciousness...

In the meantime, checkout how consciousness relates to music.