The Absence of Thought - How To Be More Yourself In The World

What do you mean not thinking? Observing thoughts. Having more fun by being here.

I hope this finds all 113 of you well this Sunday! If you’re reading this and know someone that might be interested in this growing community of humans looking to thrive share A&T with them!

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I've touched on this theme a bit in other newsletters but I think when thought is absent we can be truly ourselves in the world.

To Me, This Idea Did Not Make Sense At First - To me, when I first came across this idea it was extremely unintuitive because my question was how can we not think? We are functioning humans walking around with a brain and thinking is a natural process that happens as we move about the world.

How Do We Function Without Thoughts? - Another thought that comes to mind is how are we supposed to solve problems, respond to questions posed to us, or even figure out what to have for lunch with no thinking involved?

These are the questions that came to mind and frankly I'm not the best person in the world to answer them but here are some of the ideas I've come up with.

How The Absence Of Thought Works In Practice

It's not about not using your mind, it's about doing something and letting what comes up naturally, both in feeling and in mind, guide you from moment to moment. One of the biggest places this has shown up for me in my life is in conversation with others, particularly at work.

I Would Think Too Much, And Less Open - Previously, if a conversation was important I would spend a ton of time thinking about how it was going to go and what ideas I was hoping to get across. On the one hand, I'd be extremely prepared. On the other hand, I was desperately unprepared or less open to what came up naturally as a result of the conversation.

Less Thinking Helps You Adapt - Now I'm not advocating for no planning or foresight or preparation, but I do think embracing the unknown and the moment without too much thinking helps you listen more acutely, react more naturally, and connect more easily.

Think About It, And Then Let Go - I guess what I'm saying can be boiled down to if something is important and you want to prepare think about it and plan, but then at some point let go and don't think too hard. Being open to the moment (and I know vague phrases like that can be frustrating so I'll try to be specific here) is key, I think to really connecting with others and savoring the experience.

You’ll Be More Present and More Natural - Being open is about letting go of all the thinking and planning you did beforehand. You've already thought about it, it's not going to disappear from your brain so you don't need to try too hard to remember it or to get it across. I find that the result of approaching situations that way means you don't really pay attention to what's being said, you don't enjoy the moment as much, and you're less likely to get whatever is important to you across effectively.

In Order To Be Free OF Thought, We Must See It First

When I say free of thought I mean the ability to see it at arm’s length, to observe thought as it happens, almost like you'd watch clouds in the sky go by or cars roll past on the highway.

Thinking Can Be Just White Noise - The more we become aware of our thoughts the more we can recognize it for what is it, random white noise that our mind conjures. Additionally, the more you pay attention, the more you see the backdrop behind thought, which is the mind - something that is extraordinarily quiet and peaceful.

Lots of Different Practices To Help You Observe Thoughts - There are a bunch of ways to practice seeing thoughts, one big one is meditation, but breathwork, hiking in the mountains, and a bunch of other practices can help cultivate that awareness.

Awareness Of Thought Leads To Freedom From Thought - When you start to observe thought and recognize it when it comes up it becomes easier to acknowledge it and not let it spirit you away from the moment. The more you are able to do that the more often you are able to be fully present. And the more often you are able to be fully present the more you can show up and react moment to moment authentically.

It Makes Life A Bit More Fun I Think

Life happens here and now, not in our heads. The more we are able to separate our actual experience from our thinking the more we are able to fully live and experience the world around us.

Being In The Moment Can Be Scary - It can be a bit scary to abandon yourself to the moment and leave the safety of thinking and planning behind, but in my pursuit of doing this more often I have found few things more rewarding in my life.

Not Thinking Is A Constant Dance - The absence of thought is not something that just happens, it’s a moment-to-moment dance as I weave back to the present and away from the trappings of the mind.

How To Try It In Your Day To Day

Ways I Notice When I’m Caught In Thought - Start trying to pay attention when your thoughts get you caught up inside your own head. Some cues are you did not hear what people said, you are not aware of details in your surroundings, or you are not really sure what you’re doing physically.

Focus On What Around You To Be Present - When you notice any of those, try and come back to the present by focusing on what is around you or in front of you.

It’s Also Possible To See When Other People Are Stuck In Thought - You can also notice this when it happens to other people (observing this scared me into practicing it more). When people get caught up in their thoughts you typically see their eyes take on a glazed look, like they're not really there. It's amazing because you can see it happen in conversation, we as humans just tune out as thoughts take over, and if we don't practice being present it is often inevitable.

I Hope This Idea Can Help Make Your Days More Enjoyable - I hope this newsletter made some sense and can bring you more joy in your day-to-day. It's something I have pursued and will continue pursuing because it has been one of the most gratifying journeys of my life.

Warmly,

Alvaro

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