Master Key Week Four – The Adventure Accelerates

The Subby Strikes Back!

The Empire in the Star Wars movies has nothing on the subby (subconscious) when it comes to being insidious.  It can creep in in funny places, disguised in many ways.  Just when we think we’ve gotten past them, old patterns find new ways to assert themselves.  Sometimes we just don’t seem to know which way we’re going!

To make it even more interesting, we are learning that our brain, in response to all the emotions associated with these patterns (habits) creates something called neuro-peptides.  The cells in our bodies become addicted to these little beauties, so if we go too long without experiencing the emotions associated with the patterns, our subby finds a way to set up the conditions for us to create one.  The cells in our bodies are literally addicted to the rush from these pesky peptides.

Are we Doomed?

Repeated behaviors – habits – are what create these neural imprints in our brains.  The synapses connect in specific patterns in response to specific emotions.  Many have been in place for years, even decades!  We can change the patterns briefly by simply changing our actions, but it takes a while, and many repetitions, to form new patterns to replace the old.

That’s why the repetitions of our Og Mandino scrolls, DMPs and other readings are so important.  As I quoted Og last week, “Only a habit can subdue another habit.”   Now we have the science that backs up the practice.   By replacing an old habit with a new one, different neural patterns are created and the old matrix falls apart.  Our cells are still addicted to the resulting peptides, but now the habits creating them are the habits we choose instead of our old defaults.

Good News Again!

I hope to be able to include some good news every week.  This week was a real roller-coaster for me.  It started out with money moving easier than it has for quite some time – how exciting is that?  Then, as if on cue, both of our vehicles had problems within a couple of days of each other.  And both of them were in the cooling systems!  At times, trying to facilitate a solution seemed to meet with resistance from all sides!

First, I deliver my Honda to a friend who is going to replace the water pump.  Then I go into town to get a tool he needs for the project.  The auto parts place gave me a pressure tester with no adaptor for my Honda’s radiator.  So I went back with the radiator cap.  They measured it and gave me an adaptor that was the proper diameter – but turned out to be the wrong length!

So we called over to another branch and they say “Oh yes, we have one for the Hondas.”  I drive there only to find that the adaptor they have is to test the cap, not the radiator!

Adding to the fun, on the way back I find myself behind a painfully slow scooter on a road with no place to pass.  Plus, I’m trying to get all of this done and get home in time to take my wife out on a date, so there is added pressure on my cooling system too!  As I’m finally going up the hill to our house to keep my date with my wife Terri, her car starts to overheat!

Now, here is the good news.

In the past, a situation like this would have put me into a tail-spin of self-pity.  But this week, I was able to be entertained by it all – at least for the most part.  I was actually able to laugh in the midst of the drama, at least most of the time.  When I got home, I was even able to share some of the laughing moments with Terri, telling her all about the afternoon’s saga and how different my experience of it was than it would have been in the past!

After borrowing a car from a friend, we are finally on our way to the show.  She has a letter to mail, so we pull into the post office parking lot and get behind a slow moving car at the ouside mailbox.  The gentleman puts a letter in the box.  We wait…  A few moments later another letter!  Then, a seeming eternity later, another letter.  We both start laughing at the absurdity of it all!

Yes, we did finally make the show and it was AMAZING!

Return of the Jedi?

By subduing old habits with new ones, we create new perspectives.  New expectations.  We are are in essence telling the subby that “These are not the droids you are looking for…”

With the practices of the past few weeks, I was able to become the observer of the drama of the cars instead of starring in the movie!

And you know what?  The problems with the cars were not nearly as serious as I had expected.  Most of what we worry about never happens, and as one of my brilliant teachers once said (wish I remembered which teacher)  “Worry is like paying interest on money you haven’t borrowed yet…”

The Empire can indeed be vanquished!