All The Things I Forgot To Say

[PoliTalker]

Ahh, the human mind. What a funny thing, eh? We have the main section that seems to be capable of managing a focused thought stream, (in some cases...) dealing with what's going on in the here and now, pondering a concept, listening to someone speak, etc, (hopefully.) And then there's the subconscious. Always injecting other thoughts unrelated to the present, but maybe sometimes coming up with something very related. Ahh, but if you go with that new thought, then whatever else was being considered at the moment has to be pushed out. At least temporarily we hope.

Is it lost? Or will it be back. Oh, those fleeting thoughts will probably be back, but will they come around when we can deal with them, or tease us by only popping into the head when we are otherwise occupied...

Such is the spice of life as a human.

And that is how it happens when we are predisposed. Another thought or idea pops up and we like it, but it's not the right time to 'go there,' so we have to resist, lest we get distracted.

Ever think of the perfect thing to say - about 10 minutes after the perfect time to say it?

Oh yes. If only we could have had that thought when the time was right!

And the other one is the fleeting thought you want to explore, but you don't have the time just then. How do you recall that thought later when there is time?

Sleep is a good thing for re-arranging all those mixed up thoughts. When we sleep, our subconscious goes through all those fleeting thoughts and ideas, tries to save the 'important' ones and discard the rest. If you're having a healthy sleep cycle all your best daily thoughts are 'archived' for later use. The meaningless stuff gets jettisoned. Only the subconscious knows how to tell the difference.

We can control our thoughts up to an extent, but then there is the mysterious part of the brain that seems to run on it's own.

What's playing in your head?

[PoliTalker]

Problem solving is an excellent demonstration of how the mind works.

So, there is this problem that has to be solved.

It's a toughie. The solution does not immediately present itself.

It has to be thought over.

What can be done?

And then an idea comes along.

This might be IT!

Oh, but that solution comes with strings.

Can the drawbacks be lived with? Will that proposed solution work? Can it be undone if it won't work?

Best case is there is time to think it all over.

One good way to come up with a good idea for a solution, if there is time, is to 'sleep on it.'

That puts the power of the subconscious to work - the 'idea factory!'

I can't tell you how many times I have awoken with a new idea to solve a tough problem. Or just wake up with a creative new way to do something, or write something.

If that sounds familiar then you're probably getting good healthy sleep.