TLC Application: Soundness Of Mind

What does it actually mean to come to soundness of mind? For many of us, our minds have been running on negative self-talk for so long that we don’t even notice it anymore. The path to mental and spiritual health begins with one radical shift: turning that inner dialogue toward something greater than ourselves.

The Three O’s: A Starting Point for Belief

Coming to soundness of mind is achieved by having an open mind — specifically, an open mind toward a Power-Greater-Than-Any-Human-Power. The term “power greater than myself” didn’t quite resonate, but a Power-Greater-Than-Any-Human-Power speaks to something genuinely beyond human capacity. This leads us to that word “GOD” that so many people can’t quite get their heads around — and a great way to begin to understand what that word can mean is through three words: Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent. These are the Three O’s.

You don’t need to know all the specifics to begin. All you need is to open your mind to something other than yourself, with the hope that one day you will know this Power in a very intimate way. My mind had always been Self-Talking — carrying on an internal dialogue in a very negative way. The shift was to redirect that same dialogue toward something positive and powerful, greater than me. I wasn’t going to do anything dramatically different from what I had always done; I was just going to direct the talk to what I was learning to call “God.” But this God carries no reference to any concept of God I had ever held. I had to reinvent my understanding entirely. My tools were the Three O’s.

As I go through the day, instead of talking to myself, I talk to something other than me.

Using Triggers to Maintain Conscious Contact

In the beginning, I simply invited that Power into my mind as much as I could — consciously reminding myself to talk to this Power, or God. I also made the decision to ask this Power into my life whenever I felt fear. That was my first trigger. Triggers are important. The more triggers, the more contact, and the more soundness of mind. A trigger is anything I use to remind myself to reach out for God. I had to get creative and find things throughout the day that would remind me to connect. When I drove in the car, I turned off the radio and used that time to talk to God. My words were simple and honest at the beginning: “Can you be with me now? Can you show me how to feel you?” I would ask for help whenever I got tied up during the day. This is where my greatest realizations began.

Two Things That Happened When I Stopped Talking Only to Myself

The first thing I realized is how much trouble I was actually in — far more than I would have guessed. The only way I could know that was to reach out for something other than myself when I was in trouble. It became apparent very quickly that when I talk to God, I have soundness of mind. My mind goes quiet. The mental race stops. This is the truth behind the ancient saying: “Of myself I am nothing; the Father doeth the works.”

The second thing I came to understand is that my mind goes into the gutter with Negative Self-Talk constantly. The internal dialogue became clearer and louder the more I paid attention. Left to myself, I have a very fault-finding mind — I find fault automatically with people and situations. The price for this habit is becoming miserable, and then out of misery, doing it even more.

Awareness is the first step toward true change, and true change comes from connecting to a Power-Greater-Than-Any-Human-Power.

Don’t panic when your mind goes into the gutter with fault-finding and negativity. When you start to see how much your mind attacks not only the world but also yourself, it means you’re getting better — you’re becoming aware of what has been happening for a very long time. And therein lies your freedom.

So be happy when you try this and enjoy the freedom and the great gift of coming to believe in a Power-Greater-Than-Any-Human-Power.

Much love,
K.C.