Personal Mind, Universal Mind, and Losing My Mind

AHA'S AND ACTION:

Here are 2 thoughts, 2 inspirations, and 1 question for you to reflect on this week…

2 THOUGHTS FROM ME

1. I thought I lost my sunglasses the other day. Searched the house. Checked my purse, scoured the car, ripped up the couch cushions. I was convinced I was losing my mind. Turns out… they were on top of my head. 😅

Classic personal mind moment—so busy searching outside that I couldn’t see what was right there.

That little moment reminded me how often my personal mind spins in circles, trying to solve things it can’t. But the Universal Mind? It doesn’t panic. It already knows. And the second I stop scrambling, the times when I put less effort in, that deeper knowing quietly shows up—with clarity, and sometimes with sunglasses.

2. Sometimes, before a big meeting or presentation, I feel the nerves creeping in. I go into prep mode—rehearsing what I’ll say, imagining all the possible questions, trying to cover every angle. And the closer the moment gets, the more my mind races. My heart pounds. I start worrying I’ll forget everything… or worse, get hit with a question I can’t answer.

But here’s what I’m learning: I don’t have to know it all in advance. I can trust myself to respond in the moment. Trust that I’m prepared enough. Trust that I’ll show up as me—and that’s more than enough.

2 INSPIRATIONS FROM OTHER PEOPLE

1. “In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” by Deepak Chopra

2. Research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience shows that when we’re mentally overloaded—juggling too many thoughts, worries, or decisions—our working memory becomes strained, and our perception narrows. This phenomenon is often referred to as attentional tunneling or cognitive load theory.

When the mind is under stress or trying too hard to "solve" something, it focuses only on what it believes is relevant in that moment, often missing broader or more creative solutions that are outside that narrow focus.

Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, describes how our “System 2” thinking (the slower, more reflective process) requires effort and can become overwhelmed easily—while our “System 1” (fast, instinctive) can lead us to overlook insights when we’re rushing or under pressure.

This is why insights tend to arise after we step away from the problem—when we're walking, resting, or doing something unrelated. It’s not that the answer wasn’t there; it’s that we couldn’t access it while our cognitive load was maxed out.

1 QUESTION FOR YOU

1. When was the last time you surprised yourself by rising to the occasion—even when you weren’t sure you were ready?

---

WANT TO SHARE THIS?

If you know someone who would benefit from Aha's and Action, feel free to forward this issue to them. If you're that friend or colleague and want to join our community, click the link below to sign up!

SUBSCRIBE HERE