Bukuru

As long as you are satisfied with your life, there's no need to make these beliefs explicit. But if your struggle to find satisfaction and to find a way to change this, it could be helpful to check your mental model for hidden gaps, inconsistencies or perhaps plain errors. For example, you might expect to see results from 1 or 2 therapy sessions and move to another therapists every time that isn't the case, but there might be indications (from scientific research) that it's more realistic to evaluate after 10 sessions.

 

Metaphysics

The aspect most overlooked in mental models is also the most fundamental one: your metaphysical ideas, like those about the nature of reality and consciousness, which is often referred to as our worldview.

 

There are many ways to categorize worldviews, but I find it most practical to divide them in four categories:

1. The Theist models: The universe is created by a god. Each of us is an autonomous individual. How we behave determines where we end up in the afterlife

2. The Atheist models: The universe is a product of evolution after a big bang that will be explained for within time. Each of us is an autonomous individual. Consciousness arose from evolution of the brain. We are free to choose our own destiny. Once we die, it will be the end of it.

3. The Spiritual models: Each of us is a soul that reincarnates in the earthly dimension until it achieves a level of purity that leads to ascension to higher dimensions where other stages of growth can be fulfilled

4. The Non-Dual models: the universe exists within Consciousness instead of the other way around. Our selfhood is an illusion that might or might not persist throughout multiple cycles of birth and death. Regardless, during such lifetime, the main objective is to surrender to your intuitive urges and clear the perception from a false sense of selfhood.

 

Other terms I could have used for distinguishing the respective models are, for example: Religious, Materialist, Esoteric and Idealist. Though slightly more accurate, I felt these are less practical as many people are unfamiliar with these terms.

 

A simplified categorization, as far as it concerns self-development, would be to consider two distict worldview types: the dualistic and the non-dualistic. The theist, atheist and spiritual models are dualistic in the sense that they consider the self to be real, autonomous individual. The non-dual model is categorically different in its approach to self-development as it starts from the premise that the experience of selfhood is an illusion that is the root cause off all issues and desires. Almost any successful attempt at self-development is therefore considered to plant the seed for an even bigger issue or desire as long as one's perception has not been cleared from the illusion of selfhood i.e. the egoic thought pattern.

 

From my experience, it really pays off to become familiar with all four, which usually means someone mainly has to become more familiar first with the non-dual model and perhaps the spiritual model. For more detailed information about the four worldviews, click here.​

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The Question of Conscious manifesting

One element with much impact on a mental model, is your idea about the relation between mind and matter. Some literally claim that there's a natural law, the law of attraction, that when we think and feel something in a certain way, we create that outcome. Others consider it one of the elements that affects have events unfold, together with karma, momentum and a few other things. Yet, others say it's unverified nonsense. Your idea about it defines if it's also something you'd pay attention to when designing your strategy for self-development. In this section of the website, you might find information that can help you with that decision.

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Your view on societal dynamics

Besides our ideas about the fabric of the universe and of what constitutes you and everybody else, it might also be relevant (but not necessarily) to define your views on the dynamics in the world. For example, recent times seem to have created a growing distrust towards institutions and their advice. If that is the case in your model, why is it so and what would be the implications for decisions in the area of self-development? It can be valuable to zoom in on such logical implications. Contrary, you might feel that worldly affairs not the level of abstraction that you should focus your attention on, which implies you take measures for not being exposed all the time. Or, you might feel that you should be involved in some way. Where, then, does your responsibility start and end? Having clarity on this subject means knowing the constraint of how much of your attention can be focused on your process and how much on the world at large. And, in a way, it can function as sort of a reality check.

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Your perception of interactions

Another aspect of your self-knowledge is the authentic way for you to deal with certain social situations. Especially the social relations that give a lot of frustration can be interesting to zoom in on. First, to figure out what the real dynamic is – dissecting the frames, games and motives that are part of the interaction. Who's doing what, who's aware of what and why are they doing it? In a way, this is becoming mindful about the interactions, which could lead to being less triggered by those interactions as you develop some compassion for the other person(s) being stuck in a certain dynamic.

 

Then, the step is to define how you would respond if you had the guts and clarity of mind when the situation occurs. From there, the step to actually being authentic in such situations in the future become a lot smaller. You might have to work through some hesitations about it and it probably takes a few times before you catch yourself in the old habit in time.

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Preferences & habits

There's something liberating about sitting down and being (radically) honest about which of your preferences and habits have developed as a compensation for certain lacks. For example, you might have certain type of job, friends or possessions to cover some feeling of insecurity. Similarly, you might have developed inauthentic behavioral habits that provide you rewarding emotional pay-offs. But, the most common habits are perhaps mental, such as your self-image, which is rarely accurate or even based on someone's own norms and values.

 

Once you do a reality check on what is incorrect or inauthentic, you get the opportunity to change your perception. However, that won't be easy, because it's usually very uncomfortable. That is why the ability to tolerate some level of discomfort can be another useful basic element of self-development. The more your can tolerate, the more real you can be. Read more about discomfort tolerance and the ways to develop it.

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Once you're aware of inauthentic habits and you are comfortable with discomfort, you have the opportunity to change. This usually involves an immersion in the new ideas, both with the conscious and subconscious mind involved (one at the time). This way, neural pathways change their course, like how water can be redirected and starts eroding a new river bank. But before we try to change deep-seated beliefs, it helps to submerge yourself in some basic mental habits, such as your belief about change your mindset. Because as long as you keep losing motivation when you see no results when no results are naturally to be seen yet, your efforts to change any other mindset are unnecessarily more difficult. Taking a few weeks first to fix the basics, might be something you like to do. Read more about mindset basics.

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Assistance

In case you like assistance with creating your mental model or any other of the aspects of self-knowledge, we offer the option for 30-minute consults or DIY retreats. You can read more on our services page.

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