Meandering Mind - Eva Dillner [1]
I want to stimulate you, the reader, into your own exploration and to provide the tools you need, in the book. My goal is to set you free, to help you discover your own inner authority and guidance.
So yes, rumination pays off.
What then, do I mean by rumination? I first encountered the term in a book about writing. Unfortunately I don't remember the author or book title, but I do remember the concept. This writer, a woman, had finally created space in her life for writing. Her husband would take the kids on Saturdays so she could write. He would come home and ask, “Honey, what did you write today?” Some days she had not managed to write anything, and she felt tremendous pressure from herself and her husband to produce. He was nice enough to enable her to write, but where was the product?
She finally realized that good writing needs time to come together. That lots of time needs to be spent in what she called rumination. She even got herself a rumination chair. It's where you sit and ponder different approaches and play with thoughts and ideas. You give your mind free reign to explore and wander and wonder.
Once she got her rumination chair, she was at peace when the inevitable question came, “what did you accomplish today?” She could joyfully answer, “I ruminated.” And sure enough, the rumination led to writing. Good quality writing.
I suppose that is true with most things - much of the work is done in the preparation. If you are going to paint a house for example, about 80% of the time is preparation work, and only 20% of the time is actually spent on painting.
It's when we let go that the answer comes. I had done all the stewing about how to get the business/relationship books off the ground - then I went to do the dishes and bingo! the answer just fell into place. I do believe that the stewing around is just as important to the process as the letting go. So yes, rumination pays off.
How to work with this book
I see my role as a catalyst. I'm an idea generator. I seed new thought. Many of the concepts and ideas I toss out in this book may be new and foreign to you. They may turn your previous beliefs about how things should be upside down. If you find yourself getting upset with some of the ideas, pause, and let your emotions and thoughts percolate for a while. It's ok to stew about it. Notice if you feel resistance or if you find yourself defending your current way of doing things. There are no right or wrong answers.
My hope is to stir your thinking and beliefs, to give you a chance to see things a different way. The solutions to our problems never come from the same level they were created. We have to shift our perspective to see a new solution.
Some ideas are covered more than once. I am aware that there is repetition in this book. It is the way it is supposed to be. If you think about it, when we're exposed to a new idea, we rarely accept it, or even hear it, the first time. New ideas have to be seeded several times before we can take them in. Then we need time to think about them and digest the new material. Only then do we proceed to accept the new thought.
I recommend you read through the book first, then go back through the book a second time and do the exercises. My hope is that you will go back time and time again for many years to come, and that each time you experience a new insight.
Use the exercises that appeal to you. Then, just for kicks, try the ones you really resist. Exploring the very thing you normally wouldn't do, can lead you into some very interesting breakthroughs. You free up a lot of energy by going to that very place you won't allow yourself to go. More on this later.
This book may upset you. You may find yourself questioning your own life. You may vehemently disagree with some of my ideas. You may find some of my views shocking. On the other hand, some of the material may be old hat to you. The ideas in this book are my own. I have no wish to force them on you. I offer my ideas as seeds