Manansh Shukla

Creating something new requires less thought than you might realize. In fact, I believe you create the best when you’re not thinking about what you’re doing.

This can feel counter-intuitive to most people, “aren’t you supposed to think?”. What they miss is that thinking can sometimes get in the way of creating. Imagine that your brain has “modes” and 2 modes that it uses a lot are “thinking” and “creating”, but your brain can only be in one mode at a time. 

That means when you’re thinking, you’re not creating and vice versa.

So, how do you spend more time in the creating mode? 

Spend less time thinking. 

And you do that by attaching less importance to thoughts. You will have a lot of thoughts. But none of them are really that important. Some might scare you into reacting. But if you see them for what they are, they stop influencing you.

Then, eventually, you’ll drop into flow. And that flow will connect you to what you want: the creative juice.

It’s this juice that turns into creating new things. You are just getting out of the way.

Your heart does more than pump blood. It transports your spirt to where it wants to go.

You can get into your heart by feeling it. Once you get used to feeling your heart. You are free to use that feeling anyway you want.

When I meet someone new, I listen to them from my heart. My attention doesn't leave that area.

When I am deciding what to do next, I imagine each choice, a path I can walk along, and then I feel each path with my heart. I take the path that feels the best.

When I want to experience the divine. I feel through a prayer with my heart. 

Your mind will take you to the stars but your heart will take you home.

When you feel blocked. Stop. Close your eyes. Take a breath. And ask yourself.

"What bad thing happens if I..."

• Make a life change that you're feeling uncertain about
• Ignore the urge to eat unhealthy food
• Stop scrolling on your phone
• Whatever else might be bringing up the block

Listen to what comes up.

Pay attention to any images/sensations/sounds that emerge from your subconscious -- ignore the voice in your head for now.

Your subconscious is trying to protect you from the bad thing that will happen if you do X.

Knowing this -- you can make a new choice because...

Seeing what was unconscious forces it to change.

You can do something new.

(Thanks to Chris Larkin for the inspiration: https://chrislakin.blog/p/the-absence-of-self-rejection)

When you start out, you ask basic questions.

• What is this thing?
• How does it work?
• Why is it important?
• How does it relate to other things?

Over time, your questions evolve. You accumulate more information that allows you to ask different questions. Expert questions.

But...

Experts don't know everything there is to know. To me, they are really good at asking questions that no one else knows how to ask.

Starting with basic questions and gradually making their way to more advanced questions over time.

They pose questions that accumulate information so that they can form a newer, higher quality question. 

We can replicate this for ourselves by: Writing important questions down. 

Your mind will forget your questions. Write them out. Update them often. Stay with a question and see how far it will take you. 

Run experiments. Reflect. Retry.

Any question refined long enough will take you to the edge of knowledge. Every time.

So what question will you follow?

Gratitude can save your life. 

It can solve problems. It can bring new opportunities. It can heal past hurts. It can help you make decisions. It can help you with conflicts. 

I know it can feel confusing. People have a lot to say about Gratitude. I do too.

But maybe I can offer you a bit more clarity.

To get started with gratitude you need:

1. To become familiar with how it feels

2. To process any resistance you have towards it

3. To create a practice

1) How does Gratitude feel?

The word "Gratitude" will evoke a very specific sensation within your body. It will be unique to you.

You can learn it by closing your eyes and imagining a memory where you felt "Gratitude" in the past. 

• Who was there? 

• What happened? 

• How did it all make you feel?

I want you to give the memory a lot of detail. And then notice what feeling comes up as a result.

It might be a warmth in your chest or throat. It could be a glowing feeling along your stomach. 

Whatever it might feel like. That is your Gratitude. 

I want you to explore gratitude in this way because it will feel easy. All you do is re-create the right context within your mind (through a memory) and it will flow from there.

2) Process any resistance to Gratitude

You might feel unfinished emotions mixed in with the things you feel grateful for.

For example, you're grateful for the relationship you have with your parents. But you still have some level of resentment or pain stored from your childhood.

Those feelings will make it difficult to work with gratitude. Why?

Because each time you bring up the feeling of gratitude, you will also bring up those other feelings.

But this is good news! Now you get the chance to process those feelings.

You can process them by experiencing the sensation and then expressing how it feels. 

For example, you feel a tightness in your gut during gratitude practice. You then say aloud what state what the sensation feels like. Paying attention to any images and mental thoughts that arise with the sensation.

It might feel intense. If it feels too intense, please be gentle with yourself and stop.

Stay with that emotion for at least 90 seconds. Experience it as honestly as you can for at least 90 seconds. 

Afterwards, go back to your gratitude practice.

3) Create a practice

I have mentioned "practice" a few times. You will find it very simple.

Let me share my practice with you:

1. Open my notebook every morning

2. Write "Gratitude" at the top of a new page

3. Look around my immediate space to see what inspires gratitude

4. Write down anything that inspires gratitude

5. Repeat steps 3/4 until my list feels long and healthy

The point of a practice is to do it often. You get outsized benefits by doing a little bit each day.

And of course, this is something to play around with. Make it your own. After all, it is your gratitude.

Gratitude can save your life.

It saved mine.