Mental Modes

Get to know conscious innervation, part 5.

The brain is a physical structure with a vast network of neurons. It can learn and be trained by forming new connections and circuits. The mind is more volatile, with no physical presence, and cannot be trained in the same way as the brain. Instead, we can set the mind in a certain mental mode.

Depending on the focus, the mind can be in three modes: Being, Doing, and Becoming. Being is the basic mode underlying the two others. Doing is primarily unconscious and automatic but can also be conscious and will-controlled. Becoming means moving from possibility to actuality, from imagination to realization.

We can only focus on one mode at a time. When focused on doing, we also become, but with little direction and intensity. When focused on becoming, we are still doing, but with less attention and accuracy. Ideally, there is no focus on doing and becoming in the being mode.

Being, doing, and becoming are the natural modes of the mind. In the being mode, we heal and recreate; in the doing mode, we react and adapt; in the becoming mode, we create and evolve.

By deliberately shifting between the modes, we can shape our brains and the world around us and — over time — our lives. In all three modes, we can be either conscious or unconscious. When consciously…