It's Meaningless

Adding meaning to a memory can lead you down a distorted trail that's hard to find your way back from.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

It’s Meaningless

Our local forecast is calling for snow. And the second I heard that, I was instantly taken back to a time years ago when we got absolutely buried.

I was out there shoveling — one of those super heavy snows — when I got a visit from The Grasshopper. He said something that stuck with me:

“The brain remembers; the mind adds meaning.”

You know, there’s something about more than two feet of snow that does that. It makes you remember other times when the snow came down just as hard.

I find it amazing how quickly you can be transported to another moment in your life when something similar happened. That’s exactly what happened to me out there in the driveway. Some memories made me laugh. Others carried a little melancholy with them.

The brain can’t help but remember. That’s what it does.

Adding meaning? That’s where we tend to get stuck — like a car buried in a snow drift.

There’s actually no meaning in a memory unless we add one. Memory, by itself, is just stimulus and response.

Heavy snow . . . memory.

But for most of us, adding meaning has become automatic. We’ve been conditioned to do it.

“I dreamt about money last night — that must mean I’m going to hit the lottery.”

No. It just means you dreamt about money.

The moment we add meaning to something, we distort it. We pull it away from what it is and weave it into a story — an illusion — one that can create a whole lot of unnecessary drama.

That snowfall triggered plenty of memories for me. And each memory came with its own response. But the second I started adding meaning to those responses, I could feel myself heading down a road where I’d just be spinning my wheels.

Thankfully, I caught my meaning machine before it ran completely amok.

Sometimes we don’t catch it in time. And when that happens, we end up in this pseudo-land of meaning — where one memory suddenly has a hundred different interpretations.

It snowed heavily that day. It triggered memories — some heartwarming, others gut-wrenching.

Adding meaning to them can create an avalanche that traps you in a place that doesn’t actually exist . . . except in your mind.

So pay attention to your meaning machine. It turns on at the slightest tremor and tries to lead you down a very slippery slope.

It’s up to you to notice it. No one else can do that for you. And no one else can save you but you.

Go ahead — have the memory. Feel the feelings. Let the emotions be there.

Just avoid adding meaning.

Because in the end . . . it’s meaningless.

All the best,

John