Have you had any light bulb moments recently? Those moments of absolute clarity, when you know without any shadow of a doubt that the next phase of your life has just been shown to you? Perhaps you’ve woken abruptly from a dream and a problem that’s been overshadowing you for some time suddenly has a resolution; or you overhear a conversation on the bus that alerts you to a new possibility that’s just right for you; or maybe you experience a strong emotion which puts all the fibres of your being on high alert and your mind-set becomes crystal clear.
These experiences allow us to feel the full dazzle of a light bulb moment, but for most people, myself included, these are the exception rather than the rule. Instead we tend to experience a long series of small flickers, apparently unconnected. They can stretch out over a long period of time, sometimes years, urging us to take some kind of action or make some changes. But there’s a problem: these flickers are confusing when taken in isolation. There’s no clear image of what they’re about and like the lyric from the Pink Floyd classic, Comfortably Numb – ‘your lips move, but I can’t hear what you’re saying’, we take note but we remain puzzled by the message.
It’s therefore natural that our inner Dimmer Switch will activate to protect us from the work involved in exploring their meanings. We dim the light with diversions such as family and work commitments, fear, lack of understanding, socialising and a million other legitimate things which hold our attention. But by engaging the Dimmer Switch the effect of each little flicker is further lessened and the opportunity to step up to a new or different challenge is diminished.
Then there’s the Grand Daddy of them all – The Auto Power Down. As each little intuitive thought, or enlightened dream crosses our mind, they just keep going, and without any scrutiny they disappear altogether. Faced with the belief that these thoughts don’t even fit with the image of the person we believe ourselves to be right now or could be in the future, our mind automatically sets these hunches adrift as not even worthy of further consideration.
So why does our mind play these tricks? Why are we unable to actively judge our thoughts and take considered intuitive action on a regular basis? Well, given the number of things we think about on a daily basis, both consciously and subconsciously, we’d go crazy if we actively considered everything. In order to operate effectively on a daily basis, we need to be able to take certain actions completely automatically, for example, cleaning our teeth, listening to the radio, driving the car (to a certain extent) etc as this is beneficial to us. However, as part of this automation process, our mind also filters out all those thoughts which (it) we believe to be inconsistent with the person we are.
So, for example, if a thought entered our consciousness that said something like ‘I’d like to fly an airplane’, unless we’re already a pilot, or learning to fly, the thought will probably be Auto Powered Down even before it has a chance to develop wings, because ‘we’re not the type of person who flies airplanes’! But what type of person are you, if not someone who flies airplanes? This is your body and your life, the limits that exist in your life are self-imposed and then maintained by your mind for your “protection”.
But by turning the dimmer switch up to full light we give ourselves the chance to fully examine what our subconscious is trying to tell us. This could be by chatting through some of our more perceptive thoughts with friends. It allows us to see the fun side of our intuition and also helps us get to grips with some of the cryptic messages. It can also be enjoyable! Alternatively the process of analysis could be personal and introspective. Naturally the choice is very individual and will also be driven by the nature of our thoughts.
Some people enjoy dream analysis, and although this isn’t something I’ve ever tried, on occasions when I’ve actually taken the time to think critically about my most authentic dreams, there have been some useful insights.
So next time a strange or wild thought occurs to you, why not turn the switch a little brighter? There’s no doubt that by doing so you will learn a little more about yourself and others and also your real desires. And just maybe you might consider booking those flying lessons!
This has been a fun article to write, and was inspired by the title of the C S Lewis book ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’! Allowing my subconscious to run with the idea brought the title of the article out into the light, and from there I let my imagination play with the idea until it came to fruition. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that you will now give this technique a try!
Please leave your thoughts and comments, especially if you’ve recently experienced a LBM, a DS or an APD!
Photo: PraveenbenK
Great post Nicola! This one has really touched a nerve with me. I seem to have so many light bulb moments I could light up a small town, as my sketch books, note books, backs of envelopes and scraps of paper will attest to. The dimmer switch comes into use however, when it’s time to make sense of it all, getting it to fit in with either current work, or having to leave it to one side until time can be found.
Of course, the problem with the latter is that the switch keeps turning dimmer the longer I take finishing the current project –until in the end I auto power down and lose any inspiration and enthusiasm I had in the first place.
An image of Ian auto powering down has just popped into my mind!! I love the fact that you have so many ideas, and, what’s more, you’re clearly capturing a lot (or maybe all?) of them! That’s great as it will give you something to draw (pun!) on in the future. Maybe when you revisit each of these ideas the dimmer switch will turn and brighten again – maybe with the same idea or something even better! In any event, I think you’re in a great position to take your ideas forward having actually captured them. Well done!
Great post, Nicola. You write really well, too!
Thanks Carlana 🙂
Live for those lightbulb comments! it is a matter of knowing what to expand and act upon, so perspective is needed. Good post for entrepreneurs !
Yes I agree; we couldn’t act on everything or we’d be running around achieving nothing in the end! The trick is, I guess, to develop the habit of noticing the flashes and flickers so that we can “expand and act upon” (I like your words!)with awareness. Thanks for your comment Jana!