Hey there, friend! Let’s embark on a little thought experiment together. Picture this: you’re sitting in a room, and there’s a chair next to you. Simple enough, right? But let’s dive a little deeper. How do you know that chair is there? You might say, “Well, I can see it right in front of me.” But let’s break that down.

When you “see” that chair, what’s really happening is a fascinating dance of light and matter. Photons, tiny particles of light, bounce off the chair and enter your eyes. These photons are then converted into electrical signals by your retina, which your brain interprets as a chair. So, in a way, that chair only exists in your mind.

Now, let’s zoom in on that chair. It’s made up of atoms, right? And atoms, as we know from high school physics, are mostly empty space. If you could shrink down to the atomic level, that chair would look like a vast, chaotic sea of energy. It’s only when we step back and look at the chair as a whole that we can interpret it as a “chair.”

So, what does it take for that chair to exist? First, you need the atoms to be arranged in the right way. Second, you need light to bounce off the chair and into your eyes. And third, you need your brain to interpret those signals as a chair. Without your conscious mind to give it meaning, the chair is just a collection of energy particles.

This concept doesn’t just apply to physical objects. It also applies to your relationships and beliefs. When you say, “They make me so angry!” what’s really happening is that your mind is interpreting information and choosing to feel anger. No one can make you feel anything. Your emotions are not external to you; they’re created by your mind.

So, where does this leave us? It leads us to the realization that our perceptions and emotions are determined by what’s stored in our subconscious. Our minds are powerful tools that shape our reality. So, the next time you find yourself reacting to something, remember: it’s all in your mind.

This excerpt is taken from my book Thought 2.0: Upgrade Your Mind. Read it to get a handle on just how your mind works.