Mental Models and Self-Image

Let’s see if these two things have something that ties them together, a connection to each other.

Mental models are things that we believe in our mind. Whether they are true or not makes no difference: A thief who makes a living stealing things in his mind is doing a good thing when he or she completes the “caper” and it is successful. He subconsciously thinks, “I have achieved what I want to do.” It is in his mind a success, although most in society would consider this to be a negative. Each of us has a mental model of the world, and as we have these mental models we also each have a self image that is developed from our model.

Nothing is inappropriate in this world to the individual, if their mind has a model of their world that makes something good.

So when we do something, we normally don’t tell ourselves that what we are doing is bad. It is either good or neutral.

When we overeat, we tell ourselves that we were hungry. “No problem, we’ll eat less later in the day.”

When we drink too much, it’s “No problem, we’ll drink less tomorrow.”

To someone whose models allow it, when they kill someone, it’s “No problem. They deserved to die.”

We hate someone, it’s “No problem, they shouldn’t be part of the universe because they don’t have our same values. They were the scourge of the earth.”

We know the truth; no one else has the same truth. In America we have certain truths that are not the same all over the world. In different countries there are different truths. Different countries have different collective mental models. That impacts the individual mental model that is linked to the self-image of the individual.

The more we open our mind to understand that the truth is not just one idea, but could be more than one idea, we start to have tolerance. Tolerance is necessary for success, because we can acquire different concepts, and we can see more ideas that can open our mind to different possibilities for success.

If I only have one idea, and that idea is not successful, what am I going to do? Am I going to have failure? What is the truth? As I get older the truth changes. Does it not change for you as well as you get older? It is because as we grow older we have different experiences that open us up to an expanded mental model.

We have to examine our mental models, because this is how we are going to act. We do not act inappropriately to our mental models. This shapes our self image. And our self image of ourselves is tied to the way we think about the world and ourselves.

(hint: woman's right eye is the black
speck in front of horn handle.)

Our mind can see one thing and interpret a thing as another.  Here is a man playing a horn: This is what my mind sees.  Another person may see a woman.  What we want to be able to do is look at everything in the world and not just see the first thing that comes into our mind. We want to step back and see what else there is, because there is always more.

You open your mind to the possibilities of the world.  You see yourself as not just this or that, but as part of a universe that is bigger and brighter than just one idea.  Your self image must continually be updated as your experience grows. 

Open your mind to the other options in the world.  You see, you already believe in your image of the world, but that image can be more.  You are great; you choose your beliefs in life. Your self image and mental model are tied up together.  Don’t limit yourself, instead expand your thought, and with expansion comes more and greater opportunity.  Choose what you want, and as your knowledge expands choose more and be grateful. Because you can have it, if you choose.