A while ago, I wrote a post saying about how my brain lags about 3 weeks behind everyone else when I’m doing a course or a workshop or something similar, and that I’m usually in a total fuddle and have to let my brain just filter it through in its own sweet time. (And I’m not kidding about the 3 weeks!)
I knew I wasn’t a total oddball by the reaction when other people in conversation look so relieved and say, oh I thought I was the only one like that! No, don’t worry – there’s quite a few of us out there, though perhaps 3 weeks is a little excessive!
And now, there’s even a book about it! You Need This Book To Get What You Want. (That actually is it’s title!) I haven’t read it – or even bought it – but apparently, “feeling confused can be a good thing because it’s usually a sign you’re about to learn something new” according to the authors of the book, Mark Palmer and Scott Solder. Errr – yeah – got that bit – it’s just the length of time I feel confused that irks me!
It seems we just have to be patient because “that peculiar sensation you feel” (ie cloth-headed!) “when you just can’t get your head around something comes from the fact that your subconscious is getting down to work”. Oh, right, so something’s happening then!
“What’s really happening is that you’re not confused at all! The conscious part of your brain may feel confused, but the subconscious part is busy processing everything it knows to get you the answers” (So why does it take 3 weeks then?! You can’t tell me I’m Einstein and my subconscious is ploughing through the equivalent of the Encyclopedia Britannica!) I’m not normally quite so heavy on the sarcasm, thankfully, but my initial reaction was – phew, thank goodness, and my next reaction was – so tell me something I don’t know!!
They finish up this short article from Psychologies magazine with the reassurance – “If you’re prone to getting in a muddle about things, don’t freak out next time – instead, try to relax. And look forward to that moment of clarity you’ll inevitably have once your subcionscious has done its job.”
It’s just as well that weavers can deal with delayed gratification, because I have to wait a long time for that moment of clarity!! But I have to say that once it hits, it’s a most wonderful feeling!!
It seems to me that there are books being published that cover just about every thought we’ve ever had. Soon there’ll be no more vacant wondering moments, because someone will pounce out waving a book, saying – “you don’t need to wonder about this anymore because it’s all in here!”
Forgive my curmudgeonly stance, but from time to time I like just to sit and be vacant, wondering about such things. A good think about something that really isn’t a big deal (until it is!). I find it fun, relaxing and stimulating at the same time. And a good way to start a conversation with total strangers….
PS There’ll be a book telling us how to start conversations with total strangers before we know it! Sorry, what was that? Oh! There’s already a small and growing library!
Have a good week, and don’t forget to include one or two of those vacuous, non-essential, wondering moments! ;^))