I’ve always been interested in the thinking process, so when I chose to enter the dessert phase of my life one of the two items on my bucket list was to improve my thinking. I’d noticed that when I was thinking there was a voice in my head repeating my thoughts. That seemed horribly inefficient, since the brain would have to take my idea and translate it into English and then make it conscious. So my idea was simple: learn to think without words. I didn’t know how it would work out.

It took me a couple of years to learn it. I’d decide what I wanted to think about, concentrate on it, and then make my mind go blank. The biggest problem for me was not knowing whether I was thinking or just being mindfully silent. But I kept at it. It wasn’t restful like meditation, and sometimes I’d take a keyword and repeat it to keep on track.

(I think it would be a lot easier for young people to learn, since they are more evolved than us!)

After a while I saw signs. Often I would start doing something I’d done hundreds of times and suddenly see a better way to do it. I wouldn’t think about it, it would just happen. And solving actual problems became easier and easier as time went on.

The reason is that conscious thinking, which is often necessary, is not an aid to thought, but an impediment. It is a distraction. So you can learn to think in your subconscious simply by practicing doing it. When you do, you’ll be like a more powerful computer… I don’t know if Murphy’s Law applies.

In my case, I’d started with the idea that intuitive thinking would be much more powerful than subconscious thinking. I don’t really know how to explain what I mean by intuitive thinking, except that it would be something like combining instinct and subconscious thought to create something higher.

This time I had a major concern. I was afraid that if I went that far I might not come back. I might become so lost in my mind that the rest of the world would disappear. That seemed a legitimate worry, and I was afraid of it, but I decided I had to try. If you have a chance to do something remarkable, you should try to do it.

It was easier to accomplish than thinking without words. Unfortunately, I don’t really remember how it happened, but suddenly there I was. It was like being in space or some unfamiliar place, but it soon became seductive and I felt lucky to catch it. It wasn’t scary, but caution seemed wise.

I’m just telling you about that so you’ll think about it when it’s time for you to make the decision for yourself. You are the future of the world.

Good luck!