Unprecedented power and control lie in the way you speak to yourself, and the language you use on a daily basis.

After attempting to use my rusty high-school Spanish over the past couple of weeks, I’ve noticed a distinct difference between the Spanish and English languages. Specifically in how they verbalize their states of being.

In English, when you’re describing a state of being, you always use “I am…”

Spanish has two versions of “I am.” You use “yo soy” when describing lasting or permanent attributes, such as your height or nationality. Then, when describing states of being that are temporary, you use “yo estoy.”

Por ejemplo:

— Yo soy canadiense = I am Canadian

— Yo estoy cansado = I am sleepy

— Yo estoy triste = I am sad

You are not sleepy or sad. Being sleepy or sad are temporary, while the country you were born in is forever.

The difference between the two languages is that English tends to identify with a discomfort, pain, or a state of being. While in Spanish, it’s an outside commentary on what’s happening to you, with the understanding that you can control or change what you’re experiencing.

The English frame of self-talk creates a problem, and is especially important when it comes to your moods.

If you go around all your life saying “I am in pain,” “I am hungry,” “I am sad,” you come to identify with these things.

And what you identify with, you eventually become.

Compounded over time, you come to accept these states for what they are, and sign over all responsibility to external events, and assume that everything in your life is someone or something else’s fault.

If you’ve read at least two of my emails, you know this is no way to go through life.

Your life, including everything and everyone in it, is your responsibility.

When you realize this, you gain a new level of control over your state of being, how you’re feeling, and what you’re experiencing.

With that responsibility, you control your ability to either change what you don’t like, or stoically sit with it.

Feel free to come to egg my house and throw kale-covered bricks at me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe you want to spend your life handing over your control to external forces who do not give two shits about you.

In other words, what you feel is not permanent, nor who you are.

What you feel are temporary states of being that you have complete control over.

That being said, do not make the mistake of thinking this is simple to do. Controlling your emotions is immensely difficult, and requires constant, daily work. But, it’s far from impossible.

Alright! That’s it for me!

No link today, simply a pre-flight thought before making our way to Amsterdam.

Tales of psychedelic adventures incoming…

_A. Mullan