The Voices Cartoons

The Simultaneous Interpreter!

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
~ Mark Twain

One of the monks at the monastery shared how the voices in her head translated the world she experienced into the meaning that she then carried around with her. She said it was like having her own simultaneous interpreter.

That idea stuck with me and became the inspiration for this cartoon.

If you’ve ever been in situations where you’ve repeatedly drawn the same conclusions, chances are good you’re buying into a story that The Simultaneous Interpreter is selling you. Take a step back and question the authority in your head. Get it that everything you experience is a PROJECTION coming from YOU and the only thing you ever get to experience is YOURSELF.

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Exercise

  • Take a situation from your own life where you are assuming some kind of meaning.
  • Notice if the story is upbeat or challenging.
  • Write out what the voices in your head say about it.
  • See how they show up in other areas of your life.
  • Jot down any other insights you had from doing this exercise.
In lovingkindness,


If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume One).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume Two).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume Three).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, A Shift to Love: Zen Stories and Lessons by Alex Mill.

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Meditation and Reinventing Yourself.

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, The Zen Life: Spiritual Training for Modern Times.

 


  Alex Mill trained in a Zen Buddhist monastery for nearly 14 years. He now offers his extensive experience to transform people’s lives and businesses through timeless Zen principles.

He is the creator of three powerful 30-day programs, Heart-to-Heart: Compassionate Self-Mentoring, Help Yourself to Change, and Your Practice, as well as the online Zen meditation workshop, Taming Your Inner Noise (now offered as The FREE Zen Workshop).

Alex has also written seven books on Zen awareness practice. The latest are entitled A Shift to Love: Zen Stories and Lessons (Get it for FREE here) and the 3-book series Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness.

He is a full-time Zen Life Coach who offers guidance and life-changing support to his private clients worldwide. Book a call.