mindset inspection

an engineering project of any kind incorporates an evaluation and inventory of some kind - likely in multiple iterations. from the outset, the blueprints may be pristine, the budget may be robust, workforce ready, but without evaluation of the starting landscape and inventory of materials required - things can get chaotic and structurally unsound quite quickly.

engineering our mindsets cannot miss these steps either. all the wonderful and highly ambitious intentions may be set, all variations of “three keys to a winning mindset” self-help books thoroughly earmarked and underlined, all habit forming and tracking apps downloaded, but without evaluation of the mental structures already in place and inventory of ingredients, experiences, patterns, and narratives - things can get chaotic and structurally unsound quite quickly.

so yes, to go forward is to first go backward, to build upwards is to assess the foundation, to produce fruit upward the tree sends roots downward. the inventory of what has led to where i stand and how i stand in the world becomes wildly helpful starting information in determining how to navigate the gap from where i am to where i want to be.

god starts the inventory and inspection on page 1:
where are you?
who told you that?

if my brain is primally an event-predicting, threat-finding, narrative-writing machine, left unchecked or misdirected, well traveled default loops will only reinforce and entropy (chaos) will only increase with time. the current systems are perfectly designed for the current results. so if we have new intentions, new blueprints, progress and growth to aim for - we need the systems assessment and upgrade.

repent and believe.
there are mindset elements here.
change your mind/direction from your current,
and believe the new, the truth - about me, about you, and about him.

what if by assessing some of the sour fruit of my life, i uncovered thought roots that i let metastasize throughout my mind?

finding the structural vulnerabilities before expanding the building project.
what looks more like shame, fear, pride, degradation?
where can i replace with love, growth, generation, thriving, hope, peace?
there’s an alternative material option for construction with far higher durability and safety ratings - and happens to be less costly in the long run.

the evaluation and inventory steps of the engineering process are not just for the early stages of building. an iterative system of checks insures that progress is according to plan. quality control checkpoints serve to avoid the failures down the line by catching small miscalculations or suboptimal executions while they’re easily adjustable.

so checking my thinking - and embracing rethinking - is not one-and-done or set-it-and-forget-it type work. i need a continual flood of what is true, good, honorable, lovely, and praiseworthy, or my default settings and frequencies rise to the surface again, dominating the soundtrack.
and adding those quality control steps take time.

until the check becomes automatic. imagine the discernment process becomes an easy inclusion, an eager paying attention posture. which then evolves to: paying attention to how you’re paying attention. and on and on, until new narratives ring truer and higher frequencies more resonant.

so i’m adding some new questions to the builder’s manual:
what do i need to rethink?
what needs reframing?
what am i afraid of here?
what belief isn’t serving here?
what does this behavior/reaction say about what i truly think? (about me, about you, about god)
what effect does my current mindset have on this?
what lens am i looking at this through?
what frequencies/narratives are at play here?

the invitation i may be stumbling on here is perhaps akin to what peter offers as sobermindedness. may i not be intoxicated with my self, my pride.
may i not be blinded to automatic, clouded shame scripts.
may i have the calm, attentiveness, and awareness to interrogate the automatic in order to eliminate what doesn’t belong.
may i pause to think about my thoughts, to rethink.

different results require different inputs.
and there’s always an option to upgrade.
continually recalibrating the minimum standard - from grace to grace and glory to glory.
ever higher, deeper, wider love.
one story’s ceiling is the next story’s floor.
perhaps what’s common may become holy.
perhaps what’s broken may be restored.
perhaps there’s life from death after all.

oh, help my unbelief.