Using your software

Anyone who uses a smartphone, a tablet, or a computer of some sort has learned how to navigate its software. The hardware that is your brain has its own kind of software, some of it inherent to our biology and some developed over the course of our lives. Unfortunately, our mental software does not come with a help button or technical support. While many have become quite adept at using the software on their devices, how good have we become at managing our internal processes and recognising the errors in our programming?

I use this analogy because many of our beliefs and habitual ways of thinking can operate similarly to the programming in computer software. Just as apps are influencing the way you use your device and where you direct your attention, you can be conditioned to respond in certain ways to internal and external triggers. If you can become aware of the programs running in your mind and learn how to best direct them, you will find yourself more in control of your choices and emotional state. 

Mo Gawdat, author of Solve for Happy, among several other books, uses a similar analogy and refers to some thoughts as viruses. If we allow certain ideas to take hold in our minds they can cultivate unhelpful thinking patterns and beliefs. These will interfere with our success and happiness. If you don’t know how to use your own software it becomes more difficult to acknowledge what is wrong and find a way to fix it. 

Recognizing the programs active in you takes reflection and self-awareness. One of my coaching mottos is: awareness allows change. If you discovered malware on your computer or an app on your phone interfering with its operation, you would try to delete it. An awareness of the thought programs in your mind can also help you change or delete these. Part of what I do as a coach is to help people navigate their software and optimise it for happiness. Once you know how to use your software your potential is virtually limitless. Hopefully, the analogy of your mind as software helps you discover new strategies for the change you desire in your life.