I took a bus traveling from my local town to another city few weeks ago, it was at most— a one hour journey.
Normally, before you set yourself up for a trip like that—- you have to use the restroom and free yourself if you’re pressed or have any urge.
We got on the road to race through for the next one hour before arriving our destination. It was all music in the bus, as the driver kept reeling our minds with old songs from the early 2000s.
The journey was all smooth with less hold up and more of good music.
About 50 minutes into the journey, the driver took an unusual turn and the situation in the bus changed at once– he noticed different questions flying from different angles behind him.
“Why are you taking this route?”
“What’s the problem?”
“Driver, we’re supposed to head the other way and not his way”
The driver quickly announced that he had several passengers who’ll be getting off at that route, so he had to go follow it before proceeding to drop us at our original destination.
After missiles of complains and anger thrown at the driver, we got to our temporary stop in the next 5mins.
Immediately, a young lady started to scream from two seats behind me— she needed to pee and if she tries to hold it any second longer, it’s all going to go down in her pants.
Well, there was a tiny problem—- she had to get through two rows of seats before finding the exit.
While everyone was trying to take position and adjusts their seats so she can get down—-she climbed over and squeezed her way past both rows of seats ahead of her.
She got down from the bus and started to run around like a fish out of water—as she tried to look for a good spot to conduct her business in a pubic motor park.
Once she was done, she calmly walked her way back to the bus—this time, in a very composed manner like nothing happened.
Two questions popped out of the head of everyone in the bus;
1. Why didn’t she tell the driver about her urgent business all this while?
2. How did she manage to HOLD all this while, but couldn’t hold it to find a restroom for a few seconds?
(I know this because a couple of passengers close to her did ask her)
The answer to both questions is simple: HER MIND.
Our mind adjusts itself to the condition we find ourselves at a particular time and also uses past experiences to trigger the body.
When she was inside the moving bus, her mind processes the information that she wants to pee— because the environment is not convenient for her, she has to hold. This information is immediately processed into two options for her;
1. You can do this (HOLD)
2. You can’t do this (DON’T HOLD)
Now, because she is not used to peeing inside a bus (who is though?), her mind immediately accepts the first and most difficult option to hold. Her mind immediately triggers every available muscles to help her manage the situation inside the bus.
Once she came down from the bus, the information processed is changed again and her mind provides her with options;
1. You can do this (Do business)
2. You can’t do this (Don’t do business)
She might probably have done this in an outdoor space before, so her mind immediately accepts the option that she can pee. It quickly releases all available muscles and endurance initially employed to help her manage the situation.
Now, “the pee gets very intense” because her mind knows she can do it.
If you’re still reading this with the clear illustration of “pee” in mind, it means your mind hasn’t accepted reality yet.
The “Pee” and “HOLD” represents your goal or anything you set out to do.
Once you set out to do something, your mind will always provide you with options—it is easier to accept the very convenient option that “You can’t do it” because your mind doesn’t like to get stressed.
But as humans, we can always choose for ourselves. Choose the option that isn’t convenient and force your mind to accept it—once your mind accepts it, your body is just a tool that tags along with it.
The quote “Change your mind, you change your life” was literally telling you to change your mind from always taking the easy options.
Change your mind from always accepting the easy way out.
Whether you say “You can” or “You can’t” —-your mind will always find a way to justify and make you believe you’re right.