<![CDATA[Joe Scott ]]>https://joescott4.com/https://joescott4.com/favicon.pngJoe Scott https://joescott4.com/Ghost 3.40Sun, 10 May 2026 13:01:03 GMT60<![CDATA[The Soldier and the Commander]]>The rational and emotional parts of our brain have a similar relationship to that of a soldier and his commander. We will pretend that your emotional mind, like a soldier, has been drafted into a war. Instead of fighting people, you are fighting thoughts and perceptions. The commanding part of

]]>https://joescott4.com/the-soldier-and-the-commander/615fd25116e4974df6343b1fFri, 08 Oct 2021 05:14:56 GMTThe rational and emotional parts of our brain have a similar relationship to that of a soldier and his commander. We will pretend that your emotional mind, like a soldier, has been drafted into a war. Instead of fighting people, you are fighting thoughts and perceptions. The commanding part of your brain is rational, and unmoved by emotional influence. The commander makes decisions that they are certain of. The commander knows what has to be done. The soldier has the arduous part. The soldier is in the trenches. The soldier must be diligent, strong and well trained. Without these attributes the soldier will likely fail the task. The soldier has no choice, they are forced to do whatever the commander says.

That being said, separate the decision making part of your brain with the emotional side. Humans find strife with acting on impulse and emotion. Rightfully so, it is in our DNA. But what if you did not have to act on impulse, since you have to follow orders from your superior, aka your rational brain. For example, quitting nicotine, coffee or sugar. We find every excuse in the book to get around our deep premeditated desires. When your brain is firing the way it does during cravings it can feel impossible to resist. What would happen if you already had orders. Instead of running into this battle blindly, let the rational brain devise a plan. Your rational brain is a brilliantly astute strategist. The emotional brain is not. The emotional brain struggles with long term, frequently taking the easier route.  Make a plan, put your head down and follow orders. No feeling is permanent. Your rational brain is your best brain, listen to it, listen to yourself.

]]><![CDATA[Always have an anchor.]]> You are a ship. You are powerful and sturdy. Many days you are able to sail smoothly, and with little resistance. From time to time, you come across a storm. There is thunder and lightning, waves bring you up, down, and around. You are unable to fight it and progress

]]>https://joescott4.com/always-have-an-anchor/5fd8362016e4974df6343af7Tue, 15 Dec 2020 04:11:19 GMT You are a ship. You are powerful and sturdy. Many days you are able to sail smoothly, and with little resistance. From time to time, you come across a storm. There is thunder and lightning, waves bring you up, down, and around. You are unable to fight it and progress on your path. So you set your anchor down and wait out the storm. You let the swells rise and fall underneath you. The only thing you can do is take care of the ship, and prepare it for the storm. The storm is outside of your control, you cannot change its existence or intensity.

Your anchor is what keeps you from getting thrown off track, it keeps you strong. Have an anchor in your life. For myself, it is my breath. I have strengthened my habit of meditation. I meditate no matter the mood I am in. This has familiarized myself with a pattern of breathing, as well as posture. I am able to go to the space of calm, or at least get close to it whenever I stop and take a second to breathe. It is so powerful when I am experiencing those storm-like moments. After lots of practice, I am sometimes able to keep the metaphorical storm from happening, just by taking 30 seconds to decompress. It takes dedication and time, but you too can find an anchor for yourself. The storm never completely goes away, nor does it quickly lose intensity. However, you become more grounded and strong. You will become more resilient to the storm, however it may manifest in your life.

]]><![CDATA[Water-based Meditation Practice]]>This is a habit I have been developing recently that has been a huge help for me. Since recently I have been spending so much time in front of the computer and in my room, I have found difficulty in focus and avoiding distractions. This is a very simple technique

]]>https://joescott4.com/water-meditation/5fd8062b16e4974df6343aeaMon, 16 Nov 2020 18:30:38 GMTThis is a habit I have been developing recently that has been a huge help for me. Since recently I have been spending so much time in front of the computer and in my room, I have found difficulty in focus and avoiding distractions. This is a very simple technique that requires zero prior skill in meditation. In fact, this would be a great introductory practice for those wanting to meditate more. As this practice can help with some the commonly faced roadblocks of meditating, habits and routine.

The Prerequisites

  • water, preferably cold and from a good source (something besides warm tap water)
  • a task at hand
  • (optional) a writing utensil and a piece of paper, or a digital platform set up to quickly take a note with no distractions

The Problem

  • distracting thought
  • future "tripping" (unnecessary worry about what might happen later in the day, week, year etc.)
  • stimuli in workspace (dog barking, unimportant phone call, social media notification, etc.)

The Process

  • experience one of the aforementioned problems
  • (optional) transcribe very briefly what the problem is, write a quick solution, etc
  • take a deep breath in through your nose, affirming yourself (Some general examples: I am focused, I cannot control the future, I can finish this task)
  • exhale through your mouth, letting go of the distractions or worries as you do so
  • mindfully take a drink of water, and then go back to your task

My Subjective Results

  • gives me an extremely short, yet powerful moment where I can ease some of the tension I might have
  • contributes to positive neuroplasticity, allows me to build the habit of focusing on the task at hand, something that I have historically struggled with
  • allows every time I drink water, even without the deep breath before, to be a decompressing and meditative experience
  • simple and quick, takes me about 15 seconds maximum
  • makes my workflow more productive and efficient when the level of distraction is mitigated
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