Brief Essay: Hearing fast voices in my head
Joseph McCormack
Helping professionals think clearly and communicate concisely through the clutter. Author, entrepreneur and podcast host.
Don't worry, you're not crazy (at least, that's what I say). There are voices in my head - I hear them all day. It's an ongoing conversation I'm having, maybe without even realizing it.
Random thoughts. A fresh distraction. A memory. An opinion. Wow, an entire logical, inaudible sentence. A to-do that's undone. I catch myself and start wondering about my wondering.
Another thought races in to compete with the previous one.
Hearing it loudest, at first
Years ago, I took a leadership development course and the instructor had us do an exercise. We were told to line up in two long rows and stand at a comfortable distance across from one another. For a few seconds, we were supposed to look directly at the person and not say anything, then step to the left and do it again. Again, no talking but only a momentary stare-down.
It was weird - and loud.
I couldn't believe how quickly I began thinking, judging, criticizing, and concluding. All within mere seconds.
As the line moved on, I kept on doing it. Then, the instructor told us to withhold our inner monologue and just stand there without saying anything to ourselves.
It was hard, but I tried and semi-succeeded to quiet my mind.
My brain is quick (The Elusive 600)
Over a decade ago, I met Sharon Q. Ellis , a business consultant who blew my mind with a new term: "The Elusive 600." The way she explained it made so much immediate sense that it startled me.
She explained that our brains are fast, they run about 750 words-per-minute (WPM), consciously and subconsciously. However, we speak at a lesser rate of about 150 WPM. Doing the math, she concluded, leaves us with an excess of 600 words racing elusively in our heads.
It made too much sense to forget.
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Beware: being aware
I've shared this concept with many people and have spoken and written about It too. There's even a "Just Saying" podcast episode of mine that goes deeper on it. It's not hard to explain but surprising how easy it is for people to grasp and how they remind me years later that they still remember it.
"You've ruined me," some would say. "I can't stop hearing voices in my head and it's more like the elusive 6,000!"
Being aware of those "voices in my head" can be discouraging. At times, I'm reminded how easily distracted I am and how what races randomly around in my brain during the day makes me feel scattered.
Clearly, there's an enemy upstairs.
But fundamentally, I am having a conversation with myself. Like any conversation, it can be controlled, directed and enjoyable. I need to quiet my mind from time to time. It works when I let that racing engine idle.
From those quiet moments, clarity emerges.
One more thing (it's on me)
It's interesting all the things that I say to myself throughout the day. As I take notice, I can slow it down and adjust. I can catch myself and change the conversation.
Quiet does that for me - and I love it when that happens.
The BRIEF Lab www.thebrieflab.com #bebrief The Quiet Workplace www.thequietworkplace.com #quietworks
Thanks so much for the shout-out Joe! I so very much appreciate the work you do assisting professionals to recognize the power of both our interna and external communications.
Change Transformation Leader | Strategic Communication & People Development | listening SUPERPOWER podcast host
1 个月I remember the first time I noticed these thoughts, judged them and judged myself for judging them. Hilarious how much subconscious energy this takes and we don’t even realize it. So, yes, noticing helps slow the pace and quiet invites quiet…and change the conversation, as you so eloquently wrote.