Stop Serving Two Minds

A modern twist on an ancient truth

With Easter coming up, a post inspired by Jesus:

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

The subjects of God and money are only two of the many Jesus was speaking about, which is one of the main reasons this teaching has rung true for thousands of years.

One of the main challenges I face living with ALS is that I too often feel I am serving two masters—or rather, two minds. There’s the mind that says I am going to beat this, I am going to be the 63rd reversal of sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, that I am going to reach the unreachable star of my IMPOSSIBLE DREAM. And there is the mind that says I am going to die, that the physical discomfort and challenges are too much to bear, and the dream is indeed impossible.

One is a mind of love, of peace, of grace, of inspiration, courage, hope, belief, and knowing from deep within my soul. A master, if you will, that I have served loyally and devotedly with persistence and passion for over three years now since diagnosis.

The other is a master I have actually served for far longer—a master of fear of the future, catastrophizing what might be, doubting myself, listening to the voices of others rather than my own, and sabotaging my own success. This is a mind that developed in my mid 30s as my career plateaued, money got tight, and then became the predominant river of my energy when my marriage unexpectedly fell apart.

For most of the past three years, however, I have only served the mind that works FOR me—leading me on an epic healing journey, allowing me to be guided as a conscious creator of my life. So what’s the problem? ALS is a motherfucker. It forces those with the disease to confront the tragic loss of physical function at an unpredictable rate, the dramatic changes of our bodies, and the terror of its reputation.

I decided immediately at diagnosis that if medicine couldn’t cure me, I was going to find a way to heal myself. Daring to dream this dream has transformed me and transformed my life. I became a passionate student of the mind-body connection and set about to heal myself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually so that my body—the environment of my cells and neurons—would be as healthy as possible and have the best chance of reversing and recovering. I’ve stuck to this mission every day, no matter what.

That does not mean it’s easy. It’s been hard as hell. It’s been hell. There are days, multiple times a day, when I don’t know if I can keep going—when I don’t know where I’m going to find the strength, the courage, the hope, and the belief to keep pursuing my dream. To keep allowing the manifestation of that dream to come to me, instead of me voraciously chasing it.

I’m talking about two different minds here. And with it being Passover, I’m talking about ending the enslavement to the mind of fear, doubt, and victimhood. I’m talking about freeing oneself of that mind and living in the mind of appreciation for what is, surrender to life’s flow, abundant self-love and love for others, and alignment with the assumption that the outcome I desire is secure. This is the land of milk and honey.

I am not the first to interpret/decode the Bible in this way. I defer to some of the great authors and speakers like Napoleon Hill, Neville Goddard, Michael Beckwith, and many others. (For those of you looking for inspired reading, please visit the Healing section on my website where I list 50 of the hundred books that I’ve read by authors such as these.)

But I can tell you this: serving two minds is the source of great suffering. In my case, it could be deadly. We all have impossible dreams. The Creator within us sparks them—so why bother with the fear and the doubt? Let this post be a reminder to you and to me: stop serving the mind that no longer serves you.

As the challenges I have faced have increased over the past few months, I had forgotten the deep power of this truth. The truth, it took me at least two years to study and embody so that I can call on it now. Today - truth, the truth of my IMPOSSIBLE DREAM, came back with the force of a raging lion. I am infinitely powerful. We all are.

On this day, I declare freedom from the mind of doubt and fear, instead choosing to revel in and celebrate the mind that is leading me to victory.

If I can do this, you can too. With deep love and respect for your journey, Aaron