Are you a meme machine?

A meme is just an idea that we pass around. Or, as philosopher Daniel Dennet says in this Ted Talk, an information packet with attitude. Thoughts spread like viruses and literally infect our minds. Maybe as a kid you passed around the idea that was rife in playgrounds when I was young that if you swallowed an apple seed, a tree would grow in your tummy. You know better now. But the likelihood is that you are, right now, acting as a host for ideas that are just as untrue but that people treat as hard facts about the world. Ideas about who you are or what’s possible. Toltec wisdom from ancient mystics tells us to stalk our thoughts and root out those that don’t belong. I am a huge believer in the need to send our thoughts to rehab on a regular basis. The next time you are convinced that you can’t do something, stop and ask yourself; is this true, or is this an idea that someone else has given me and that I’m now living out and passing on? Throughout history, people have pushed the boundaries of possibility by chucking out limiting memes and striking out to discover what lies beyond. Sometimes, when you are dealing with what’s possible, it’s best to find out for yourself.