Creating a Foundation of the Mind

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Mind-State

State of mind; frame of mind; state of one’s cognitive processes; cognitive state; where one has an interestedness; a state of readiness; a state of consciousness; a state of certainty; a mental condition, a mental state, a psychological condition, and a psychological state where one’s mental condition in which the qualities of a state are relatively constant even thought the state itself may be dynamic. 

One can have a mind-state the triggers and applies trained cognitive processes, i.e., mental abilities and processes according to one’s mindset (see next entry). It is related to the accumulation of knowledge: attention, memory, working memory, judgement and evaluation, reasoning, problem solving and decision making, comprehension, etc. It all depends on various disciplines as further mentioned in mind-set below. 

Mind-Set

A set of assumptions or methods a person uses to establish and create a powerful incentive to continue to adopt or accept behaviors, choices, or tools. Sometimes referred to as one’s “Mental Inertia.” It is a paradigm and often difficult to counteract its effects even during analysis and decision making processes. A mind-set is also a person’s philosophy of life, i.e., in martial arts self-defense it is a mindset of a martial artists of self-defense. 

You can have a normal life mindset that is used to work, live and play outside a realm of conflict and violence, somewhat, creating social connections to achieve stronger connections to group dynamics involving survival, etc.

You can have a martial arts self-defense mindset; you can have a martial arts competitive mindset; you can have a martial arts combative mindset; you can have a mindset of a fighter be it martial arts or some other combative discipline like boxing; you can have a military mindset; you can have a police mindset; you can have a bouncer mindset and you can have many other mindsets. The importance is the distinction between each, how one trains for each and how one triggers each according to any one situation towards its appropriate application in the moment.

Often one assumes that mindset covers all that is required to achieve proficiency and mastery over martial arts especially when it involves self-defense. Mindset is the one term covers all terminology and that is just fine as long as the practitioner makes the distinctions between what makes up mindset along with mind-state.

Mindset and Mind-State are the yin-yang of the mind. Our minds are our greatest tools to combat conflict and violence while also being our greatest weakness against conflict and violence. As you study the two you come to realize all the critical interconnections that make it a whole in the realm of self-defense (martial arts oriented or others). 

You have to perceive something to make it cognitive where you are able to conceptualize and recognize and that requires the creation of incentive to adopt and accept things especially when it comes to conflict and violence. Digging one’s head into the sand does not accomplish this and ignoring the truth of things fails us completely. 

Create a solid foundation of mind by training, teaching, seeking knowledge and understanding, practicing and applying a mindset and mind-state. 

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