I was talking with a brilliant young colleague about a business venture when we reached an impasse. He said: “This feels like a brick in my head.” And then, because he’s unusually smart, he added: “Let me stay with this — I know the answer is inside the brick.”
Something happened here in the thinking process: a switch of focus from the content of the thought to the feeling of the thought. We easily forget that every thought is a bodily event — literally, a physiological moment. And because of that, every thought has its own particular “feel”, however vague or minute.
Sometimes the feel of a thought is smooth and pleasant. Sometimes it is granular and awkward. And there are countless shades between. And it can enclose a wealth of information, if we are willing to look. An excellent habit to cultivate is the simple question: “What does this thought feel like?” The answer may come in many forms: one needs to be open to what comes back.
So my friend was right to pause at the feeling of his thought. It’s worth looking inside that “brick”, inside the moment of sensation can hide a world of answers.