When the mind is set

When the mind is set,

It is pretty much fixed,

Nothing can easily change,

When the ears don’t listen.

When the words don’t flow,

Only stuck, linger and blow,

All around and about,

But not into the mind at all.

When the mind is set,

It takes quite a bit,

To convince and to coax,

But it may not change the world.

It is without a doubt,

That the mountain it takes,

Plus the sky and the sea,

But still the mind may not budge.

When the mind is set,

Only one thing may change,

When it is the one it trusts,

Not necessarily with facts.

Patience and persistence,

It would take a whole lotta,

To convince and to coax,

Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

When the mind is set,

It isn’t rocket science to know,

But it takes rocket science to change,

A mind that has been set.

Words, numbers and stats,

Who takes heed, who cares,

The mind won’t easily budge,

When the mind is set.

It is hard when the mind is set on something and it would take the world to change it without a guarantee that it will. One can try but if the mind refuses to budge, the ears refuse to listen, there really is nothing much can be done or is there? The mind can only change its mindset if the person chooses to listen.

It takes patience and persistence to keep trying, to keep convincing and to keep coaxing, just like when we try to feed a child who refuses to eat. When the child’s mind has been set, it takes a lot of hard work and creativity to feed the child. We would think of trains and flying aeroplanes to bring the food into the child’s mouth.

It is similar to when a child has set his or her mind on something such as a toy or their favourite snack, we may tell them no because it is too expensive or it is too late for snack or it is too sweet, we may refuse the child but he or she may cry their lungs out to get what they want.

Is this being stubborn? It is hard to say. I know of times when my mind was set on doing something and nothing anybody says can change it. Sometimes, it has something to do with the mood at that moment.

If for example, I have set my mind to change the sheets, knowing that I am in the mood, as long as I am physically able to, by hook or by crook, I will change the sheets. Someone may tell me to chill, to rest for the day, change it tomorrow but if I have already set my mind to do it, I will just do it. I will need to do it sooner or later, might as well get it over and done with when I am in the mood.

The same goes with if my mind has been set to take the leap such as to bungee jump. It takes a lot to build the courage needed to take that leap and once the mind has been set, it is a now or never moment. Is that being stubborn?

How about a situation of liking or disliking someone? If we have set our mind to like or dislike someone, whoever tries to change our mind about that someone will need to try really hard.

In our mind, we have set an impression of the person, be it good or bad, whatever it is that the person did will not be able to erase that impression we have unless it is something impactful.

It isn’t easy to open our minds when we refuse to open them up but it is possible if we choose to and that is why we hear from the elderly, to always have an open mind and an open heart, and listen to what others have to say.