The mind is like a computer memory – it records data and feeds us back when we require it to or when we stimulate it. Our beliefs and convictions are stored in the mind and so the mind is a powerful place. Psychologists say that, in up to 15% of cases, people with certain illnesses such as High blood pressure, Low blood pressure, hypertension and people who have heart attacks need to work on their minds.
We spend hours on end looking after the body – spa treatments, food, exercise, etc. We sometimes feed our spirits through meditation, spiritual rituals and activities which constitute spiritual exercises. What do we do with the mind?
What do we deliberately do with the mind? Most times – nothing. The mind has become the junkyard where everything is dumped and the resultant effect…. Garbage in, garbage out.
Let’s consider some examples to help us understand the power of the mind.
In a classroom, a teacher meets two children. John has memorized the times tables and can chant them correctly but always in order. James understands the reasoning behind times tables and is therefore able to think through given problems at random. Because James has engaged his mind in an analytical capacity, he doesn’t need to chant in order to recall his times tables facts.
Most athletes, apart from having a coach, have a ‘mentor/chaplain’ type of person to give the periodic ‘pep talks’ that are a vital moral booster. One retired pro basketball player was asked to advise some rookies, and he said, “If you don’t believe you have what it takes to go out there and beat Michael Jordan, you ain’t going nowhere in pro basketball.”
Top executives of multinationals are hiring motivational speakers to empower their staff to excel. There’s a lot of fuss going on around building our minds!
Why all the fuss about the mind, though? Our mindsets can really break or make us. We can be influenced to believe in certain possibilities or swayed to change our ideologies when our minds are filled with the right information. We all have to be deliberate about what we feed our minds with so we can build our mental muscles.
"Dedicating the time required to read a book should therefore be taken as time devoted to exercising our minds. Happy World Book Day!"
One of the surest ways of building our mental muscles, our minds, is by reading. Good old simple reading – reading fiction and non-fiction – to help us learn more about our ever-changing world. While you may not be able to afford a first-class coach, you can read their books or books by similar authors and receive their coaching and mentoring on demand.
Dedicating the time required to read a book should therefore be taken as time devoted to exercising our minds. Happy World Book Day!
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