HOW TO BUILD YOUR MENTAL MUSCLES

While many people vow to get in shape physically, not many commit to exercising their mental muscles. What does exercising your mental muscles even mean? It means expanding your horizons, opening new doors, looking at different possibilities, stretching your mind…It will help you grow as a person. Give you a new outlook on life. And set you on a path to feeling a little more fulfilled. For isn’t that the ultimate goal of any resolution? A sense of accomplishment. Pride. Satisfaction.

Our conscious mind is made up of six mental muscles. Some people call these your higher faculties. It really doesn’t matter what you call them. What’s good to remember is that they are part of you, and you can develop each one to create more awareness in your life and improve your results.

YOU HAVE SIX MENTAL MUSCLES 

Perception

You can develop your ability to view your world differently. You can decide how circumstances will affect your life. You can develop better ways to perceive your reality. Don’t look at things from one point of view; look at them from many points of view. Look at some of the things you want to do today and think of how many points of views you can look at them. Doing this daily exercise will help you improve this mental muscle.

  

Imagination

There is a power flowing into you that can allow you to create big ideas. The power of your imagination is more powerful than all the nuclear power present in the world today. The ability to dream is probably one of the most under-used tools we have at our disposal. If you are like most people, this muscle was squashed when you were a kid. However, this mental muscle can be developed at any age. Understand that everything we have today was a picture/thought in the mind of one person at one time, even the company you work for. Go wild with your imagination, build a picture of how you want your life to be and put it on a piece of paper. Do this everyday.

Willpower

This is the muscle that allows you to concentrate. Most people are easily taken off course because they have never developed this muscle. You have the power to mentally focus on your goals and never be taken off track because of your current circumstances, environment, or situation. A daily exercise to help you develop your concentration, it’s the will you concentrate with. Put a black dot opposite your favorite chair; concentrate on that dot for 5 minutes. Bring your mind to concentrate on that dot till you become one with the dot. Don’t feel bad if your mind wanders, but just bring it back to concentrate on that dot. You learn to concentrate on one thing; you will be able to concentrate on anything. All the pros in any field have the ability to concentrate. Concentration increases the amplitude of vibration and you will be able to give real power to your thoughts. Concentration is the

key to success and it is done with the will.

Intuition

This is often referred to as your sixth sense. You have the ability to pick up information through your intuition in a way that is unexplainable by modern science. Oddly, women seem to have a more highly developed sense of intuition than men, but men do have it.

Memory

You have a perfect memory. You never forget anything. You may need training as to how to retrieve it through your conscious mind, but it is perfect. You need to exercise this mental muscle.

Reason

You can think. You have the ability to accept or reject an idea; reason is what you use to decide. You can use your reason to accept or reject any ideas.

We were all perfect when we were born. The position we are in today is because of our past programming/experiences. The good news is we can change our life and the change comes through awareness. When we become aware of our current situation, we will change the way we do things.

WAYS TO BUILD YOUR MENTAL MUSCLES

There are three simple things you can do to ensure a robust, active, open mind:

Read something new – If you’ve always been a fiction lover, pick up a non-fiction book today. Give it a try. And don’t just read … digest it. Think about it. Look up what you don’t understand. We process different writing styles differently – the premise of fiction is it’s not real; and when it isn’t real it doesn’t really matter that much, does it? It’s entertaining. Non-fiction tends to be more thought-provoking. If, on the other hand, you enjoy the grit and the drama of real life, lap up all the news you can, and read every journal, take the weekend off to indulge in some fantasies. Let your mind embark on a new voyage. Get out of your comfort zone – let those neurons snap new connections.

Change sides – Believe in something staunchly? Ready to debate it to death? Try reversing roles – take the opposite side. I’ve found that the best way to really understand an issue is to be objective and put myself in the adversary’s shoes. Research the subject, gather the information, arm yourself with the various viewpoints, and then figure it out. You might still continue to believe what you originally did, maybe even more strongly, but it’s after you’ve analyzed all aspects of the issue. Go ahead try it – it’ll feel like you’re feasting on an intellectual buffet.

Observe people – there are so many things you can learn about your own behavior simply by observing – not judging – other people. Eye movements, body language, frowns, smiles, laughter, posture. Notice how they converse, the inflections in their voice, the tone, the pitch. See if they’re really paying attention or feigning it. Put yourself under the microscope. Hold a mirror. See through the exterior. Maybe you’ll learn something new about yourself. It’ll give you some food for thought and perhaps even be a good source of entertainment the next time you’re sitting by yourself outside a coffee shop.

It doesn’t cost any (or much) money. It’s easy. And it’s fun.

Just as it’s important to keep your body fit, it’s equally important, if not more so, to keep your mind limber.

Don’t resolve to do it.

Just do it.

Got other tips to broaden your mind and give those muscles a workout?

Do share.

Jude Watchman