Each of us is given a gift of a mind on the day we are born. People spend lives trying to develop it (or not) and build skills that help us experience success in many different phases of life. As we learn all sorts of things,  from the rudimentary activities of functioning to the most complex ideas, our mind helps us develop goals and make the plans that allow us to make grand ideas a reality.  Our brain is our best friend and most valuable tool. It is designed to learn and grow and has a nearly limitless capacity to accomplish nearly anything you desire.  There are some simple things that we can do to enhance the process and avoid destroying the potential that our valuable brain possesses. Improving your mind is a full-time job.

Don’t Do Drugs

This seems to be a “no-brainer,” but apparently, many people still find an acceptable escape from their problems or look for simple entertainment. Whatever the reason a person chooses to partake in the use of drugs, they choose to damage their most valuable asset. You may not be where you want to be in life, but the way to change that is to change what you believe, and your mind is the tool that can take you there. Drugs and alcohol are detriments to this process. Addiction is the home of the ego, and these well-ingrained habits are nearly impossible to stop, yet it is possible, and when you do it, your brain (or what is left of it) will be there to help you. When you stop these bad habits, you are going to be improving your mind.

Feed Your Brain

Each person has a brain that likes to learn. You may not think so as you remember your experience in the public school system, but that is not an indicator of your joy of learning but rather an indictment of the rigidity and lack of options provided by schools in our world today.  We all like to learn. We all learn differently.  To use a tool well, you need to start to understand it.

Much like a mechanic knows the workings of an engine, we should all learn something about the thoughts our brain is producing and how to control them. Some of the basics are that our brain has different parts, how many are really up for debate, and depends on who is talking. It is agreed that there is a conscious mind which is the part we have direct control over, and there is a subconscious mind working in the background all the time, helping us react and remember how to perform rudimentary tasks.

The subconscious is responsible for most of our choices, and if you let it run by itself, it will make choices based on your experience and how much pain one has felt in the past. The conditioning in the subconscious can be affected by the conscious mind with a little work. How much is up to each individual, and how much are they committed to improving their mind?

R.A.S. Improving Your Mind

Our brain has a mechanism called the reticular activating system, which helps us filter information based on what is important to us.  We are bombarded with somewhere around 2 million bytes of information at any one time and can only understand and process about 147.  That means that much of our “reality” is being ignored. The RAS works through the context of the subconscious mind, so what we hold in our mind is relevant to our interests.

If you can change your interest, your experience changes. Improving your mind is a process of becoming aware of the control you have with a concentrated, focused interest in something.  Using your Reticular Activating System to notice the things you want in life will allow you to create a life that is more of what you desire.  If you are unhappy with things, try adjusting your focus and seeing how much your life changes.

If you spend your time focused on fear and worry, then you will find more things to fear and be worried about.  If you focus on solutions, then you will find things that provide solutions.  Your life experience will follow your focus. Where that focus is directed is controlled by each of us.

We are all given the gift of a brain that can help us achieve our goals and live the life we would like to live. It makes sense that we take care of this valuable treasure by any means necessary. All of our decisions will impact the function of the mind and, through that, how much we are capable of achieving. So it is conceivable that you can achieve anything that you want if your mind is healthy and you are using it the right way. Improving your mind is a full-time job and needs our full attention.