Our mental muscles give us the abilities to take charge of our life, change the course of habitual actions and achieve the results we desire!
In the Thinking Into Results program I teach my clients, we cover the six powerful mental muscles everyone has and how to use them. They are as follows:
Perception
What we perceive depends on our point of view and the current situation. If you are tall, others are short and if you are short, others are tall.
Our perception is influenced by our paradigm, the way we are mentally conditioned and grow up. With increased awareness we can heighten our perception and redirect some of our limiting thinking and reactions to situations.
Ask yourself, what am I feeling and thinking about situations and other people? Make a note of this so you understand what you are feeling in any given situation.
Will
Our will power is the driver for everything we want to achieve in life. Persistence, tenacity and determination are an expression of our will power. This mental muscle sets winners apart from the rest of the world. If you want to accomplish something, it just takes willpower. When President Kennedy asked Dr. Wernher Von Braun what it would take to build a rocket that could carry a man to the moon and bring him back safely to the earth, Von Braun answered him in five words, "The will to do it."
The same is true for the goals you wish to achieve and you can strengthen your will through focus, daily goal achieving actions, and most of all, you want to hold yourself accountable.
Imagination
Imagination is the beginning of everything new and notable inventions. As kids we dream and play, we live in our fantasy. The remarkable inventors like the Wright Brothers, Edison, Steve Jobs and many more, all had a fantasy, an image of what they envisioned. Our powerful ability to imagine creates pictures and we can see whole movies in our mind.
Try this exercise, allow yourself to imagine the life you want to live. Create the image, be the star in your own movie and enjoy being it - “act as if.” The more you hold the image and get emotionally involved with it, the closer you will come to your goal.
Memory
Our memory is our supercomputer and information is encoded and stored. It’s a brain-wide process, for example we easily remember how to ride a bike. Memory is complex and past memory is deeply engrained in our subconscious, expressed in our habits. We remember through association and we have the ability to strengthen your memory.
Our memory is like all muscles, you must use it to keep it active. Pay attention to your preferred learning styles which can be visual, auditory, kinesthetic and logically and look for ways to continually exercise it.
Intuition
Dr. Wayne Dyer says “If prayer is you talking to God, then intuition is God talking to you".
Our intuition is that gut feeling, insight, inspiration or hunch we have right away, it takes less than three seconds. Anything beyond three seconds is influenced by our conscious mind.
Amazing things happen when you use your intuition and increase your awareness, when you follow your gut feeling. Understand that your ability to think and reason will influence your actions, but also your perception and your paradigm will override your intuition if more than three seconds pass.
Try to take hold of that intuition when it happens and hold on to it.
Reason
Reasoning is our marvelous filter, our ability to analyze, draw conclusions and judge news, various information and material. This capability can protect us from believing wrong information and helps us to make the right decisions.
Before the age of seven, children do not have the ability to reason and thus their environment strongly influences their paradigm, beliefs and self-image. It appears that this mental muscle is like a whole conundrum - when you reason, be aware of your paradigms coming in to play, plus your perception and intuition may join you too.
Use this mental muscle to filter out the wrong information and make that decision.
As with any skill, the more your practice the better you become at it. Enjoy exploring and using your mental muscles to create your and pursue your dreams.
www.AmazingResults4You.com
Ulrike Berzau, is a certified Thinking Into Results consultant and holds a Master Degree in Management, a Master Degree in Health Science, Physical Therapy, and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executive.
She has an impressive track record as coach, mentor and healthcare executive in the United States, Egypt and Germany leading and coaching individuals and organizations achieving exceptional results.
Ulrike is a consultant with an unwavering passion for igniting the talent and brilliance in others and her international and multicultural experiences allow her to relate to a diverse audience.
Ulrike is the co-author of the book 'Imagine a Healthy You' and uses her coaching, leadership, business and healthcare skills and experiences to be of service to those who aspire excellence and extraordinary results.