Free your Mind
Copyright 2017 M.P. Neary
Published by martyneary
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information in storage and retrieval systems except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews without written permission from the publisher, martyneary.
Disclaimer: The information provided herein is truthful, but for entertainment purposes only. It is not to be used or relied upon for any medical purposes. Please consult your health care provider before making any decisions about a specific medical condition.
Cover image: Cheering woman open arms at sunrise mountain peak by Uptall/Dreamstime.com.
Table of Contents
I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Free your mind with imagination.
I saw a You Tube video the other day that may free your mind. Its called the scientific power of thought .
Its incredible stuff.
Apparently some scientists did an experiment on the power of imagination with two groups of people. One group did muscle building exercises for 4 weeks, while the others just imagined doing it. Astonishingly, this last group still managed to increase their muscle strength by a whopping 22% - maybe by mentally doing bench presses or squat thrusts on a couch, perhaps?
According to the scientists involved, this is due to the neurons deep within the human brain still being used and strengthened for muscle-building instructions.
Neurons are nerve cells that transmit and process information in your brain. They are extremely excitable, sending out electrical and chemical signals to other cells in your body like the cells in your muscles - at lightening speeds.
Amazingly, your brain has around 100 billion neurons, averaging around 5000 connections each, which is similar to having 500 trillion microprocessors wired up together in a single network. The potential combinations of these neurons firing or not, is at least 10 to the millionth power more than all the atoms in the known universe.
Yes, your brain is truly an awesome machine, no doubt a natural resource inside your skull right now.
Imagine harnessing its power by using your mind?
What if I told you that the fourth largest supercomputer in the world took 40 minutes to calculate a single seconds worth of brain activity?
Known as the K computer and built in Japan, this awesome machine used 1.4 million GB of RAM to carry out its most accurate simulation. In fact, believe it or not, the time it takes this supercomputer to model a second of brain activity you could sit down and watch an episode of Mad Men.
Yes - your brain is currently more powerful than any supercomputer in the world.
But before you cancel your gym membership, scientists warn us that any progress on any skill or training regime does require a good deal of physical work, beforehand.
This makes logical sense, I suppose. After all, it makes more sense that they wouldve wanted their study participants to be reasonably fit and muscular in the first place before the experiment began, right? Surely they wouldnt pick a big couch potato for their experiment, would they?
Yes, the power of imagination must have earthly limitations.
In another study, similar test results were found with pianists. A group imagining their piano practice for two hours a day still achieved positive results in their playing abilities. The same physical changes in the brain still occurred, specifically in the motor cortex region. However, I emphasize that the participants involved were all competent pianists in the first place.
On a serious note, just think of all the things you can achieve with your willpower?
Your imaginative mind can harness the power of your natural gifts: your skills, your talents and your amazing brain. Additionally, it can do this even under the most difficult of circumstances.
Amy Purdy believes in the power of imagination. In an inspirational TED talk - called Living Beyond Limits - Amy explains how imagination allows us all to break down borders, move beyond our circumstances and make creative decisions. Borders can either stop us in our tracks or force us to be more creative in order to progress, she says.
Amy has gone through tough challenges in life: at the age of nineteen she lost both her legs below the knee. Yet, she has persevered and accepted new challenges.
Today, in her mid thirties, she is an athlete; a top ranked snowboarder in the world winning Bronze at the 2014 Paralympics. Amy has inspired many others with similar problems and co-founded an organization called Adaptive Action Sports . Shes also a best-selling author and a movie actress!
Amy believes we should all draw inspiration from lifes obstacles. Our imaginations should be ignited by them, allowing us to live beyond our perceived limitations.
The power of imagination can help unlock your true potential.
As Albert Einstein once said, Imagination is everything. It is the preview of lifes coming attractions.
Why not use your imagination to make your dreams come true?
Free your mind with realistic thinking.
Rick Hanson believes that the human brain is probably the most complex object in the universe. Hard to believe? Perhaps we should take his word for it, as Rick is an eminent neuropsychologist.
Maybe its time to see yourself in a different light?
Interestingly, Rick doesnt believe in positive thinking. He believes in the power of realistic thinking. This requires us to take on board the good facts about us when they arise and not just obsess over the bad things. So if someone says a great thing about us then we must learn to savor it, he says.
Realistic thinking helps us accept the bad and the good in life. It helps us come to terms with the fact that no end of positive thought can make us control every aspect of our life. This allows us to break free from deluded thinking that may lead to despair.
Realistic thinking is more factual too, less airy fairy
Positive thinking would have us believe that all we need is unshakeable self-belief to achieve our dreams. We can succeed at almost anything and fulfill all our desires if we truly believe that we can. Of course, to a certain extent this may be true, but its mainly an unrealistic way to live.
Realistic thinking requires cold, hard facts as its based on real, actual possibilities.
Dr. Simonton, an oncologist, was once asked, out of his many patients, which of them were most likely to survive cancer. To everyones surprise he didnt declare that it was the positive thinkers. Instead, he stated that positive thinking was just as bad as negative thinking, as this false view of life actually worked against the individual. What seemed to make a bigger difference was realistic thinking . Since once a patient knew what was specifically being done on their behalf by others to help them through their ordeal, and consequently they were now fully aware of what they had to do themselves in order to feel better and healthier, a new mental threshold was crossed away from fanciful and wishful thinking to a true possibility where real hope lies.
Realistic thinking is where real hope is found; helping us hit the right balance between realism and aspirations.
Realistic thinking enables us see real opportunities right in front of us and not create ones that dont really exist. Getting real and setting achievable goals helps a great deal. Conversely, positive thinking may be used to force us into a limited life of unquestioning obedience and ultimately silence our dissent.
