I didn’t achieve a lot this year without my best tool: my mind.

This complex maze of nerves and pink stuff (I know jack about medicine) has helped me overcome: a fear of public speaking, a fear of flying, relationship challenges and most of all; it’s helped me to write hundreds of blog posts that have given me more opportunities that you could ever imagine.

Through mastering my mind, I became the person I am today. I gave my mind inputs that I knew would strengthen it.

I stopped my mind from consuming the negative news.
I fed my mind it’s favorite flavor of food: books.
I told my mind that failure was not an option.
I taught my mind discipline.

Ultimately, I transformed my mind and it shaped who I’ve become today.

The person you’re seeing today is a direct result of my mind. We are our minds, so it’s time to dig a little deeper into the universe that is our mind. It’s time to take back control through your mind.

Our minds become weak in slow incremental ways.

Missed the gym for a week?
Ate chocolate having had none for the last two years?

Your mind doesn’t let you down after one major mishap: your mind becomes weak slowly. This slow pace of demise can easily go unnoticed if you’re not careful. The little decisions you make contribute in a big way to the slow demise of your willpower.

“Without willpower, your mind will take the road of least resistance. Practice teaching your mind discipline”

It’s the opposite for strengthening our mind.

Try doing big crazy stuff to get you out of your comfort zone. You can try taking small steps to strengthen your mind but you’ll find your willpower starts off at a very low base. The moment your mind feels like it’s not having any major wins, it will tempt you to give into doing things you want to avoid doing.

You are a reflection of your mind.

Everything you do reflects how your mind thinks and behaves. That may sound all scientific – and I’m not meaning it to. You control your mind. We become what our minds think when we control it. If you want something, then you have to start telling your mind to do it.

Tell your mind you want to wake up early. Tell your mind you want to stop being afraid. Tell your mind that you have the capacity to make a million dollars. Your mind will believe what you tell it to, followed by the actions you take that backup the thoughts you place in your mind.

Make your mind do this.

Be more disciplined.
Be powerful.
Be more positive.

Filter out anything that goes against these three rules that you just created for yourself because I told you to. These three rules will make your mind become exactly what you want it to be. With this new mind, you can use it to become the person you’ve always dreamed of being.

Now that’s a Jedi mind trick right there!

A bit of fear in your mind is good.

Fear tells our mind to keep practicing and pre-planning so that we don’t fail. It’s these hours of preparation that help mold our mind into the perfect machine that can help us win at any task we ask of it.

“A bit of fear in our mind is like adding a bit of nitrous oxide to our goal”

It gives us another source of energy to power us forward when the inevitable obstacles show up – and they will!

When your mind lets you down, it’s good!

Tried to get your mind to convince you to crush your fear of public speaking and failed? Brilliant. Tried to run a marathon and passed out right before the finish line? Excellent Smithers.

Every bad experience your mind has allows more good to come in.

Didn’t get the car you wanted? Good, you just saved some money that you can invest.
Invested in cryptocurrency and lost a bucket load of cashola? Good, now you won’t make dumb decisions again and listen to friends who have no clue about investing.

Not getting your goal is part of the plan. When your mind lets you down, it gives you more energy and more willpower to try again. Your mind stuffing up gives you the opportunity to try again and use a different strategy. Maybe having your mind fail you a bunch of times will cause you to find the way to create something genius like a light bulb – I know there is an Einstein analogy here but CBF.

The adversity your mind faces will define you.

Your mind can spend a lot of time going in circles when you endure adversity. I had a pissed off customer recently that wasted a lot of my thinking time. The beauty of having your mind endure such pain is that today’s challenges can make your mind stronger for tomorrow.

Adversity is like muscle memory: it teaches your mind to get used to struggle and pain. That way, next time around, you’ll have experienced it before and your mind won’t freak out and sabotage you.

Don’t let your mind get used to giving up and being comfortable. Teach your mind that some days are going to hurt like hell. The best way to teach your mind anything is through experience.

Our minds become what we want through experience.

The whole “think about it, and it will happen” is BS.

Think about it, then experience it, and then it will happen.

I believe consciousness is based on experience. We become conscious of the things we try, and the things we understand through experience.

We become conscious and mindful, through experience and doing. Our mind uses experiences to filter what we see. If we want to become more then we must let our mind experience more.

Allowing your mind to experience is the superpower.

Give your mind a rest too.

Okay if you do all of the previous points and then forget this one, you’ll burn out. What I’m telling you to do is going to require your mind to be constantly working. Your mind needs rest though. You’ll need to allow your mind thinking space once in a while to absorb all you’ve taught it and have some alone time.

Nature is good for your mind. Your minds favorite delicacy other than avocado is holidays. Go to a beach. Visit an ancient city. Do a silent meditation retreat if you must. The message here is to give your mind a rest or it will fail you.

***Final Thought***

If you don’t like the person you are then take a long, hard look at your mind. Your mind is shaping the person you become everyday. You can consciously teach your mind to win, or unconsciously program your mind to defeat your goals on its own without any external forces.

You’re winning or losing based on your mind.

Treat your mind well. Respect your mind. Train your mind for battle.

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net