HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND?
It used to be said that it was a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. That may still stand but today we are told that all of us can change our mind and in so doing change our brain.
If you have read any of Dr. Caroline Leaf’s books on the brain – which I thoroughly recommend – you will quickly discover that our thinking is of critical importance. What we think and how we think effects the continual development of the brain. Every thought causes a chemical reaction in the brain with a positive or negative result. What a startling thought that is?
It would appear that we are constantly building our brains, for better or for worse. The good thing is that we can take charge and change the input. We are in control of how and what we think.
We have heard so many times that “we are what we eat” but it seems that it is equally true to say that “we are what we think.” Our thoughts create the foundation of our life, our actions and our achievements. Even the Scripture teaches us “As a man thinks, so he is!”
I never tire of thinking about how the billions of cells in the brain cooperate together and achieve all that they do for us. From the daily functioning of our bodies to the comprehension of input from reading and conversation.
Yet everything begins with our thinking. Everything hinges on the workings of the mind. We are not subservient to our brains but our brain is subservient to our mind. Our thoughts instruct our brains and the brain instructs the body with the resultant behavior, be it good or bad. So it really does come down to mind over matter.
Many people have had a serious accident, been told they would never walk again but the mind is stronger than the body. A positive-minded person determines that they will walk again. Their mind instructs the brain which in turn instructs the body. So with their positive attitude and determination before you know it they are walking, much to the amazement of the medical staff and their family.
You must have heard someone say “I think I could do that if I put my mind to it!” That’s the crux. We could probably achieve far more than we imagine if we put our minds to it. I think we down play and under estimate what we are capable of achieving.
So if we want to increase those little grey cells then we must read, read, read, converse, discuss, learn something new and do something different, so that our minds are constantly being expanded. We need to think good positive thoughts which will instruct our brains accordingly. The effort will pay dividends. It will increase our enjoyment of life and will also help us make a valuable contribution into the lives of those around us.
