The Ten-Percent Myth

Claim:   We use only ten percent of our brains.

FALSE

Origins:   Someone has taken most of your brain away and you probably didn't even know it. Well, not taken your brain away, exactly, but decided that you don't use it. It's the old myth heard time and again about how people use only ten percent of their brains. While for the people who repeat that myth, it's probably true, the rest of us happily use all of our brains.

The Myth and the Media

That tired Ten-Percent claim pops up all the time. In 1998, national magazine ads for U.S. Satellite Broadcasting showed a drawing of a brain. Under it was the caption, "You only use 11 percent of its potential." Well, they're a little closer than the ten-percent figure, but still off by about 89 percent. In July 1998, ABC television ran promotional spots for The Secret Lives of Men, one of their offerings for the fall season's lineup. The spot featured a full-screen blurb that read, "Men only use ten percent of their brains."

One reason this myth has endured is that it has been adopted by psychics and other paranormal pushers to explain psychic powers. On more than one occasion I've heard psychics tell their audiences, "We only use ten percent of our minds. If scientists don't know what we do with the other  ninety percent, it must be used for psychic powers!" In Reason To Believe: A Practical Guide to Psychic Phenomena, author Michael Clark mentions a man named Craig Karges. Karges charges a lot of money for his "Intuitive Edge" program, designed to develop natural psychic abilities. Clark quotes Karges as saying: "We normally use only 10 to 20 percent of our minds. Think how different your life would be if you could utilize that other 80 to 90 percent known as the subconscious mind."

This was also the reason that Caroline Myss gave for her alleged intuitive powers on a segment of Eye to Eye with Bryant Gumbel, which aired in July of 1998. Myss, who has written books on unleashing "intuitive powers," said that everyone has intuitive gifts, and lamented that we use so little of the mind's potential. To make matters worse, just the week before, on the very same program, correct information was presented about the myth. In a bumper spot between the program and commercials, a quick quiz flashed onscreen: What percentage of the brain is used? The multiple-choice answers ranged from 10 percent to 100 percent. The correct answer appeared, which I was glad to see. But if the producers knew that what one of their interviewees said is clearly and demonstrably inaccurate, why did they let it air? Does the right brain not know what the left brain is doing? Perhaps the Myss interview was a repeat, in which case the producers presumably checked her facts after it aired and felt some responsibility to correct the error in the following week's broadcast. Or possibly the broadcasts aired in sequence and the producers simply did not care and broadcast Myss and her misinformation anyway.

Even Uri Geller, who has made a career out of trying to convince people he can bend metal with his mind, trots out this little gem. This claim appears in his book Uri Geller's Mind-Power Book in the introduction: "Our minds are capable of remarkable, incredible feats, yet we don't use them to their full capacity. In fact, most of us only use about 10 per cent of our brains, if that. The other 90 per cent is full of untapped potential and undiscovered abilities, which means our minds are only operating in a very limited way instead of at full stretch. I believe that we once had full power over our minds. We had to, in order to survive, but as our world has become more sophisticated and complex we have forgotten many of the abilities we once had" (italicized phrases emphasized in original).

Evidence Against the Ten-Percent Myth

The argument that psychic powers come from the unused majority of the brain is based on the logical fallacy of the argument from ignorance. In this fallacy, lack of proof for a position (or simply lack of information) is used to try to support a particular claim. Even if it were true that the vast majority of the human mind is unused (which it clearly is not), that fact in no way implies that any extra capacity could somehow give people paranormal powers. This fallacy pops up all the time in paranormal claims, and is especially prevalent among UFO proponents. For example: Two people see a strange light in the sky. The first, a UFO believer, says, "See there! Can you explain that?" The skeptic replies that no, he can't. The UFO believer is gleeful. "Ha! You don't know what it is, so it must be aliens!" he says, arguing from ignorance.

What follows are two of the reasons that the Ten-Percent story is suspect. (For a much more thorough and detailed analysis of the subject, see Barry Beyerstein's chapter in the 1999 book Mind Myths: Exploring Everyday Mysteries of the Mind.)

1) Brain imaging research techniques such as PET scans (positron emission tomography) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) clearly show that the vast majority of the brain does not lie fallow. Indeed, although certain minor functions may use only a small part of the brain at one time, any sufficiently complex set of activities or thought patterns will indeed use many parts of the brain. Just as people don't use all of their muscle groups at one time, they also don't use all of their brain at once. For any given activity, such as eating, watching television, making love, or reading, you may use a few specific parts of your brain. Over the course of a whole day, however, just about all of the brain is used at one time or another.

2) The myth presupposes an extreme localization of functions in the brain. If the "used" or "necessary" parts of the brain were scattered all around the organ, that would imply that much of the brain is in fact necessary. But the myth implies that the "used" part of the brain is a discrete area, and the "unused" part is like an appendix or tonsil, taking up space but essentially unnecessary. But if all those parts of the brain are unused, removal or damage to the "unused" part of the brain should be minor or unnoticed. Yet people who have suffered head trauma, a stroke, or other brain injury are frequently severely impaired. Have you ever heard a doctor say, ". . . But luckily when that bullet entered his skull, it only damaged the 90 percent of his brain he didn't use"? Of course not.

Variants of the Ten-Percent Myth

The myth is not simply a static, misunderstood factoid. It has several forms, and this adaptability gives it a shelf life longer than lacquered Spam. In the basic form, the myth claims that years ago a scientist discovered that we indeed did use only ten percent of our brains. Another variant is that only ten percent of the brain had been mapped, and this in turn became misunderstood as ten percent used. A third variant was described earlier by Craig Karges. This view is that the brain is somehow divided neatly into two parts: the conscious mind which is used ten to twenty percent of the time (presumably at capacity); and the subconscious mind, where the remaining eighty to ninety percent of the brain is unused. This description betrays a profound misunderstanding of brain function research.

Part of the reason for the long life of the myth is that if one variant can be proven incorrect, the person who held the belief can simply shift the reason for his belief to another basis, while the belief itself stays intact. So, for example, if a person is shown that PET scans depict activity throughout the entire brain, he can still claim that, well, the ninety percent figure really referred to the subconscious mind, and therefore the Ten-Percent figure is still basically correct.

Regardless of the exact version heard, the myth is spread and repeated, by both the well-meaning and the deliberately deceptive. The belief that remains, then, is what Robert J. Samuelson termed a "psycho-fact, [a] belief that, though not supported by hard evidence, is taken as real because its constant repetition changes the way we experience life." People who don't know any better will repeat it over and over, until, like the admonition against swimming right after you eat, the claim is widely believed. ("Triumph of the Psycho-Fact," Newsweek, 9 May 1994.)

The origins of the myth are not at all clear. Beyerstein, of the Brain Behaviour Laboratory at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, has traced it back to at least the early part of the century. A 1998 column in New Scientist magazine also suggested various roots, including Albert Einstein and Dale Carnegie ("Brain Drain"). It likely has a number of sources, principally misunderstood or misinterpreted legitimate scientific findings as well as self-help gurus.

The most powerful lure of the myth is probably the idea that we might develop psychic abilities, or at least gain a leg up on the competition by improving our memory or concentration. All this is available for the asking, the ads say, if we just tapped into our most incredible of organs, the brain. It is past time to put this myth to rest, although if it has survived at least a century so far, it will surely live on into the new millennium. Perhaps the best way to combat this chestnut is to reply to the speaker, when the myth is mentioned, "Oh? What part don't you use?" 

Read more at http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/10percent.asp#fcXdRYIhc6vkLRVz.99

6 Jedi Mind Tricks That Convince People To Eat Healthy

1. Don’t tell them it’s healthy

People generally assume healthy ingredients make a food taste worse. Avoid this by not mentioning the healthfulness of the dish or any of its ingredients. Simply swipe your hand slowly in front of their faces and tell them this isn’t the healthy food they’re looking for. This food is delicious.

2. Don’t tell them it’s vegetarian (or vegan)

On a similar note never announce that a food is vegetarian or vegan, unless you happen to be feeding a crowd of vegetarians or vegans. Last 4th of July I attended a potluck, knowing there would be no shortage of ribs, chips and beer. I love all these foods, but wanted to make sure there was at least something healthy there for me to eat. To fill the gap I brought a farro salad filled with vegetables, greens and herbs. It was easy to make, inexpensive, and delicious. Was it vegetarian? Yep. Vegan? Uh-huh. Did anyone know that? Nope (except the one vegan girl who asked). Everyone loved it.

3. Name it after something fattening

If you ask almost any kid on the street if they want some cauliflower, the answer will likely be no. If you ask them if they’d like some cauliflower french fries, you’ll probably get a different response. Works like magic.

4. Tell a story

If you’re serving a dish you think people should like (because it tastes amazing), but you’re afraid they will reject (because of something that’s in it) try reframing the dish as something special by telling a story. Conversion stories are particularly effective. Maybe this is the recipe your two pre-teens can’t get enough of, or the dish that finally convinced your dad that beets aren’t gross. Giving people a reason to doubt their first impression by using an example of the opposite can be very persuasive.

5. Change the subject

If someone asks you point blank what’s in a dish, and you’re pretty sure they won’t like the answer, you can get around it by changing the subject. “Oh, this is just something that my husband really loves to eat. It’s got rice and some herbs. Are the Lakers playing tonight?”

6. Eat with gusto

Few things are as enticing as hearing someone moan with pleasure after taking a bite of food. Because, yeah, it’s that good. People will often reevaluate their opinions if they think they’re missing out on something. So eat with gusto, and maybe they’ll want to eat what you’re having.

11 SIGNS OF A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

Spiritual awakening is an ongoing process of becoming a Whole Person. One who is balanced in Male and Female energy, and nurturing both themselves and those around them.

It happens as one is growing through the process of discerning truth in the world around you, and continually reaching higher and higher peaks of awareness, also known sometimes as simply “getting it”. It is what Maslow calls ‘self-actualization,’ Carl Jung calls ‘individuation,’ and other psychologists call ‘a fully functioning human being’ or ‘a complete self.’

This is both an internal and external sense of transformation that takes place, making the experience one that effects and is effected by the individual as well as all of those around you through a change in character, personal expression, and kindness that is displayed.  The purpose of this article is to focus on some of the stuff that people who experience this go through.

Listed below are signs of spiritual awakening reported by those who have experienced it. It is important to note that these symptoms will eventually fade away after one adjusts to this phase of transformation.

1. Asking Questions about the world around you and the stuff that is taking place in your life.

2. Changes in sleeping patterns to suit your needs and requirements as a growing individual.

3. Stimulated sensations like random bursts of emotion that you didn’t usually feel before, such as crying during movies, feeling compassion and empathy towards those around you, changes in body temperatures, or sudden random urges to go and do something like running, swimming, or climbing a mountain.

4. Having great ideas and putting them into action, seeing the depth of the truth, willingness to look beyond the tip of the iceberg, compassion on a bigger scale, and thirst for knowledge.

5. Feeling pressure in different parts of the brain, such as the frontal lobes which is the male logical and thinking part, or the back of the brain which is more connected to the female, intuitive and space of connectedness.

6. The recognition of issues that have been denied, repressed, and avoided in the past and present may surface to be processed, in many cases, this may happen in relationship to someone or something, which offers opportunity for growth for everyone involved in the vibration.

7. Changes in the body like looking younger and stronger, which also goes hand-in-hand with changes in the eating habits and life style. Everything revolves around health.

8. Having personal and peak experiences where one feels at one and in peace with her/his surroundings. Having meaningful dreams and in-depth visions are not uncommon.

9. Craving more and more to break free from traditions, outdated institutional thinking, blind conformity, and useless beliefs that do not serve the greatest good of humankind… taking that craving, and turning it into action.

10. Seeing and comprehending the world in a way with deeper meanings. More and more awareness of synchronicities between the physical world and the feelings, thoughts, and energetic representation of the physical world.

11. Watching plenty of Spirit Science, and telling random strangers about it everywhere you go. (okay, that one was special just from me ^_^ )

If you feel like someone who has been through spiritual transformation or is going through one, surround yourself with peaceful, aware, positive, healthy, and supportive people and circumstances. It is extremely important to take good care of both yourself and those around you, be gentle, and pay attention to creating a shift in toxic situations and relationships.

Find out more at 

http://thespiritscience.net/2014/03/03/10-signs-of-a-spiritual-awakening/

Spriritual Awakening Symptons

The Spiritual Awakening Symptoms

1. Body aches and pains, especially in the neck, shoulder and back. This is the result of intense changes at your DNA level as the "Christ seed" awakens within. More important, your Merkabah, energetic transportal Body, has/is being upgraded and made new. This will be explained and understood more fully as you progress. Suffice to say, ageing, dis-ease, and limitations are freed with-in this New Experiencing Device.

2. Feeling of deep inner sadness for no apparent reason. You are releasing your past (this lifetime and others) and this causes the feeling of sadness. Literally... pieces, parts... "aspects" of YOU are being seen and released/transmuted appropriately. Although, many may not seem difficult to release, others are comfortable personalities that must be reconciled. Say, "good bye," I love you. You have served me well. I no longer need you."

3. Crying for no apparent reason. Similar to #2 above. It's good and healthy to let the tears flow. It helps to release the old energy within. There's a multitude of emotional energies within you now... try not to focus on the "why" and just feel, allow..

4. Sudden change in job or career. A very common symptom. As you change, things around you will change as well. Don't worry about finding the "perfect" job or career right now. You're in transition and you may make several job changes before you settle into one that fits your passion.

5. Withdrawal from family relationships. You are connected to your biological family via old karma. When you get off the karmic cycle, the bonds of the old relationships are released. After a period of time, you may develop a new relationship with them if it is appropriate. However, the relationship will be based in the new energy. This period is often times referred to as "The Fall," or "The Separation." Do not worry, as there is no separation that is valid. Only the "feeling,seeming, illusion" of such.

6. Unusual sleep patterns. It's likely that you'll awaken many nights between 2:00 and 4:00 AM. There's a lot of work going on within you, and it often causes you to wake up for a "breather." Not to worry. If you can't go back to sleep, get up and do something rather than lay in bed and worry about humanly things. This is also due to the New Body being acclimated to its new environment, which requires no sleep (meditation) and little to no nourishment.

7. Intense dreams. These might include war and battle dreams, chase dreams or monster dreams. You are literally releasing the old energy within. Plus, you are remembering and connecting with past lives, memories, experiences and knowledge. These dreams, if "scarey" in nature, cannot harm you. Although, they may be pleasant in nature, as well. If so, enjoy, and either way, don't worry or over-analyze.

8. Physical disorientation. At times you'll feel very ungrounded. You'll be "spatially challenged" with the feeling like you can't put two feet on the ground, or that you're walking between two worlds. As your consciousness transitions into the new energy, you body sometimes lags behind. Spend more time in nature to help ground the new energy within.

9. Increased "self talk." You'll find yourself talking to your Self more often. You'll suddenly realize you've been chattering away with yourself for the past 30 minutes. There is a new level of communication taking place within your being, and you're experiencing the tip of the iceberg with the self talk. The conversations will increase, and they will become more fluid, more coherent and more insightful. You're not going crazy, you're just Shaumbra moving into the new energy.

10. Feelings of loneliness, even when in the company of others. You may feel alone and removed from others. You may feel the desire to "flee" groups and crowds. As Shaumbra, you are walking a sacred and lonely path. As much as the feelings of loneliness cause you anxiety, it is difficult to relate to others at this time. And, others may find much difficulty in their relation to you, mostly due to your over-powering energetic force. The void within will be filled with the love and energy of your own Christ consciousness.

11. Loss of passion. You may feel totally dis-impassioned, with little or no desire to do anything. That's OK, and it's just part of the process. Take this time to "do no-thing." Don't fight yourself on this. It's similar to rebooting a computer. You need to shut down for a brief period of time in order to load the sophisticated new software, or in this case, the new Christ-seed energy.

12. A deep longing to go Home. This is perhaps the most difficult and challenging of any of the conditions. You may experience a deep and overwhelming desire to leave the planet and return to Home. This is not a "suicidal" feeling. It is not based in anger or frustration. You don't want to make a big deal of it or cause drama for yourself or other. There is a quiet part of you that wants to go Home. The root cause for this is quite simple......You are ready to begin a new lifetime while still in this physical body.

During this transition process, you have an inner remembrance of what it is like to be on the other side. Are you ready to take on the challenges of moving into the New Energy?

Yes, indeed you could go Home right now. But you've come this far, and after many, many lifetimes it would be a shame to leave before the end of the movie.

Besides, Spirit needs you here to help others transition into the new energy. They will need a human guide, just like you, who has taken the journey from the old energy into the new. The path you're walking right now provides the experiences to enable you to become a Teacher of the New Divine Human.

As lonely and dark as your journey can be at times, remember that you are never alone.

http://www.cedar-rivers.com/articles/consciousness-spirituality/70-ascension-symptoms-experiencing-the-higher-realms.html

Can Astral Projection Be Dangerous?

We have looked at astral projection from a number of different points of view. We have seen what happens when the astral body separates momentarily from the physical body; we have traveled around the world, into other realms with it; we have followed it to the moment of death and beyond. 

But now let’s go back to the beginning and ask a question that probably everyone who hears of astral projection must wonder about—namely: Can the practice be dangerous? 

Sylvan Muldoon, whose considerable experience with astral projection surely qualifies him as an expert on this subject, says the dangers are very slight. Some people fear that while their astral bodies are off somewhere else, an evil entity of some sort—an earthbound spirit or a demon—will take possession of their bodies, and when the astral body returns, it will find that its "home" has been occupied in its absence. 

Muldoon says this fear is demonstrably unfounded. Every night many thousands of persons leave their bodies (often while they are sleeping and frequently while they remain unaware of what is happening to them) and there is absolutely no reason to believe these people are taken over and are endangered in any way. Whereas astral projection is a very common occurrence, possession is an extremely rare phenomenon—and in any case it practically never has anything to do with the victim’s out-of-body experiences (if in fact he has had any to begin with). 

It is true that in a small minority of instances people have reported negative experiences in the astral realm. A few have encountered sinister forms and some even claim to have engaged in psychic combat with them. "No sooner had this unseen force lifted me a few feet than it suddenly hurled me back into myself and I came to," Robert A. Reese wrote of his experience in Fate magazine. "It seemed that something hideous was trying to overpower me." 

Perhaps the key word here is trying. All it succeeded in doing, in fact, was in giving Reese a bad scare. Apparently he had strayed too close to the lowest, grossest regions of the astral and encountered one of the unpleasant—but basically powerless—beings that dwell in that place. In the end he was none the worse for wear. 

Fear of Projection 

We generally agree that dreams are a positive experience. They teach us, entertain us, free us momentarily from the confines of the world. Once in a while, of course, we may have a nightmare. It will shake us and upset us for a short time, but we quickly recognize it as a harmless experience, if an uncomfortable one. 

Astral projection, it need hardly be said at this point, is not a "dream," but for the purposes of us who have yet to shed the physical body, it can serve some of the same functions for us. Like the dream, it teaches, entertains and frees us. Bad astral projection experiences are considerably rarer than nightmares, but they are just about as harmless. 

Many unpleasant astral experiences really have nothing to do with the experience itself but with the projectors’ attitude toward it. Most people don’t know that out-of-body travel is even possible, and when suddenly it happens to them, they can be devastated. They may think that they have lost their minds, or they may be afraid that they have died. Gripped with these kinds of elemental fears, they are in no position to take an objective view, which would tell them that separation from the body is an enormously pleasurable sensation. 

Exaggerated fears aside, one concern seems worth heeding. We really don’t know if people with heart problems could die from the shock of astral projection, but a cautious view suggests that such persons are better off keeping their astral and physical bodies in the same place. 

Oliver Fox, an astral traveler himself, has warned that outsiders coming upon the unconscious physical body of someone who is having an OBE might conclude that the person is dead and have him buried prematurely! Can Fox be serious? It seems as likely that a merely sleeping person could end up prematurely buried; after all, the vital functions of sleepers and astral travelers don’t stop just because the bodies happen to be motionless. 

In a more reasonable moment, though, Fox concedes, "Very likely these experiments are no more dangerous than motoring." In point of fact, they are safer—astral bodies don’t get maimed and crushed in collisions with physical objects. One more benefit: astral traveling is cheaper than driving! 
http://www.llewellyn.com/encyclopedia/article/219

How To Develop A Sound Mind

There are a number of diverse issues that could alter our wellbeing / contentment — entailing aliment, standard of living, workout routines, anxiety, family, and line of business et al. However, the principal aspect that frequently gets ignored is the strength of the mind. Sound mind is the gateway to form / sustain an active and cheerful life.

Your beliefs are exceptionally influential and can direct all phases of your life comprising your health. Most of us are only to some extent conscious of the reasonings that run through our mind. To truly concentrate and have knowledge of all ideas that you sense can be draining and not to point out, kind of intimidating too.

Thoughts can develop into routine and many people have been disciplined from early days to have unconstructive ways of thinking / making certain assumptions. Those harmful thought patterns get trapped within the subliminal intellect and can actually outline who you are and how you respond to your situation. But there is nothing to fear of and such patterns are meant to be weakened, and it is very likely to conquer your thoughts and forge them help you.

Here are 5 vital headways that have established to assist transform your ways of thinking, develop a sound mind besides trigger a more poised and optimistic view on being.

1. Be purposeful and make a commitment

Modifying downbeat and making room for new constructive routines is a straightforward but not an effortless procedure and requires a solid dedication from you. It is essential that you put together the resolution and be obvious about your intent to actualize transition. Believe it and put it down in writing(either on a notebook/piece of paper or on a computer text file  or on whichever thing you can see) as well as declare it aloud to yourself. Thus, you are making an assurance to yourself to accomplish what it calls for to get your goal done and develop a sound mind condition.

2. Your thoughts shape your life

As revealed earlier, thoughts are chronic and it can be rather tricky initially to intentionally know about every ideas / visuals that crosses your mind. Before you adjust them for the good, you ought to be alert of precisely what you are conceiving. Make it a precedence to concentrate on what reflections traverse within as your day progresses. Pay attention to the intuitions arise as you are managing with contrasting    individuals and circumstances. Be cautious not to evaluate your thoughts, for the time being just acknowledge them.

3. Initiate the U-turn

Now that you are responsive of your thinking patterns, you can then proceed to transform them to your favor and you have the control to switch a gloomy thought into a well-convinced one.

When you perceive a disconfirming thought in your mind deliberately, choose to take U-turn at it. Don’t be anxious if initially you don’t trust your new positive thought, as eventually that will reverse. By changing your colorless thought to an affirmative one, you will ultimately build new thought patterns and customs. You will also be establishing a positive force contained by yourself as pitted to an unenthusiastic.

This process is clear-cut yet not effortless, but it influences just fine. It is an issue of fusing with your beliefs all the time. After a phase, your contradictory thought patterns will no longer have the command shape or restrict any outlook of your life implicating your feelings. These positive thought patterns will unleash a unique energy and develop a more confident way of being which will sequentially draw more such awesome power in your life.

In due course with sheer sense of pursuing, you will observe that when a weak thought creeps up you will consistently toggle it instantly to a positive. Then by the time you recognize it, the disapproval will be vanished and it will be swapped with a genuine and self-asserting consciousness, a definitive path to have a sound mind..

4. Enhance mind power

All right, so far we saw — how to be purpose-driven and make commitment to achieve the goals, importance of thought patterns, and how to spring up positive thoughts. Now to keep on doing this, we need to enhance our mind power. Here are some simple / effective / practical methods to do so.

a. Deep breathing: More air intake means more oxygen in the bloodstream and so in the brain.

b. Meditation: Nothing fancier close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Relax your muscles. When your mind roams, just get your awareness back to your breath. 5-10 minutes of this will be enough and commonly unwind you, unclutter your mind, and prepare you for any rational chore.

c. Solve a problem – use 5 Whys technique: Take a problem that has been bugging you for a long time and ask “why?” and “what is the cause of this problem?” which will lead to another why and so on. You’ll probably figure out the solution within few whys. The 5 ways technique is a straightforward method that can assist you rapidly get to the cause of a problem. Make problem solving a habit and no problems will bother you! At least, your mind is tuned to think so. By the way, Sudoku / crossword puzzles brainteasers will be of some great help too.

d. Learn a new language / culture. As you learn fresh things a lot, your mind will be in top shape.

e. Writing: Don’t just store your thoughts. Write it out. Whether it’s a poem / story / short idea / blog post inspiration or whatever, write it on appropriate medium to boost your mindpower And don’t be shy to show it to your friends.

f. Sleeping: Give your brain required rest. Don’t stress yourself to work. Minimum 6 to maximum 8 hours of sleeping is required for optimal brain functioning. To enhance it further take a 10 minutes power nap in the afternoon. Never average out your sleeping hours. Say for example, 20 hours workdays and sleeping 20 hours on weekends won’t do it!

g. Simple workouts: such as brisk walking, aerobic exercises skipping/roping, swimming, riding a bicycle will improve both your physical and mental health. Pick at least one and do it daily. Can’t you allocate 10-20 minutes/day for such fruitful activities?

h.Food For Thought: You’re what you eat. Avoid junk food, alcohol, and smoking. Drink plenty of water, milk. Moderate intake of coffee is O.K. Add spinach, blueberries, nuts and seeds, tuna, salmon, avocados, whole-grain products, dark chocolate, dry fruits — to supercharge your brain.

And there are plenty of other ways exist to enhance your  mind power which deserves another separate article itself. So watch this space!

5. Visualize what you need/want

Visualizing what you need / want, consequently turning your life’s forthcoming events into your favor is a remarkable workout to develop a sound mind.

Thoughts, if influential enough are asserted by our subliminal mind, which then transforms our attitude as a result with our inclinations and deeds, and this puts us across into get in touch with new people / circumstances we would have never believed possible before.

Positive mental picture (aka vizualising) is an exceptionally rewarding and trouble-free means of quickening the course of action by tricking the intuitive into conceiving that you have, by now, through something before you have. Certainly this in and of itself will not roll you into an overnight success, you do truly have to work hard at it, implement the visuals on top, but in the end it will prop you achieve something more promptly. All you require to do to be thriving at this is to picture yourself doing something incredible, as you would need / want to do it. Is it sound like some heavy matter? Sincerely, not at all if youmake your mindup for it.

Beliefs are empowered with an innovative power that shapes our life and captivates what you sense. Thoughts pass through from one consciousness to another, and if they are firm enough, they can be reflexively discovered by people who are in a viewpoint to guide you reach your needs and ambitions.

*Title picture credit: stock photo © unknown.

Conclusion:

It’s hard to make up your bed while you’re still sleeping in it.  Hard to make up your mind for the same reason.  – Robert Brault

Concisely, to develop a sound mind, you should practice these steps: Set a goal and commit to achieve it — Make your thoughts count — Turn the negative thoughts to positive ones – Exercise your mind muscles to keep growing — Visualize the success, or whatever thing you need / want.

Developing and always keep on working to have a sound mind is very crucial and it can be beneficial to improve many aspects of our life, can make a positive impact.

http://arkarthick.com/2012/02/22/develop-sound-mind/

Wake Up You Can Change The World

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.”

-Marianne Williamson 

Greatness is not what you think. It's yours for the taking — really.

After numerous articles on narcissism, I’ve decided to leave phoniness aside and focus on the greatness each of us has within. It's not narcissistic to want greatness in your life. Human beings are on this planet for a very short time. And, many of us yearn to be important in some specific way.

So, how is it done, if you’re not rich or famous?

The Celebrity Route to Greatness: We look at celebrities and see specialness. As in Tom Cruise must live an interesting life. Do Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood really understand politics more than you? We look at all these stars, read about their loves, losses, children and more. They become a proxy for greatness.

The Sporting Route to Greatness: Nowhere are people admired more than in sports. We may love a recording artist or a movie star, but the All Star in baseball, basketball or football is our ticket to greatness – by proxy. For instance, Morgan Freeman does not “belong” to Boston, but Tom Brady certainly does. That's why cheating is so problematic. We need sports clean so we can idealize. Like the great A-Rod, once they cheat, the most admired athlete falls.

The Money Route to Greatness: America is the land of capitalism, and we do admire (and resent) people with money. The big house, the expensive car, the leisurely vacations, the way they are treated in public and at charity events; all this adds to their “greatness.” It's probably why colleges have produced too many finance majors in the past fifteen years. But, make no mistake, you may want more money in your pocket, but remember - the rich have problems and worries too.

This Greatness by Proxy is Malarkey: Enjoy a good athlete, or a great performance, but keep greatness as a project unique to you. Each of us can be great. It is deeply human to find that path. It's a crazy and confusing world. There are five billion people here and we are all, ultimately, wisps of protoplasm passing from birth to death. How can any of us achieve greatness? What does it mean and why does it matter?

The human drive for dignity – for greatness – is sidetracked when we idealize others like celebrities, or when we feel special for dysfunctional reasons. Let’s look at how you or someone you love can discover their greatness.

We Don't Need to Idealize: One of great psychoanalytic thinkers of the last century was Heinz Kohut, an Austrian Jew who barely escaped Hitler’s rise to power.

Kohut tells us that all small children naturally idealize their parents. After all, they are small and helpless – and their mom and dad are huge and capable. Soon, they feel comforted in the “greatness” of mom and dad. Healthy children idealize their parents and feel bigger and safer by proxy.

Soon, they grow into school age children. They gain strength from the continued idealization of their mother and father. When this gets stymied, like in abuse or neglect, development can be injured. In adolescence, the teenager begins to see the cracks in his or her parents and criticizes. But, he or she has already internalized a sense of specialness through proxy. Parents are that important.

For better, and often for worse, we take that need to idealize into adult life.

We project it onto our mentors, our coaches, our athletes, our artists and our politicians. While it’s natural to look up to someone, we also are devalued when we do so. It is two sides of a coin. They are great/We are not so great. We gain a sense of greatness by proxy by admiring them.

For Kohut and the world, this process went tragically awry when a great industrial country – Germany – chose to idealize evil. I often wonder if his interest in idealization had it's source in this trauma.

Greatness Redesigned: Greatness is not synonymous with fame. That is an ancient and false equation. Yes, there were great leaders like Churchill, Lincoln, Jefferson, Ben Gurion, Mandela, Walesa and others. While their greatness was defined in the public arena, most heroic acts are infinately more private. They're found in small lives that are elevated out of the human will to do better. It is true nobility.

The religious traditions may make your eye roll. There’s too much idealization and exploitation in these institutions. But, the religious impulse came not from empire building, but rather from the discovery of human greatness.

• The Bible tells us to take care of the poor and the widow. It pushes us to reach out to those outside our kin and take care of those in need. That’s revolutionary.

• The Buddha tells us to center our minds – and that so much pain is a result of our own creation.

• And, the ancient teaching of the Kabbalah claims that the world is a broken place, filled with fragments of Divine presence. According to this teaching, it’s up to each of us – each moment – to heal this place we inhabit.

Find Greatness in Your Life: Unfortunately, religion often misses out on its potential by encouraging us to idealize its institutions as if we’re children. We need to be adults, with the spiritual goal of being a better person tomorrow than we are today. Our priests and rabbis; our athletes and statesmen; our actors and ourselves – each person has their own challenges.

Where do we find greatness?

We do this in the nitty-gritty of living.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-intelligent-divorce/201304/wake-you-can-change-the-world