Thursday, December 30, 2010

Mental Training

If you're talking about changing your thinking strategies, I think you have to approach the "transformation" of your brain much like you approach the transformation of you physique: with baby steps applied daily and consistently over time. Some of the things that have helped me:
  • reading to gain an intellectual understanding of self-awareness and higher consciousness
  • acting "mindfully;" that is, applying a strategy like counting to ten, waiting to make important decisions until the emotions around them have abated, keeping my mouth shut if what I'm about to say is an emotional "blurt" rather than a loving, helpful response
  • quieting my mind, emptying my mind, thinking of nothing (this practice is meditation or "prayer" to some, and you can buy, download, whatever all sorts of guided meditations to help you learn this skill, which like anything requires practice); when I really empty my mind, I'm rewarded with a clarity of thought that helps me make better decisions, makes me more effective in my job, helps me communicate better regardless of medium
  • spying on the tracks my mind runs on, stopping the train if the tracks are leading to old rationalizations and victim thinking; yes, this mental exercise requires you to step outside yourself and act as much as possible the objective observer
  • of course, exercising and eating right as all these things are connected