Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “A Strong Body Makes A Strong Mind”.
But does it really? We know how to exercise our physical muscles to keep them strong. But how do we exercise our mind to keep it strong? I am going to introduce you to your six intellectual faculties which are your mental muscles. Successful people and those that live above the ordinary tap into them all the time. Why do you think 5% of the population own 95% of the wealth? The more you exercise these six intellectual faculties the more freedom and power you will have to achieve any goal you desire.
Most of us live through our five sensory faculties: see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Why? Because we have been conditioned to do so. We have been programmed to allow outside influences to dictate how we think, behave, feel, and the results that we experience in our lives.
Here’s an example: Marcie has a dream. She wants to quit her job and start her own business. She has been thinking about this goal for a very long time. Finally, she shares her goal with family and friends. What does she hear? Nothing but disparaging, discouraging, disheartening comments surround her.
Here are some examples: “Are you serious? You have an amazing job with great benefits. Have you thought about what that would do to your family? Don’t you listen to the news and read the paper? Haven’t you read about the success rate and statistics regarding anyone starting a new business in this economy? They are pretty low don’t you know.”
And on and on it goes. Sound familiar? If Marcie listens to those comments and allows outside influences to dictate whether or not she goes for her goal, she may very well put her dream out along with the trash. BUT if she taps into her six intellectual faculties, her mental muscles, no outside influences, obstacles, or objections can stand in her way.
The six intellectual faculties lay beyond the physical senses. They are in the conscious mind which is the thinking mind. These mental muscles when exercised will help us to achieve any goal we desire. Let’s zero in on them. They are Imagination, Will, Reason, Perception, Memory, and Intuition.
Use your Imagination. It is the image maker. It is the beginning of all creation. It is the workshop of the mind. When was the last time you sat down, closed your eyes, and used your Imagination to take you on a trip? Close your eyes right now and imagine you have achieved your greatest goal. Imagine what it looks like. Feel in possession of it for a few moments…
Exercising our Imagination allows us to see our goal on the screen of our mind with clarity and in vivid detail. When we picture our goal in our imagination the next mental muscle helps to hold it there.
Use your Will. Exercising the Will means having the power to push out all distractions and outside influences. It gives you the ability to focus, concentrate, and hone in on one goal or objective. Exercising the Will keeps your mental eye on the prize.
Use your Reason. Exercising the Reason allows us to take harmonious thoughts and weave them into wondrous ideas. Our reasoning is our thinking. We have the freedom to think whatever we want to think. No one can tell us what to think. Unfortunately, most people don’t think. They think they are thinking when the voice in the head is talking all day long. That is mental chatter and not thinking. Henry Ford said, “Thinking is hard work and probably why so few people engage in it”.
Exercising Reason will point us to the right action steps to achieve our goal.
Use your Perception. This is our point of view. Expanding our Perception allows us to look from others’ points of view and opens our visual prism to see with an open mind. Exercising our Perception helps us access more insight and awareness to see opportunities for achieving a goal that we might otherwise miss.
Use your Memory. We have a great Memory. It is just that we don’t exercise it very much and it’s weak from lack of use. There is a great book written by Harry Laraine and Jerry Lucas called The Memory Book. There is a chapter on remembering names. Completing the exercises on recalling names will blow your mind on just how perfect your Memory is. You may never forget another name again. Exercising the Memory means pushing aside the negative associations that the Memory reminds us from the past, and helps us forge forward toward our objective. As a result, we will create new, positive memories as we move onward to achieve our goal.
Use your Intuition. Most people don’t listen to their inner voice–that knowing that comes from within. Exercising the Intuition means tapping into and trusting the inner wisdom that points it finger to the right course of action. Be Still and Listen. It is the hunches, flashes and inspiration that don’t come in from the senses. Learning to trust and exercise our Intuition will help us to make right decisions with confidence in helping to achieve our goal.
If we exercise our mental muscles, our six intellectual faculties, the Imagination, Will, Reason, Perception, Memory, and Intuition, we can achieve any goal that we desire. Successful people and people who live above the ordinary tap into these gifts every time they want to achieve a lifechanging goal.
It is where our power and freedom live.