4 Ways to Strengthen Your Mind
A True Measure of Strength
You have something very powerful that you carry with you everywhere you go. No one can take it away from you. You can’t set it down or give it away. But if neglected, it will be your largest obstacle and greatest enemy.
Your Mind
It is easy for us as medical professionals to consider ourselves intelligent because…well…we are!
We worked hard to train ourselves in various subjects and the knowledge of the body so that we could, ultimately, help people. Years of study, education, and instruction have developed our minds to observe, analyze, and determine a plan of action to get at the root of a problem.
But, as anyone can understand, you may be book-smart, storing lots of information in your brain, yet still lack the competence to effectively apply that knowledge for the betterment of the world around you.
So, having a strong mind must be more than simply regurgitating facts.
It requires the ability to connect ideas. To balance seemingly contradictory thoughts and feelings. To have the self-control to administer a plan of action in a variety of situations.
These are the 3 core aspects that make up a strong mind:
- ) Intellect
- ) Emotions
- ) Character
A true measure of strength will take into consideration all 3 aspects of the mind and work to grow in each one. Each aspect makes the others stronger. By working on core area, you will create opportunities to strengthen the others.
In this post, we’ll start with considering the first on the list…
INTELLECT
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” – Ernest Kinoy
Knowledge is the first step to improving your mind. You must know something before you can understand it. And you must understand it before you can effectively apply it.
A physical therapy student gains knowledge of the body before she understands what it means. She understands it when she studies it and experiments with this new knowledge. Then she is equipped with the understanding to employ it practically in the lives of her patients.
So how do we improve this intellect?
I’ve provided a list.
4 Way to Strengthen Your Intellect
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Read BOOKS
I can’t stress enough the importance of reading. Particularly books. Certainly there is a place for short articles, long journals, podcasts (of which I’m deeply fond), TED Talks, videos, etc. But a book provides a medium that is inherently packed with knowledge that must be drawn out. Someone clearly took the time to write out, edit, and research a big enough topic to have written so much about it. And a book requires you to slow down your thoughts, seek understanding, and chew on the mind of another as you reason through arguments, observations, and proposals.
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Ponder
Once you gain new insight or knowledge, you must take time to contemplate on what is being presented. This may occur naturally as you become absorbed into a book or you may have to intentionally set aside some time without distractions to consider this information. Our culture today struggles with this as we have devolved into shorter attention spans and more discomfort with silence. But the greatest minds are not afraid to ponder on something new or uncomfortable.
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Discuss
After you have begun to understand this new knowledge, it is helpful to discuss it with another. Maybe there are nuances you missed or applications you had not considered. Finding someone of a similar mindset to grow in knowledge will provide greater opportunity to sharpen your mind and depth of understanding. It is important to actually listen and ask good questions (another difficult thing to do in our day). Then try repeating back what you believe you heard so you can confirm comprehension.
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Practice
As your understanding becomes more clear, it is time to test it out. Experiment. Apply it and improve upon it. This final step is essential because it is pointless to gain knowledge and never use it. “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” – Anton Chekhov
By working through these various stages of intellect, you will sharpen and strengthen your mind. Knowledge is the key to unlocking opportunity, achievement, and success.
However, knowledge doesn’t guarantee success. To have true success in life, you will need to strengthen the remaining 2 aspects of your mind.
Which I will cover in my next blog 😁