Mohammed Younus

Life as we see it is a gift from god and human beings one of his best creations. We also know our brain is the most complex creation; it is composed of 10,000 million cells that‘s more than all the people currently living in this planet. We also lose mere 400 cells every day, guess its god’s way of saying use it or lose it.

Arguably, Complex brain structure gives us the most powerful mind and with great power comes manipulation; it is the greatest manipulator the world has ever seen. We either win over it or we lose to it. Wining or losing is detrimental of the thoughts we feed our mind. If you listen carefully, I am sure you know already, we have two voices in our heads - voice (positive thoughts) and voice (negative thought). The more positive thoughts we feed the more positive we think and feel and like wise, the more negative thoughts we feed the more negative we think and feel. A healthy body needs health food like wise a healthy mind needs healthy thoughts. We often speak about how important it is to eat right and regularly, as it helps us stay fit but seldom do we speak about how important it is to have similar healthy diet for our mind.

In a world like ours, which is so full of negativity, worries and pessimism, negative thoughts drain you of energy. The more negative you think the more you live in your past and these thoughts make you vulnerable. To combat negativity it is so essential to indulge in positive thinking. These positive thoughts elevate our mood; help us see light when all seems dull and dark, adding colour to our lives.

Positivity is a habit and can be mastered with practice. Here are 10 ways to start your mind diet.

1. Smile - We are blessed with the power of expressions and smile is one of the most powerful expressions. Every time you look at yourself in the mirror, smile and see how it makes you look your best. Do the same with others and you will know how contagious it can get.
2. Surround yourself with positive people - We all have friends who have faced difficulties and have overcome them, always derive examples from their lives. You can clearly feel the difference between two sets of people. For instance, those who are fun loving, cheerful, optimistic, ambitious and strong willed; others who are aggressive, careless, lazy, cynical, moody and weak-willed. Be with the first category and you will start feeling and thinking the same way as they do.
3. Yes you can - There is only one person who can set limitations to your growth and that‘s you. The more you question your ability the more barriers you create for yourself. Blaming self and blaming others becomes a habit. In times where you question your ability, take charge of your life and in your mind repeat this as many times as you can - ‘I can and I will’. In the end as the famous saying goes “If it is to be, it is up to me”, we are creators of our own destiny.
4. Acts of Kindness - Add this to your daily To-do list - cautious acts of Kindness. Have you seen an old lady struggling to cross the road, a colleague with a task you can help with or a classmate struggling with a subject you excel at, go out of your way to help them without expecting any thing in return. Observe the joy you experience in that selfless gesture, emulate it every day.
5. Count your blessings - Appreciate what you have and what you can make out of it rather than cribbing about what is missing. The grass always seems greener on the other side; learn to make the best of what you have. Think about the less fortunate and you will see how lucky you are to have all you have.
6. Don’t dwell in your failures - Its human to make mistakes, even the greatest leaders have their list of mistakes and failures. Some times when we are confronted with a minor failure, we start blaming ourselves as well as our fate, we tend to get into a shell and give up all hopes of trying again. Remember Edison, had he given up on his attempt to discover a light bulb, someone else would have. The difference between success and failure is, one more try. If you accept failure, you have given up on that one more try. Failures are stepping-stones to success.
7. Find a passion - Passion fuels your life. If you have a passion you don’t need an alarm, your passion will wake you up everyday and it will also keep you up late with excitement. Figure out what you love to do and channel it in a productive way, that one thing you would love to do in your good times and bad. This not only will help you fulfil your dreams and desires but can also add value to others.
8. Seek to understand then to be understood - How many times have you felt others do not understand you? Is it they who did not understand you or you failed to understand them? Remember we see the world not as it is, but the way we think. Next time you meet someone aim to understand others, by listening more and then represent yourself appropriately.
9. Exercise - Any form of exercise lifts your mood. One of the easiest ways to burnout stress is by sweating it out. Exercise necessarily doesn't mean getting you a very expensive gym subscription; even 20 minutes walk works magic.
10. Meditation - Meditation is a simple yet powerful exercise for your mind. Many get the idea of meditation wrong, you don’t have to go to the mountains and become a saint to meditate, few minutes to yourself either by listening to soothing music or by focusing on your breathing can help you let go of stressful or worrisome thoughts.