Using your mind

Your mind is the most critical asset in your journey to financial freedom. Arriving at a decision you cannot see is virtually impossible. You have to see it first before you start moving towards it. The major snag is, you see with your mind’s eyes, not your eyeball.

I have always wondered why it is so much easier to act than think. My guess is, to act, you use your eyes to see the visible. To think, you use your mind to see the invisible.

Memory versus Imagination

We see the invisible in two directions, backward and forward. Seeing the past (backward) is memory. Seeing the future (forwards) is imagination.

Again we seem to be experts in memory than imagination. We have our memories with us, we do not have to exert ourselves much to bring them back. Memory lane is a well-worn path. The snag is, sometimes we refuse to let go of the past and get fixated on them, especially if there are hurts and betrayals involved. We end up becoming a cracked record, perpetually on auto-repeat.

Imagination (seeing forwards) demands some mental exertion, painting a picture on the canvass of our mind. It is a God-given gift, a major feature that separates us from animals.

It is with our imagination that we see our destination. The future belongs to those who see opportunities before it becomes obvious (while it is still invisible). By the time it becomes obvious (visible), the party is over. As everyone makes a rush for it, the pioneers are moving out in search of new opportunities.

What Do You See?

If you can see your future, you can work towards it, and make a conscious effort in contributing your quota to making it happen. If you are “blind”, you will go off in a totally different direction. Since you have no clue as to where you are headed, you cannot put in effort and make progress in the direction of your goal. You will simply dissipate effort aimlessly, or simply give up.

This is why it is critical to see where you are going. See it constantly. To help matters along, capture it on paper, both in words and if possible, in pictures. Imagine a guy who wants to build a leisure resort without plans, drawings, and pictures. You will call him a joker. So are you, if you cannot see where you are going, in your mind, and on paper.

With your mind, you see the big picture. With your mind, you conceptualize the smaller scenes that make up the big picture. You can then draw up a road map made up of executable action items. This is the stage where physical effort kicks in. This way, you work smart. If you work hard now, your effort goes very far.

Feed your mind

Reading, studying, and researching do aid in exercising your mind to see. Reading feeds the mind, expands your horizons, exposes you to possibilities beyond your imagination, and sharpens your ability to conceptualize. Conversely, television drugs your mind, make it sluggish and gradually kills your power of vision.

The battle is won and lost in the mind. You surrender mentally before you throw in the towel physically. What goes on in your mind determines whether you become discouraged and give in, on inspired to push on.

If you cannot see it, you cannot get there. I hope through this site to push you into seeing the invisible, hearing the inaudible, touching the intangible, and achieving beyond your wildest imagination. Cynics judge the future by the present. The future belongs to dreamers. Dare to dream.

Photo: personalpositivity.com