The greatest asset you have is your Mind and the state of your Mind.
But, you know this already...you've read about it somewhere or it just makes sense that this is so...
You've likely heard the famous quote by Napoleon Hill:
Whatever the Mind can Conceive, it can achieve
The mind is our vehicle for performance and creation. The mind, science is showing us, can heal the body but the body cannot heal the mind. The mind is what helps us move our lives forward or the mind is what has us stay and feel stuck in life.
You can argue otherwise. You can say well, it's really this person or this situation that is keeping me feeling stuck, feeling lost or fill in the blank here with whatever you are going through & experiencing. And, yes it's true your life, like so many people's, maybe very hard right now or has been for quite sometime. But life will always be presenting us with something and some of those "somethings" will be harder than others - that is life being life. What I have found to be very freeing in my own life is to accept the reality of life; that life is always changing, it never stays the same.
I have found it very helpful in my own life to understand that my mind has the ability to resist the way life is or it can embrace what is to better understand the best way to see it and move forward. There is always a different perspective on even the most difficult things in life. The mind can resist reality and be stuck with it or it can choose to see it differently and move forward.
Everything great begins with the mind and the mind can transform anything great in our lives into something not so great.
At this point, not that you need convincing, you might see the point of making a strong mind in 2023, a very big priority. Because without a stronger mind as your foundation, you can set the intention to get that promotion this year, if that's what you want, but your mind might get all caught up in fearing it will not happen, or if you'll be okay if it doesn't happen or what you if you get it and then you mess up...the all too familiar path of the untrained mind.
So how do you go about strengthening the Mind?
Well, if you know me, you know I am going to say this but yes; Meditation is one of the best ways to strengthen this awesome asset of yours. But I'm also not here to convince you of this, you can decide and while you are deciding, I'll just share a few tangible ways that Meditation strengthens what I believe is indeed your greatest asset.
Stress actually weakens the brain and studies show that long term stress actually weakens DNA strands in the brain, causing it to age more rapidly and even shrink in size - yikes!
Studies also show that the human brain is a wonderful elastic like organ that responds to activities we do and certain activities, like meditation, create positive improvements in the brains structure and functioning. I don't know about you, but I get pretty excited about a better operating brain!
Through meditation you build new neural pathways which strengthens the brain. Age and stress weaken these neural networks. Science used to believe that at one point in life the brain ceased to develop but today neurosciences show us that the brain has the ability to change and get even better. So why not take advantage of this evidence and build a better and stronger brain! You can do it!
Studies also show that meditation increases grey matter density in the brain - specifically the frontal regions of the brain. Stress impacts grey matter - weakens it and erodes it, meditation counteracts this.
Mediation also dials down emotional parts of the brain and this is great for helping us self-regulate our emotions in the moment more effectively. A dialled up emotional centre leaves us feeling weaker, more reactive, less able to build awareness around our emotions (that's called Emotional Intelligence) and direct them in a way that serves us and those around us. A dialled down emotional brain centre allows us to feel more proactive even in a stressful moment. This is mental strength!
Studies also show that meditation thickens parts of the brain responsible for cognitive function and self-awareness this is a very good thing especially as we age.
Meditation, even a few minutes, calms down your sympathetic nervous system or what's called the fight or flight system. We are not at our most productive or most creative when we are in fight or flight mode and being in constant busy or stress mode, can weaken us mentally and physically over time. Through meditation you calm the brain which activates the parasympathetic nervous system. In a calmer brain state you make better decision, you are more creative, you feel better and you feel stronger. It's just so logical and so exciting I literally want to get on the seat right now and calm this gorgeous brain of mine - how about you?
So as we get set to begin a brand new year, one that will likely be full of all sorts of experiences, challenges and changes and remember that's not some evil plot against you but life just being life; it makes sense that working on transforming your mental strength is a great thing to do and I hope, in some way, I've inspired you that meditation is a tangible and proven way to do it.
Because there are two ways to go into this new year:
You can go in hoping that it will be better than last year and that nothing challenging will happen to and life will stay all cozy and comfy. Good luck with that one.
or
You can go in knowing that life is this incredible ever changing mosaic full of experiences and that challenges and change are just part of the ride and you can do something proactive to prepare for the ride that builds new levels of mental strength so that regardless of what happens your greatest asset - your Mind, is better equipped for it. You bounce back more easily. You are able to see even the challenges in whole new ways. You know that change is part of life and when your mind is stronger you don't judge yourself so much - which weakens you and starts that keeps us in this crazy hamster wheel, not growing, thriving and reaching our full potential.
You get to chose...and I hope you chose to meditate. As life gets more complex - Meditate!
And if you need help...that's what I'm here for...
Angela
Your Meditation Coach
Strengthening the Minds of individuals: https://www.angelakontgen.com/symphonies-for-the-mind
Strengthening the Minds of individuals in organizations: https://www.angelakontgen.com/inneredge
