Feed Your Mind

Albert Einstein once said, “If you feed your mind as often as you feed your stomach, then you’ll never have to worry about feeding your stomach or a roof over your head or clothes on your back.”  I read this recently and it prompted me to consider its implications for success.  Does my daily mental input affect my productivity, performance, and success?

I found a couple of other quotes that intrigued me:

• “Life consists of what a man is thinking about all day.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” James Allen

I generally try to have a positive attitude.  I believe that has helped me in my life and career.  I have been blessed with exposure to some tremendous people in my life.  When I was in high school, I read “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.  I even took my high school girlfriend (who became my wife) to see and hear Dr. Peale in person.  I read all his books.  I also had the opportunity to meet Zig Ziglar in person.  I worked for a company that published two of his books.  These two authors had a profound influence on me and my philosophy toward success.

I decided to do a little research and see if there is an impact on what we listen to or feed on mentally.  It appears that it’s not just some personal development hype.  There are profound positive consequences, even physically. 

There were quite a few research articles published on the web about the benefits of positive thinking on personal health.  The Mayo Clinic published an article on positive and negative thinking (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950) and stated “Positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health.  Practice overcoming negative self-talk with examples provided.”  I recommend reviewing this article.  It lists ten health benefits of positive thinking, identifies negative thinking, and has suggestions for putting positive thinking into practice.

Johns Hopkins Medical School released the results of positive and negative thinking and outlooks on heart disease.  The report stated “People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook.”

I even noticed that a diet book my wife and I just read (Dr. Kellyann’s Bone Broth Diet) even had an entire chapter devoted to helping you develop a positive mind set to lose and keep pounds off!

One of the best summaries of the impact of feeding your mind is this quote from Jac Vanec – “You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you spend time with, the conversations you engage in. Choose wisely what you feed your mind.”

I have dealt a lot with negative self-talk.  I know from personal experience that it can immobilize you and put you in a very dark place.  I found out early (in high school primarily) that reading or listening to positive people like Norman Vincent Peale, Zig Ziglar, and John Maxwell leaves me in a much better place.  I find myself inspired, motivated, and excited as a result.

The leader sets the tone for his/her organization.  It is my opinion that the leader needs to set the tone with themself first.  How does the leader do this?  I am still learning, but I can share four areas I’m applying in my life:

1. Recognize that the struggle is real and constant.  Be aware there are both positive and negative influences in and around you every day.  Prepare yourself for the struggle.
2. Build routines in your daily life that will add or preserve positive inputs and influences in your life.  For me, I do the following:
   • Quiet Time:  I start my day with prayer, Bible reading, and journaling.  This works for me.
   • Daily Dozen:  I have a list of twelve quotes and thoughts I try to read daily to start my day.  These quotes are from wide and varying sources.  Start gathering your Daily Dozen.  Just the act of searching for twelve positive or uplifting quotes or thoughts will add positive influence in your life.
   • Affirmations:  I also have a list of affirmations that I read.  I started to read these daily, and admit I’ve struggled with this recently.  I’m trying to re-energize this.
   • Reading:  I watch what I read.  I don’t look at the news in the morning until I’ve done my quiet time.  I also read a lot of books.  I ensure I have a few personal development, motivational, or self-help books in the mix
3. Check your attitude.  I have to remember to do this daily, sometimes multiple times in a single day.  I remember one course I took that taught that you can’t always control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it.  The course even called that response-ability.
4. Build in accountability.  In psychology, you’ll learn that peer reinforcement is one of the strongest influences.  I have an accountability partner that I connect with weekly.  We also are available for each other if something comes up in between our calls.  I also share my struggles and goals with my wife.  She knows what I’m trying to work on and will remind me when I stray off the path.

Do you believe what you feed your mind impacts your chances of success, your outlook on life, and your health?  I do.  Do you have daily routines that help (or hurt)?  How do you ensure you have positive inputs and influences in your life?

I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts.  Let me know what you think.