What is the mind? Unless we know what the mind is we cannot develop it. The mind is not the brain, but the mind works in the brain and the heart. The mind works in the entire human system, electrifying the being [human] for productivity.
When we think of the mind, it is safe to think in terms of the mental faculties of reasoning, perception, will, intuition, imagination, and memory. It is safe to look at the conscious and the subconscious mind.
With the conscious, we have the windows into our unseen. These are the eyes, the ears, the nose, the mouth, and the touch. These five physical senses lead to the subconscious mind buried within.
Our mind is our consciousness. Every living cell and entity in our entire faculty has the imprint and workings of the mind, for the mind is not a physical entity. It is a software, an abstract, a neurotic entity; and that is why the heart thinks as well as the brain. [As he thinks in his heart, so is he.]
What must we do to develop the mind?
We must:
- Know the mind of the Maker of the mind. The Maker is the creator of the mind, and He is the Infinite and Universal Mind. Efforts must be made to seek this mind. In seeking this mind, we will find. We will find the truth. We will find the light. We will find the creative word. We will find the way and walk the way. We will have life in abundance. We will be discerning and know the minds of men. We will get wise and be able to live in peace with ourselves and others, regardless of the situation life throws us into.
- In the absence of a well-developed mind, it is difficult to be emotionally smart. It is difficult to be spiritually alert. It is almost impossible to practise love and live above fear. There is a connection if you think in terms of: 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
- Man is able to access a soundness of mind if he or she receives the spirit that conquers fear, that is powerful, and capable of love. This is quite revealing. The mind may not be sound therefore unless it aligns with the Universal and Infinite Mind.
- We must make intentional and consistent efforts to discover the mind of the Maker in line with our gifts and build skills along those lines. The Universal Mind gives us gifts. We have to give ourselves skills with which to use the gift for the purpose of service to others. There is no purpose outside service and purpose is not ours. It is for others, but it must be deployed by us through the gifts we receive and develop.
- We are to build and develop the right attitude and emotional intelligibilities. We must identify our rationalities as well as our irrationalities. We cannot be of any true or great value if we lack the right attitude. We cannot afford to be rude, cantankerous, disrespectful, exercising anger without restraint, proud, have unbridled greed, and yet expect patronage. These are the traits of an irrational mind. Such a mind is anything but sound.
- In the process of skilling our minds, we toughen our mental muscles. We may experience rejections, but we must come to terms with the fact that they can lead to redirection for accomplishments. Our path do not get clearer and more lucid without toughness. Going through a difficult patch will actually prove if we have a potentially strong or weak mind. The challenges we go through will either make or break our minds. When people get broken, it is for fixing, not for destruction. This is the path to maturity. We mature in adversity, depending on who we are deep within.
- It feels safe to ask: What do you read? What do you observe? What do you listen to? What do you smell constantly? What do you feel in the environment you play in? Do realize that the environment holds an ace to what your mind feeds on. What gets into you from your environment? Can you patiently engage these simple questions?
Now, how do we sustain what we build? Sustainability is a matter of upping the game of building and developing the mind. In this case, we have to move from strength to strength and from soundness to soundness. We are not able to stay away from consistency till we hit genius and even at this point of mastery, we are relentless in updates by staying hungry, and by decluttering and desilting our minds.
We do away with those things that are obsolete. We do away with facts, not truths. Facts change. Truth does not. We cling and hold on to enduring values established in the Truth in tandem with the Infinite Mind. This mind never goes out of style. It is the one to bank with. The investment is secure.
We stay relentless in the milieu of service. The mentality of selfless service to others creates in us a compelling curiosity to seek value for them. This mindset stays relevant and productive. Our consciousness stays alert.
Someone wrote: "Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers, or you can grow weeds." I think that what you read, listen to, and observe often, feed or influence your thoughts and imagination. It is more than important to know and understand this.
