"It really does the body no good if you don't also exercise your mind."
Okay, I just came in from my morning walk. That one that truthfully only happens once in a blue moon. So I need to get better at it, however...I exercise my mind all of the time. If I'd exercise my body as much as I exercise my mind, I'd be solid. Right now, physically I'm droopy (yes, I know that indicates sleepy, but saggy is a much harsher truth), but my mind is like an abdominal six pack. It's tight! Why? Because I'm always meditating on something fertile and positive. Have you ever taken the time to analyze and inventory your thoughts? How many of your thoughts are positive? How many are negative? Does one outweigh the other? If so, which side dominates? The dominant one is the difference between optimism/confidence and pessimism/insecurity. It's all in your mind. Many people spend hours a day in the gym or doing an intense physical exercise regimen in order to look good on the outside, and that works for them. At least until they attempt to have conversation! For me, there's nothing like seeing a drop dead gorgeous man who first tantalizes my optical senses, then opens his mouth and makes plain the drop dead part of his being. Have you ever had the experience of talking to someone who you wished would just shut the hell up because he/she is destroying your view of them? That's not cute on any level!
Exercising the mind is just as important as exercising the body. Though the mind can't be seen by others at first glance, you know it's there, and its maintenance is YOUR responsibility. Far too many people hold others responsible for soothing their brain stains and mental/emotional pain. If you're out looking for companionship, be aware that the most popular reason for people desiring a relationship is medical. They want a mate to medicate the pain of loneliness, poor quality of life, low self-esteem, failures in life, heartache from past break-ups, peer pressure, disapproval, job troubles, parenthood, bad childhoods, mommy/daddy issues, etc., and the list goes on. Anymore, people are as clients looking for potential therapists, and in the event they don't want any help from you, you'll be nothing more in the relationship than a masseuse!
If you're the one with all the issues, it's because you don't take the time to exercise your mind. It's almost as if you're just looking for a rock to crawl under. What's worse is that once you find it, almost immediately, you begin complaining about always having to be the one at the bottom. If you're that crab wanting to get out of the barrel, it is YOUR responsibility to get YOURSELF out. If you give the job of getting you out to someone else, you become their property; not his/her companion--his/her property. Like it or not. Now some people want that, and that's okay, too. But don't hate the rest of us who enjoy good mental health and independence! If you're angry about the other person who got the guy, the girl, the job, everyone else's attention, etc., remember that YOU chose to live in someone else's shadow. If you don't want to spend the money to pay the fiddler, don't get mad when you don't get to dance. It's that simple.
How do you get out? It starts with how you process the things that happen to you in life. If you're one of those people who takes everything that happens to you as a personal slap in the face, you're in need of a major personality overhaul. If you feel that everyone is out to get you, your thinking is extremely immature. In reality, most of the decisions made by others that effect you in your day have absolutely nothing to do with you personally. Examine your thoughts to see who the real culprit is. For example, are you that person who feels that everyone who drives slowly in front of you is doing so just to slow you down? Could it be that the person in front is driving the legal speed limit and you're speeding? Maybe he's already got way too many tickets and doesn't want another one. Was your lay-off really personal or was your company going belly-up? Does your neighbor really play his music loudly just to get on your nerves, or does he just like loud music? How do you process the things that happen in your day? Do you justify your lack of desire to work any harder than you do or be in a better position than you are (a nicer way of saying laziness) by blaming everyone else? In any given situation, do you see the glass as half empty or half full? When life hands you lemons, do you throw them at people or do you make lemonade? (If you're one who throws them, get anger management counseling. Please.)
There. How did that feel? You just exercised your mind by taking a look at some of the things that cause your mind to feel cramped, tired, or overweight (weighed down). And for all you physical fitness fanatics out there who are mindful enough to take good care of your bodies, remember this: The brain is the muscle, too, and it will also atrophy if you don't exercise it.
No comments:
Post a Comment