Sharpen your personality by sharpening your brain/memory!

“Your persona is how your mind is”, this is what a body language expert would say! This is very true!!

Let us first understand what we mean by “how mind is”. Mind is the most powerful and precious part of a human body (it is also true of every other living being). Principally, nature has gifted equally powerful mind to everyone. It means that there is nothing like sharpening a mind! This may be surprising but a reality!! The only differentiator from person to person is kind of thoughts, which a mind carries and activates body’s nervous system, which is seen as physical response. There are essentially 2 types of thoughts:

1. Thoughts, which are developed by the observation being made now through 5 human senses
2. Thoughts, which are triggered by human memory

If 2 persons are making same observation, then 1st type of thoughts would be exactly same in the minds of both persons. It is the 2nd type, which would always be different from person to person and that is what makes behavior/response of every individual different from other! Therefore, what assumes crucial role is memory system that resides in human brain, which has 3 types of memories – sensory, short term and long term.

So, “how mind is” means what types of thoughts your mind carries. Note that you have control only over 2nd type of thoughts, which are triggered by your brain or its memory system.

What is meant by sharpening brain/memory?

This is an area of utter confusion thus far! Does it mean remembering same thing again and again, so that you never forget? Does it mean thinking fast and store in your memory equally fast? Is it using your brain a lot or storming it with ideas?

It is none of the above!

Sharpening brain or memory means retrieval of stored thoughts quickly and correctly. For example – you have to answer a question and you know the answer, then “how quickly and correctly you could pull out the thought from your memory, as an answer” would determine sharpness of your memory or brain! Faster you do it accurately, sharper is your brain and hence mind.

How to sharpen your brain/memory

A sharp memory or brain makes a mind sharp! A sharp mind makes a man agile, versatile, observant, attentive, responsive and hence smart!

You find some people are great communicator; some are very spontaneous; few make great impact by their presence and interaction or from their smile and sight alone – such effects actually come from a sharp brain or mind behind!

Here below are few steps, which may come as surprise to you; but can surely sharpen your memory/brain:

1. Avoid at every cost a mind cluttered with thoughts or closter phobic with images or activities.
2. Don’t do multitasking, as it necessarily needs multiple thoughts, which would only make your mind chaotic!
   You can do single tasks or sub-tasks in sequence.
3. Don’t brood over past and bother about future!
   Focus only on “Now”.
4. Conflicting thoughts are most constraining and debilitating.
   More than 50% of time, we have conflicting thoughts. Your biggest opportunity lies in minimizing these. Challenge yourself when conflict occurs in your mind and hold on to only right thoughts.
5. Drop as many emotions from past as possible.
   These always make your mind to function erratically. Initially, you may get a feeling of emptiness; but that is only a psychological illusion. Ignore it.
6. Avoid being in rush! Learn to live with patience.
7. Practice focusing on single thoughts!
   Spend at least 10 minutes twice a day (out of which once should be in morning before starting your routine) by simply observing single thoughts passing your mind. See that these single thoughts are passing as slow and clear as possible.
8. Meditate and focus on your breathing.
9. Never get overwhelmed by any development; remain on ground!
10. If you are stressed, take a pause or break.
11. Close your eyes and speak out very slowly but step by step “one – two – three”. While doing so, notice thoughts which come at each step.
    Now, quietly recall with eyes remaining closed these thoughts in reverse order i.e. thought/s that came in your mind when you spoke “three” 1st to be recalled, followed by what came when you spoke “two” and in last those for “one”. More accurately you can do this; more powerful would be your brain’s ability to recall.

Above 11 points can propel you to be “sharp and savvy, intellectual and imaginative, decisive and decent”!