A mind is a competent tool. The original supercomputer that’s known to move inanimate objects and create realities. It’s even said the mind can heal the sick. Then how come we don’t use it to its total capacity? Possibly because we don’t know how? Perhaps because these ideas and concepts are shrouded in mystery and mysticism? I think it’s because it’s not being explained in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.
You may be eager to jump into things and get right to it. I don’t blame you. I know I would be if someone said, “Hey buddy, there’s a better way.” But, just hold on one more second as I’d like to explain a few things really quickly. I fucked up majorly one day and took a shitload of mushrooms on an empty stomach. So much that I had an out-of-body experience and watched myself spin out of control for what felt like forever.
The shitty part was when I went for help, I was handed a joint and told to relax. Not what I was after. Making it back to my apartment, I spent a good portion of that time vomiting bile. And debating whether or not I would kill myself by jumping off of my balcony headfirst.
Obviously, I didn’t, and you can thank Jimi Hendrix for that.
The next day I woke up feeling like shit, as you’d imagine. I decided to go hang out by the pool. Randomly, I met a fellow named Robert. Older chap tall like me, had long blonde hair and wore cutoff jean shorts. We chatted for a bit and talked about cerebral topics, the meaning of life, and such. Kind of what you’d expect from a college kid who just dropped a field of mushrooms and some old hippy straight out of recovery.
We began to touch on topics like positive thinking and manifestation. It hadn’t been the first time I’d heard about PMA (positive mental attitude), but it was the first time I had heard of manifesting one’s desires. Our conversation wrapped up with a goodbye, and I went back to my apartment, where my roommates and best friend Angel were chilling. We pirated a lot of shit back then, and it wasn’t uncommon for a homie to mention they had something downloaded if we all wanted to watch.
That day Angel had a copy of The Secret. What a fucking crazy coincidence. Or was it?
That single moment, post-tripping balls to the point I contemplated suicide and then meeting Bob led me to this moment here today as I write this. It led me down a path of self-healing through trial and error. The absorption of more information than I can care to remember. It led to my mother telling me I was part of the occult for reading Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. But most importantly, it led me to an understanding.
One must understand that there are core concepts to fully appreciate this information. Therefore I start this off with a breakdown of the basics I feel are quintessential to fully achieving your desired results with these theories and practices. It’s essential to grasp how this works, how everything is related, and how to apply this knowledge to your life.
It’s not enough to wish and dream for something. We have to have intent and take inspired action towards our goals to achieve them. Therefore it’s critical you not skip this part and seek out more knowledge beyond what I can offer at this time.
Aside: Occultism is shrouded in negativity and evil. I’m sorry to tell you you’re wrong. Occultism was born out of necessity due to the persecution of abstract ideas and thinking. Yes, there are evil spirits. One can do bad things with magic but know that the universe will repay you tenfold for any ill will upon humanity. During certain periods, specific regimes banned the idea of any type of thought that did not agree with their ideologies. Thinkers went underground, subsequently the birth of secret societies and hidden knowledge. DYOR.
Core concepts of a powerful mind
Core concepts of a powerful mind covers areas that I think are vital to applying these techniques, thoughts, and theories in this article. It will touch on topics that unlock the possibility of comprehending how we can manifest our dreams. Yes, I know that sounds nuts. I promise it’s really not as crazy as it sounds. Also, this isn’t culty shit, I’m not into those things, and I’m not gonna ask you to put on a foil hat and drink some Kool-aid.
All I ask is that you proceed with an open mind, an essence of curiosity, and a tiny bit of trust. Yes, trust. Trust that I have no intention to mislead you. My only desire is to share and inspire.
The information here on out will help you understand a lot of what you’ve probably heard about if you’ve watched The Secret or read books like The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. I aim to make it so that you can develop your own ideas out of my understanding and experiences by providing insight, information, and resources to inspire thought.
I want you to take what I am giving you and go out for yourself and find a way to make sense of it on your own. I want you to apply this to your own lives and inspire others. It’s really that simple. In this article, I will touch on the following topics:
- Reticular Activating System (RAS)
- Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
- Visualization
- Inspired Action
- Manifestation
These main areas are the foundation of your proverbial kingdom. By having this solid foundation, you’ll be able to begin to reshape how you think, create a vision, set an intention, and take action towards manifesting your dreams. You’ll have a solid foundation for growing the different areas of your life and finding fulfillment. Hell, you may even stumble on your life’s purpose and find something new you’ve never even thought of.
Reticular Activating System (RAS)
I’m sure you’ve all experienced a scenario where you began to think about something, let’s say a car. All of a sudden, you see that car everywhere. Well, my friend, this is your Reticular Activating System or RAS. The RAS is about the size of your little finger and located in the stem of our brains. Wikipedia defines the RAS as such:
The ascending reticular activating system (ARAS), also known as the extrathalamic control modulatory system. Or simply, the reticular activating system (RAS) is a set of connected nuclei in the brain responsible for regulating wakefulness and sleep-wake transitions.
Which means what? Basically, what you focus on is what you get.
The RAS is like a tiny computer in our brains and acts as the CPU. Every cell in our body is wired to it. The RAS transmits all the conscious and non-conscious information we receive and emit through the day and night. It’s a minor system in charge of a lot. This little system and network of cells are responsible for what we get in life, believe it or not. When you start thinking about that particular car you like, you see it everywhere.
Above your spinal cord, about two inches long, maybe the width of a pencil, where all your senses come in, except for smell, is the RAS. Some people know this as the pineal gland. It serves as a filter between your conscious mind and your non-conscious mind. The RAS takes instructions from your conscious mind and passes them on to your non-conscious mind. This action is known as “setting your intent.” You can train your RAS by taking your non-conscious thoughts and focusing hard on your goals. Your RAS will reveal the people, information, and opportunities that help you achieve them.
If you’re familiar with concepts such as Gnosticism, New Thought, or the Law of Attraction, it’s like those things, only not spelled the same.
The one thing that we have complete control over is our mind. If we choose. When we learn how powerful our mind is, we can train it to become even more powerful. With this power, we can shape the life that we ultimately desire.
Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
A positive mental attitude or the state in which you keep your mind is the filter responsible for the outcomes you desire. Without a positive mental attitude, you will receive whatever you focus on through whatever lens you choose to install. This is why you hear this mentioned in any form of self-help. What the mind can conceive, it can achieve.
It does not determine whether your intentions are positive or negative, constructive or destructive. Those definitions are applied by humans. The mind works in ones and zeros, just like an actual computer. Electrical impulses are sent from the brain to wherever they are supposed to go.
What is a positive mental attitude? A positive mental attitude is a positive outlook on any and all instances and situations in life. Remember, we are the ones who have control over how we react to things and how we process things. We are the ones that ultimately define the values of the variables that are present within our life. Yes, there are things labeled good and evil, but they don’t have any meaning unless we choose for those things to affect us in a good or a bad way.
As an example, I like to wake up every morning and go and get coffee. Some mornings I like to walk to a local coffee shop, sit there for a while, and read. Other mornings I want to go downstairs to the lobby, grab a coffee from the machine, and back upstairs. While other days I make some at home and never leave the house. Or I’ll go a completely different route altogether.
This is my typical routine, and I rely on it to structure my priorities and reflect. On the days I can’t do what I want to because something forced my actions to change, I can be angry at something I cannot control. Or I can look at it in a way that the universe wants me to do something else. Therefore, the change in plans is actually a blessing.
That simple shift in attitude and opportunistic approach is the basis of a positive mental attitude. Yes, my routine was interrupted, and yes, it’s something that I really wanted to do. However, there’s an opportunity there to go a different route. The universe presents the chance for me to do something else; therefore, I can see that if I’m viewing it through a positive lens. Keeping a positive mental attitude is crucial.
I was fortunate that my mother instilled this in me early on. However, as a kid, you don’t necessarily listen to the things your parents are teaching you. I was fortunate that my teachers and mentors believed in positive mental attitudes and incorporated them into the curriculum. Even so, I will openly admit I’ve not always practiced this.
What is a positive attitude, then? As I said, a positive mental attitude is simply just that. Whatever you define to be positive, sound, or beneficial to you is your positivity, and that is what you align your thinking patterns with. Therefore a positive mental attitude is literally a state of being. It is the choice to be in a happy, neutral, positive place.
After recently watching Napoleon Hill’s videos on Amazon, it was very intriguing to view the bonus video, precisely on a positive mental attitude. I’ve been thinking about this and emotional intelligence, which aligns with a positive mental attitude. I think it’s imperative to note that a positive mental attitude is one of the critical aspects of achieving your success. If you have a positive mental attitude, you are the type of person who sees the hole in the donut and the donut around the whole. Otherwise, you’re the type of person that only sees the hole in the donut.
This means that the way you look at a situation and how you frame your mind is the ultimate result you achieve. Suppose your mind has a negative mental attitude. You do nothing to control it, which is the only thing we can fully control. In that case, you will be part of a hypnotic rhythm that will continue to keep you in that said rhythm. Until you decide to use your natural-born right to control your mind.
When a positive mental attitude is in conjunction with a strong desire, a firm belief in achievement, and the will to take continuous action over time, our visualizations become manifestations.
Aside: It should be said that positive and negative are subjective. People define these words differently even though there is a standard agreement on what they mean. Positivity can be linked-to constructive decisions or views that lead to the benefit of humanity. While negative can be linked to the destructive choices or opinions that lead to detriment.
Visualization in the mind
In the book, The Master Key System, a passage including Henry Flagler discusses that his secret to success was his ability to visualize his dreams in their entirety. It’s said that he could fully envision the tracks, trains running, and whistles blowing. Therefore he had a clear visualization of what he wanted to achieve. Why is it vital that you have a vision to act upon it?
Having a vision and clearly seeing it in one way or another is a substantial part of this whole process. How can you achieve what it is that you desire if you cannot picture what it is you’re trying to accomplish? Michael Phelps, an Olympic gold medalist, reportedly envisioned every aspect of his triumphant feats, including potential failures or challenges that he may encounter. He replayed these visions in his mind over and over again. They are what helped propel him to victory when his goggles fogged and filled with water. Creating an image of your dreams is similar when you think about it. Generally, you’ll need an idea of what it is you want.
Why can some clearly see a vision and others struggle?
I think our ability to clearly visualize and conceptualize ties heavily to the fact that people aren’t taught how. Not everyone can quickly draw pictures with their mind’s eye. Having a vision and being able to actually communicate your ideas are critical. Way more necessary than we realize. None of this really started to sink in until I took up another medium of creative expression, and that was music. I now had to think about a new art form with new constraints, limitations, and expectations. The point is that I had to visualize how to position sounds in space.
I know it’s weird. Literally, how do you visualize something audible and position it in a fictitious container? I did what I always do. Break it down to the basics. When I was taught to draw, I learned that everything was made of basic shapes. Those basic shapes combined with other forms eventually make up whatever is being drawn. When I was teaching myself audio production and arrangement, I learned that mixing professionals use visualizations to compose their tracks and place sounds.
With this understanding, arranging and mixing became much more accessible. I even began to enjoy music much more through active listening as I distinguished the instruments and where they were positioned in an arrangement.
Having a clear vision goes beyond seeing what it is that you want. Having a vision also entails dealing with scenarios that could sway you from achieving your successes, just like Phelps did. Research has shown that people tend to revert to their old ways at critical times. This is why risk management and assessment should be built into your overall vision. Having a vision and getting that vision onto “paper” involves creation. Creation is our ultimate driver. It’s a blessing, a gift, and the whole reason we are alive.
How do you increase your ability to visualize goals? Are there ways to improve visualization skills? Is a vision board necessary?
As a child, I saw life from two perspectives. One, an impoverished lower class child to a single mother living in government housing. Two, from the perspective of my childhood friend since 2nd grade. His family was highly affluent and lived a very different life. I didn’t understand the difference that money made at that time. Still, I did know that if you’re educated, ambitious, driven, and disciplined, you can achieve great things. I also saw ways to model life.
I was once told to become successful that modeling someone else’s behavior would or could lead to clues and a path towards success. Which I think is very accurate. Looking at others’ ways to success can help you formulate your own strategy and ideas. You can begin to see how they got to where they got, leading to clues on how you can possibly get there yourself. It may not give you an entire overall picture, but it can at least give you a foundation.
Having a vision for your life is your north star. Knowing that life is what you make is a critical aspect of all that can be achieved.
I was told I could do anything I wanted when I was younger as long as I put my mind to it. This was a curse and a blessing. A curse in the sense that I try anything and everything until I figure out what works. A gift because I do a lot of stuff and learn many different things. My fake cousin will tell you this. One minute I’m a powerlifter eating two steak dinners. Next, I’m an investor, explaining the history of financial markets.
That’s the vision, though. I see something, I want it, I desire it, I take action towards it, I realize if I really like it or not. Bing bong.
I think it’s important to note that visualization is also very similar or closely defined as belief. You see, the visualization of one’s dreams and goals give them the ability to believe that what it is they have conjured up in their head is achievable. Therefore, when we set out on this quest to improve our lives, we have to have a desire, belief, and intent to accomplish whatever we want.
The Power of Habit talks a lot about visualizing success in very different ways. Going back to the example of Michael Phelps, in his training from an early age, he had a “videotape” that played in his head to get him calm and ready for competition. The videotape that he had in his head was something he played repeatedly. It wasn’t just him visualizing success. He also envisioned what it would be like to swim against several different scenarios. Because Michael Phelps had installed these training methods early on, it influenced his behavior throughout his life. It gave him a routine that he could fall into before any competition, which allowed him to prepare mentally for the task ahead of him.
Later, you will learn that willpower is a depleting resource and needs to be used thoughtfully.
In the case of Michael Phelps, he was able to train his body to be much more efficient because of his routine. When it was time for competition or training in general, he automatically went into these habits; therefore, his brain and physical systems required less energy. He was able to reserve the remaining power for his brainpower which was crucial for remaining strong during the critical moments.
Inspired Action
Recently the producers of The Secret released a follow-up to their initial film. There was a lot of backlash due to misunderstandings relating to the Law of Attraction. That is because one simply cannot have a vision, hold it in their head, and expect things to come to fruition. The entire film was about the same topic I’m mentioning here in this section. Inspired action. You must take action towards your vision for it to manifest into reality.
An inspired action is the ability to move towards one’s goals, dreams, and desires. Inspired action can also be classified as an action that sparks inspiration to make a change. Often it takes a crisis to make a significant change in life, but that doesn’t always have to be the case.
The concept of “inspired action” is derived from the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction states that a corresponding action must yield it for every desired outcome. If your desire was wealth, you would take the necessary steps to increase your value and manage your funds properly to receive a result as positive as possible.
The Law of Attraction primarily focuses on the individual’s thoughts and feelings directly influencing reality. Inspired action takes this concept one step further by considering external factors such as personal network and community support. This type of support will allow individuals to muster enough courage and motivation towards their goals and forge new relationships with people who share common interests and perspectives.
The vision within our head only materializes when one listens to the instructions presented forth by the universe and acts upon them promptly. Visions eventually transgress from a thought to a physical manifestation, whether it be a written down idea, the scoping of a project, or simply performing a task. Once that action manifests into a realization, further action can surface a more transparent path and prevention strategies, steps, and guides.
Many people feel they are victims of life circumstances. Still, it is within our power to create the life we desire by taking inspired actions. Self-empowerment begins with setting high standards for yourself then following through with inspired actions despite any fear or doubt about achieving your visions. We can build a system or routine that rewards us with what we truly desire through consistent effort, visualization, inspired action, and a positive mental attitude.
Manifestation
The manifestations of our dreams stem from different things. Still, the most significant factor in manifestation is the inspired action and the routines that we build around those sets of steps. It’s challenging to manifest if you’re not coming from a positive place or a place of opportunity. Sometimes, you can’t always recognize where those opportunities are and how they present themselves. Manifestation comes in a lot of different forms.
“Manifestation” is the philosophy of creating lasting and meaningful change in your life. It’s a system of understanding and tools used to create what you want, waiting for us to realize it.
Lately, there’s been confusion regarding this, with people treating manifestation as the get-rich-quick scheme of the new age or a shortcut to success. To manifest something more meaningful, we have to define what we actually want. Write what pops into your head at first, even if it’s confusing or contradicts itself. This will help with manifesting later on.
Manifestation is a process, not an event.
Manifestation isn’t something that happens all at once. Suppose you want to manifest a five-figure weekend getaway for your significant other. In that case, it’s going to take more than just thinking about it and hoping for the best. In fact, the most successful manifestation plans include breaking down large undertakings into smaller steps. This makes it easier to see what actions you need to take to achieve each small milestone along the way.
Another important part of manifestation is getting rid of whatever holds you back from achieving your goals (especially if they’re non-conscious). This could be anything: even limiting beliefs or fears can hold us back!
You can try a variety of different methods, such as:
- Meditation to clear your mind and gain clarity
- Journaling to get any thoughts and emotions on a page
- Visualization, or imagining yourself already in possession
There are plenty more options like this—the point is, they’re all ways of clearing away whatever obstacles might be blocking you from achieving your best self and getting right into the manifestation process. Once you’ve got a good idea in mind, it’s time to look at how your manifestation will appear in the physical world. For example, if you’re creating a painting, metaphorically paint yourself into that scene—literally if possible! The more senses you can involve and activate, the better.
If it’s writing, imagine what your ideal future would look like. What feelings are you feeling? How does it smell? Who else is there? Get as specific as possible with everything from colors to emotions. To have something solid to focus on during the visualization process, try using objects near you that already represent what you want.
An example that I personally manifested in my life would be my car. My dream car was out of reach, but I knew I wanted something fast, reliable, luxurious, and German. I also knew I had a budget, and I wouldn’t go over that budget. I built a vision in my mind of the features, price points, packages, and anything else I could think of. I spent hours researching every dealership and the used car inventory within my immediate vicinity.
On a random Tuesday about mid-day, I stumbled upon a listing for a car that I never would’ve considered. Which ended up being the one I purchased and had everything I was after and more. I manifested all that and more by holding specific ideas in mind.
Conclusion
It’s time to start living your dreams and manifesting the life you want! To do this, it may be helpful for you to create a positive mental attitude. This can be done by visualizing what you desire as if it already happened. or through practicing gratitude each day. You should also make sure that there is inspired action in every goal because taking small steps towards our goals helps us realize them faster. Finally, we need to take care of ourselves mentally and physically don’t become overwhelmed with stressors outside of work and home responsibilities.
What are some things you’re going to create for yourself?
Additional homework for the mind
You are in charge of your life. You need to research and find out what will work for you. I’ve included helpful resources below that can help with this journey. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for making changes. By no means is this an exhaustive list.
Books
- Think and Grow Rich
- Three Feet From Gold
- Outwitting the Devil
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
- The Power of Habit
- Atomic Habits
- Ninja Selling
- The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
- Third Circle Theory
- Radius
- What Is Your WHAT?
- Daring Greatly
- Feeling is The Secret
- It Works
- The Game of Life and How To Play It
- The Kybalion
- The Prophet
- The Strangest Secret
- As a Man Thinketh
- The Master Key System
- An Introduction to Gnosis
Movies
Online Resources
References
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