Brain Bulletin #75 - Because that's How You See Yourself ...
in Brain BulletinYou don't perceive a reality as it really is. You perceive a reality as it is constructed by your own mind.
Henri-Louis Bergson stated, "The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." He was right.
Your brain thinks in pictures, not words.
Close your eyes for a moment and think of a tomato. Notice that you saw a picture of a 'tomato'. It was probably red. You didn't see the letters 't-o-m-a-t-o' floating nowhere in space. This picture was created in the occipital lobe of your brain. Metaphorically, we call this "the mind's eye."
These pictures in your mind's eye are a big deal.
Scientists, for years, have speculated that the act of seeing things in your mind's eye uses the same brain circuits that you use when seeing things with your physical eyes. Brains scans now show this to be true.
The mind's eye really does exist, and it shapes your version of reality. Your brain engages with your environment by connecting incoming stimuli with what is already stored in your brain. Most likely the dominant picture.
You check your Facebook pictures, the family album...when was the last time you mindfully checked the pictures in your brain? It is difficult to overstate the importance of this. Napoleon Hill once said, "You become what you think about." This is a powerful thought.
Your brain is a thought producing machine. Thoughts are real forces. Thoughts produce pictures in your brain. These pictures are more powerful than you suspect. Any picture that is held in the mind's eye is a force that will eventually produce an effect. And remember, thoughts that are emotionalized become magnetized. They attract similar thoughts.
Here is great video that illustrates the power of the mind's eye to shape reality. This award winning, 20 minute, video is amazing. And yet it's not, because we all play out our own version of it every day.
Here is the "Butterfly Circus". Enjoy: The Butterfly Circus
Albert Einstein said, "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." You will always remain where you are unless you change your picture. By changing the picture in your mind's eye you begin to change your reality.
Put the exact pictures you want in your brain. Once or twice won't do it. Put them there over and over again. Then watch things change.
PS..if you missed my TEDxGreatWall talk "Brain Without Walls"presented in China here is the link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1ac3xX1JG4&feature=relmfu
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Well, it has been a busy fall so far. It started with a speaking tour in Switzerland, 2 trips to give keynotes in Manitoba, and lots of local talks. Lots of highlights... including 3 presentations at St. George's International School in Montreux, Switzerland.
I am off to Flin Flon, Manitoba this week to keynote the Regional Community Health Conference. I love Manitoba! Lots of local talks and then off to Mumbai, India for 7 presentations. I am looking forward to working with Oberoi International.
I have been enjoying the Rugby World Cup. To my friends in New Zealand and France good luck in the final.
My favorite book this month was "Life Without Limits - Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life." The author is the main character in the video you just watched. Nick Vujicic's motto is, "If you can't get a miracle, be one." His book is a great read.
