Upgrade Your Brain
Are you tired of walking around with the same old brain?
The brain that gets anxious. The brain that gets jealous. The brain that gets sad. The brain that gets angry. The brain that works against you and sabotages your every attempt at success.
It might be time to upgrade your brain with a mindset shift.
Your mindset defines your reality. It’s the mental programming your brain uses to process the world around you. The good news is you can reprogram your brain. In the same way you reprogram a computer by upgrading its operating system, you can upgrade your brain by changing your mindset.
Here are five powerful mindset shifts that will upgrade your brain and get it working for you instead of against you.
Eliminate 50% of Your Stress with Stoicism
What do these things have in common?
The weather. Politics. What other people think about us. Give up? They are all things that we have no control over. Yet, we sadly waste an incredible amount of time getting stressed, worried, and emotional about them. Along with a thousand other things we cannot control.
Stoicism helps you stop worrying about things you cannot control.
This mindset is summarized in this short and sweet quote from the Stoic philosopher Epictetus: “Of things some are in our power, and others are not.” It is simple but powerful advice. Imagine if you stopped worrying about things you couldn’t control. How much stress would you save yourself? How much happier would your life be?
Stop worrying about things you don’t have control over and watch the stress in your life melt away.
Serve Yourself by Serving Others with “Help This Person”
Most people put their needs first.
It’s only natural. After all, we are the main character in this story right? We are at the center of the universe. We see everything as happening TO us and everyone doing things FOR us. The problem with this mindset is that it leads to disillusionment and dissatisfaction. The world never quite lives up to the standards we set. It never quite meets our expectations.
It turns out the center of the universe is not a very happy place to be.
Instead, set your orbit around others. Put the needs of others before your own and seek to serve instead of being served. The author Bruce Kasanoff provides a mindset shift to help us put others first: “Every time you encounter another person, think: help this person. It’s not altruistic. Nothing else can so quickly supercharge your career and improve the quality of your life.” What a beautiful way to live! What an incredible way to make your life meaningful.
The next time you think you aren’t getting enough from life; shift your mindset. Start giving.
Say Goodbye to Regret with Amor Fati
Regret is a heavy burden to carry through life.
It’s tragic to think of all the suffering regret has caused. But the truth is we are all human. We’ve all made mistakes. It’s what humans do. Regret over mistakes made is a heavy load that we can drop with a simple mindset shift.
The mindset of Amor Fati can help you drop the burden of regret and guilt.
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche described his formula for human greatness as Amor Fati: “That one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backwards, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it….but love it.” What a beautiful mindset! To not regret or wish that things were different. But to LOVE everything that has happened to you. It couldn’t have happened any other way because it happened the way it did. Don’t regret it, or “come to terms” with it. Love it!
The next time you are feeling the sting of regret, think “Amor Fati.” Watch those feelings disappear as you choose to love your life exactly as it has unfolded.
Master Your Emotions by Creating The Space
Most people go through life slaves to their emotions.
They have a default response to every circumstance. This happens, they get mad. That happens, they get sad. Another thing happens, they get anxious. They are like emotional robots. As soon as a stimulus happens, they immediately respond based on their emotional “programming.”
They don’t realize they have a choice. That they can create a space and choose their response.
The concentration camp survivor and Psychologist Victor Frankl teaches us: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” The next time something happens that elicits a negative emotion; stop. Create the space between stimulus and response.
Claim your emotional freedom.
Eliminate the Fear of Death with Momento Mori
What if you were told that you had only one week to live?
You would probably be terrified. After all, we are supposed to fear death … right? We all walk through life with the specter of our own death hovering over our shoulders. We push the thought out of our minds. Ignore it. Don’t think about death. It’s too depressing.
In reality, reflecting upon your death is one of the most life-affirming things you can do.
The mindset of Momento Mori is a powerful way to use the awareness of your mortality to your advantage.
Memento Mori is a Latin phrase meaning ‘remember you must die’. It teaches us that taking time to reflect upon the fact that we will die makes life more valuable and precious.
So, instead of being afraid of death, accept it. Let it inspire you to make the most of every moment you have.
So there you have it. Five powerful mindset shifts that can help you upgrade your brain.
A better brain is just a mindset shift away.
Upgrade your mindset, upgrade your life.
