“Mr.
Osborne, May I be excused? My brain is full,” a student with a particularly
tiny head asks his classroom teacher in a classic Far Side comic by Gary
Larson. The deadpan answer to this question would be, “No, your brain is almost
certainly not full.” Although there must be a physical limit to how many
memories we can store, it is extremely large. We don’t have to worry about
running out of space in our lifetime.
The
human brain consists of about one billion neurons. Each neuron forms about
1,000 connections to other neurons, amounting to more than a trillion
connections. If each neuron could only help store a single memory, running out
of space would be a problem. You might have only a few gigabytes of storage
space, similar to the space in an iPod or a USB flash drive. Yet neurons
combine so that each one helps with many memories at a time, exponentially
increasing the brain’s memory storage capacity to something closer to around
2.5 petabytes (or a million gigabytes). For comparison, if your brain worked
like a digital video recorder in a television, 2.5 petabytes would be enough to
hold three million hours of TV shows. You would have to leave the TV running
continuously for more than 300 years to use up all that storage.
The
brain’s exact storage capacity for memories is difficult to calculate. First,
we do not know how to measure the size of a memory. Second, certain memories
involve more details and thus take up more space; other memories are forgotten
and thus free up space. Additionally, some information is just not worth
remembering in the first place.
This is
good news because our brain can keep up as we seek new experiences over our
lifetime. If the human life span were significantly extended, could we fill our
brains? I’m not sure. Ask me again in 100 years.
Paul
Reber, professor of psychology at Northwestern University
My dear reader, the above statement by the
professor begins our systematic approach into understanding the influence of
positive thinking in our pursuit for success. On a personal note, the first time
I read this statement; it gave me an impression that the little whitish organ
in our head is indeed a big deal. This made me understand and appreciate what a
man looses when he or she is insane or abnormal. This statement also made it
clear to me that you and I have underestimated ourselves for so long. Throughout
our life time, we have been working under capacity of who we really are and
what we are truly made of. As if that is not all, I came to a very insightful
conclusion on the contributions of the brain to our success. Key amongst them
is what is termed the power of positive thinking.
This has been the literary
backbone of numerous writers like Norman Vecent Pearl and others who want to
use the idea of positive thinking as a divine 0pportunity. I am sometimes
influenced by my religious background as a Muslim to sometimes agree with them;
thus, the miracle of the brain and positive thinking can be made possible only
by divine intervention. But one thing crosses my mind and influences my
conclusion. I ask myself this question; what
about those who do not believe in religion? Because as a matter of fact, it is
the Atheists (people who do not believe in the existence of God) who control
the world today. From a mare observation, one will see it is only as a result
of the religiously influenced majority waiting on God to provide for them
everything, whiles they do obviously nothing in search of their needs. I am
tempted to side with the Islamic ideology which is very objective as to who
receives the blessings of God. Just as the gift of rain, fame, money, food, etc.
is meant for everyone who seeks to find it, so do I conclude that the miracle
that comes along with positive thinking is not only made available for the
religiously inclined but for the willing heart. If you search for it, you will
find it.
Positive thinking simply means; pondering and
reflecting on good as well as avoiding thinking of evil. I did not limit my
definition to only thinking of good but rather striving to avoid thinking of
evil or the unexpected (negative events). This is because the later has to do
with self-discipline. When one develops the attitude of not thinking of evil
even when one is not thinking of good, is a sign of self and mental discipline.
Being able to avoid thinking of negative event and circumstances that might
struck you at any time despite all the lures and the temptations, you sill
strive hard to fly on the wings of strength and hope. That I say is not a
negligible fact and forms a vital part of your positive thinking. If positive
thinking is going to help you achieve success, then we can image how easy it
will be if we have mental discipline in addition. There comes the question;
what happens to you when you think positively? Indeed, it is a world known fact
that the mind has a feature called the force of attraction. This force draws us
closer to our thought. Regardless of whether your thoughts are positive or
negative, when you think of it, you will see it. If you see it in your mind,
you can hold it in your hands. The things that run through your mind every
single day are images that will materialize exactly the way you thought of it.
Thinking is like building, the more you think about it, the more bricks you lay
and the closer you are to achieving it. Whatever place you want to be; whatever
image that you want to carve for yourself; whatever prestige or position you
want to be in future, just hold it in your thought gradually and consistently
and you will see the miracle of your life. In your very eyes you will see a
material image of your positive thinking about to transform your life. This I
say that; expect it, and you will get it.
From the rise of the sun to the rise
of the moon, from dawn to dusk, from the cock crow to sunset; our whole journey
of life throughout the day is nothing but the materialization of what we have
been thinking of. If you think this book is going to help you transform your
life then it will, if you think otherwise then I am sorry to say you just wasted
you money, time and energy. What are you thinking about now my dear reader? How
are you going to feel when I tell you that all the things you thought of before
you went to bed last night is going to happen today? How will you feel when I
tell you that the feeling you woke up with this morning is going to materialize
today? Are you going to be happy or sad? Have you been thinking positively or
negatively? Is being scared of your exams going to make you pass them or not?
Is being scared of the interview giving you the job or not? Is avoiding taking
financial risks giving you the financial boost you need or not? I say that
whatever you feel is a direct reflection of what you are thinking. Situations
like; happiness, smiles, courage, confidence, joy etc. all depict positive
thinking. Fear, anxiety, disappointment
are all situations that rings a bell of negative thinking and failure.
Do not think of what you do not want, but rather what you sole desire, your
aims and aspirations.
I remember my old school days where we use to see Mondays
as a day cursed for all students of the world. We use to believe that no matter
what happens, Monday is definatly going to be a bad day for every student. We were
forced for believe a myth that never existed. As a matter of fact, we created
these myths ourselves. But as time went by, I came to the realization that it
was as a result of the perception we had for it that blind folded us. No matter
how hard we try, we are being punished one way or the other on Mondays, We
never knew that we have become slaves and prisoners in our own cells. We have
created a very horrible image of what to expect and achieve. Moreover, when one
is lucky to have a good day on a Monday, the whole week becomes fun and exciting.
Indeed whatever that starts right, always ends right.
As people who are trying to study, understand
and pursue the journey of success, we undoubtedly have come to identify and
appreciate the significance of the things that run through our minds, thus; our
thoughts, be it positive or negative. Moreover, we tend to concentrate only on
the theoretical and conceptual analysis of the brain thereby relegating or
discarding the all-important biological explanations of the brain. Why do I
need to know the biological explanations on the brain in my pursue of success?
Someone may ask. But I say, you need the biological knowledge knowledge of the
brain to be able to think positively. For your information, the brain just like
the computer C.P.U. is the processor of the human body. One way or the other,
the body feeds the brain with raw data to be processed into useful and relevant
information. These raw data are collected by the brain through the five human senses
and sense organs; vision (eye), touch (skin), auditory or hearing (ear), taste
(tongue) and smell (nose). What this means is that every single atom of
thought, perception, vision, idea, etc. that pops up in your mind is a buildup
of processed information acquired by raw data received by the brain from one,
some or all of the human senses. It also means that to be able to think in line
with what you want; you should be able to feed your brain with the necessary
data acquired from your senses. My dear reader this is a very strong statement
that will lead us in knowing how we can think positively.
As people trying to understand what success is,
our main concern here is positive thinking. So if this biological concept of
the brain is true as it says, then positive thinking can only be achieved by
engaging our senses positively, to gather positive data so as to obtain
positive processed information. On the flip side however, if you involve
yourself in negativity, the end results in turn will be negative thoughts. This
is the reality and who so ever doubts this analysis, let him or her answer the
following questions;
What will be the sought
of thinking that will run through your mind; positive or negative when you
involve your senses in the following;
Ø
Fighting
Ø
Watching pornography
Ø
Listening to crazy music
And
Ø
Taking a stroll in the park
Ø
Reading a motivational book
Ø
Listening to a lecture
The first sets of
events are bad ways of life and gives negative participation to senses.
Negative data are unleashed and negative thoughts reflect emotions of sadness,
anxiety and illusion is observed. The later however has educational and stress
relieving events (positive) and as a result, very positive and relevant data is
fed to the brain for processing. As for the end result, we can talk of
happiness, joy, purposefulness and the long list of all the good things that
comes along with feeding the brain with these positive data. So as much as
possible, we should be able to use our senses for the right tasks, to acquire
the right data and attain the right positive state of mind.
Then comes the
question; Does
this mean that if I think of success then I will become successful? Let’s find
out what success means and the link between the two.
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