Your mind does all the thinking on behalf of the entire body. What is it that nudges you to give up the comfort of your quilt on a winter morning on a working day and wake up at the first sound of the alarm? What is it that tells to keep lying in your bed on a lazy Sunday morning? It is the mind that decides what should the body do. Your body can do everything, provided your mind is convinced. I am sure you would have heard the phrase ‘your attitude defines your altitude’ umpteen times before and it aptly describes how your thinking affects your actions as well as success in life. It is true since time immemorial and we do understand its influence on the human psyche. The impact that your thoughts have on your actions is overpowering. You cannot move yourself to action unless your mind sends an instruction to your body to obey it. This translates into saying that almost always our actions are governed by our thoughts that emanate in our mind. Why someone cannot perform a particular task is because his or her mind is not convinced about it and gets engulfed in self-doubt. In this situation the mind gets intimidated by the enormity of the task at hand. If the person abandons this negative or regressive thought and performs it without any preconceived notions about its outcome, any task could be accomplished flawlessly, even beyond the performer’s own expectations.

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So, what is it that stops a person from performing the task? Is it not his own thought in his mind? The mind is a very fertile ground for all kinds of thoughts, both positive as well as negative. But what spontaneously germinates in mind, both unconsciously and instinctively, are the negative and unfavorable thoughts. Such thoughts sap all the useful energy of a person and there remains no positive energy and strength that could be applied purposefully in the performance of the task. Let us understand the process of how it unfolds. On hearing about the task, the mind of the person gets into action and comes up with all the pros and cons of it. The mind also comes up with the advantages as well as disadvantages that would accrue if the task is performed. It also thinks about what does the task involve and what does it call for. There might be certain things that go with the very nature or known capabilities of the person while some others that go against it. Things that are in line with the performer’s nature and capabilities inspire confidence while those that go against tend to demotivate and discourage the person. Then there might be some thoughts about the task or the activity per se which might be favorable while others that are not so. For example, an HR professional is asked to make a presentation for a business manager. Ordinarily an HR professional does not know much about business but if he or she resolves that the task has to be achieved then it does not remain a difficult task anymore. After all, the same person trains new recruits as well as serving professionals in business aspects as well as resolving customer complaints. Take another example of a child who does not know that a fall can hurt him severely. The child attempts jumping (on the bed) again and again. If the person did not hear anything about the task he might undertake it out of curiosity and eagerness. The person might perform it with an open mind and the chances of meeting with success might be a lot higher. A prejudiced mind stops a person in the tracks by creating doubts, confusion and questioning the very purpose of the activity itself. Thus, putting an end to all the good outcomes that might have been accomplished if the task was performed in the first place. 

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The other side of the argument is also true. If the mind believes and supports the performance of the task in a positive and a conducive manner, the task seems much easier to accomplish. The mind provides the necessary locomotive force or the push that makes the task possible even if it seemed a near impossibility initially. The mind is a powerful thing that compels the body to achieve tasks that might extend beyond the known capabilities of the physical body as well as the mental acumen. For example, a person might not have attempted anything more than a few minutes of cycling but goes on to create a world record of continuously riding for hours together. Do you think that it is a simple or an ordinary accomplishment? No, by any standards it is not an easy task to ride for hours continuously. Still the human body went on to achieve a near impossible task. If the mind was not convinced that the task could be and should be performed, how do you think the human body would have endured all the concomitant stress and pain that it was subjected to in those hours. In almost all cases where great physical endurance is tested like sports and travel, it boils down to the test of mental endurance and not-so-much of physical strength. If you win the mind game, you win the game. For example, you make two repetitions of squats every morning. Your mind decides that now it is time to do a bit more and that you will make a third repetition starting today. You are dead tired at the end of two repetitions and still undertake the third set. What made you do it? It is the great resolve inside your mind that pushed your body into obeying the instruction given by your brain. So, are we now convinced that it is the mental work inside the brain that spells success or a failure of the performance of an activity?

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It is our mind that thinks stealing and robbery are illegal and unethical activities and that one should not indulge in and so the body obeys this thought. The moment the mind abandons this thought, there will be a spurt in crime. Therefore, even most hardened criminals can be reformed if their minds are systematically washed of all the unethical and criminal (or illegal) thoughts. In similar manner we can win medals in the Olympics if our sportspersons are mentally strong. Similarly, all the students can achieve unprecedented academic success if they bring all the mind power to support their academic endeavors.

[ Also Read : For Eternal Happiness, Look Within And Not Outside ]

Most people who have survived through devastating diseases have been able to do so only because of their will power and a strong belief that they will come out victorious. All they did was, not give up until it was finally over!