Self-Improvement: Easy Steps For Transforming Yourself Into a Great Mind
"Great minds minds talk about IDEAS. Average minds talk about EVENTS. Small minds talk about PEOPLE. And the smallest of minds talk about THEMSELVES." So what kind of mind are you?
It's easy to spot great minds by the way they talk. They are intellectually-stimulating, inspiring, enlightening, and they make everyday conversations interesting. So now you ask, "What is it that a great mind has that I don't? And how do I become one of these great minds?"
Observe what you talk about every day.
What do you and your friends talk about when you hang out? What do you and your officemates talk about during lunch break? If your answer is gossip, gossip, gossip, it's time to step back and ask yourself these questions: Why do I enjoy talking about these people so much? What have I gained by it? How is it helping me with my life?
Look beyond what is.
The next time you find yourself or your friends talking about other people again, go beyond what is to the core of the person's experience. You may try asking these questions:
- Do you think he or she (the person you are talking about) is happy? Why or why not?
- How would you handle the situation (the person you are talking about is in) if you were in this person's shoes? Why would you handle it that way?
- Why do you think this happened to this person?
- How did this person handle the situation? Do you think he or she did the right thing? Why or why not?
- What sayings or quotations come to your mind when you think about the person's experience? How do these sayings relate to the experience itself?
- What principles do you have regarding the situation? Or: Which of your principles and beliefs were reinforced or challenged by the situation? How was it challenged or reinforced?
- What have I learned from this person's experience?
Analytical questions such as these train your brain to go past gossiping, which is simply stating what happened and then that's the end of it, into processing and reflecting about other people's experiences as well as your own. After all, experience is the best teacher.
Feed Your Mind.
Just as we need to eat healthy food to keep our physical bodies fit, we need to nourish our minds with healthy "food" to keep it sharp. Read books on topics you find interesting. Watch movies with good themes. Make use of the vast resources available on the internet these days. Learn, learn, learn!
Surround yourself with other great minds.
You know what they say, "Show me who your friends are..."
Our mind is a great sponge that can absorb what it comes into contact with. Surrounding yourself with people who process and reflect is a good training ground for you to become the same way. Talking with other great minds will flex and exercise those "brain muscles". Once you get into the habit of processing, reflecting, and learning, you might find that mere gossiping now bores you like a recitation of the constitution.