What Do You Feed Your Mind

One of my major concerns today is that a lot of people feed their mind with television. Television is like the fast food industry. I am not saying we can't learn from television, but the majority of what is on television is not of educational value or will not positively influence our thoughts. We increasingly judge our success and personal worth by television stories - stories of the rich and famous, those who have beauty and the perfect body, those who do little work and still succeed. Yet, this is not reality.

You can lose your job, you can lose material items, but you can never lose your knowledge. The money and time we invest in ourselves to further increase our knowledge is truly an investment in our future. How many self-improvement books have you read over the last year? How many educational programs have you listened to that have helped you learn something new?

One of my favourite quotes is one by Peter Davies, "Motivation is like food for the brain. You cannot get enough in one sitting. It needs continual and regular top ups." If you learned one new thing every day imagine what you would have learned in a year. Education does not stop when you finish school. All of life is an education. It truly is a continuous learning experience.

James Allen wrote, "As A Man Thinketh", and the first sentence is a good one to reflect on: "Man is; and as he thinks, so he is. A perception and realization of these two facts alone-of man's being and thinking- lead into a vast avenue of knowledge which cannot stop short of the highest wisdom and perfection."

How you think is influenced by what your read, what you listen to. Reading books that have a positive influence on your thinking can truly change your life. You may find your perceptions and beliefs challenged as you read these books. But, challenging our own beliefs is one way of learning to expand our thoughts and minds.

Life long learning is reflected in the poem, "A Learner" by Virginia Church.
Each day I learn more than I teach;
I learn that half knowledge of another's life leads to false judgment;
I learn that there is a surprising kinship in human nature;
I learn that it's a wise father who knows his own son;
I learn that what we expect we get
I learn that there's more good than evil in this world;
That age is a question of spirit; that youth is the best of life
No matter how numerous its years; I learn how much there is to learn.

You are never too old to learn. If you stop learning your brain starts dying. And if your brain is not kept alive and stimulated life can become very boring and dull. Life is meant to be lived, to explore, to learn and to share. Sharing your knowledge is one of the greatest gifts a person can give. And as you teach, you will find yourself learning, To summarize, I will leave you with a quote to reflect on: "The mind grows by what it feeds on." J. G. Holland