Deepak Chopra is one of the world’s best-known figures in meditation and spirituality. He is an award-winning researcher and the author of more than 65 books who has devoted his life to advising all kinds of professionals and business people on business leadership.
He may be best known for having been Michael Jackson’s coach. That may not be his best calling card today (given how things ended for the pop star), but it does not take away from the credibility of his work and his professionalism in this field.
From his book Super Brain (published in Spanish as «Supercerebro»), we have picked out 7 simple ways to improve our brain and make the most of its potential. As the author himself points out, these are very simple tips, but at the same time very powerful when it comes to keeping our mind cultivated and motivated.
(We also recommend: 9 things you can do every day to become smarter)
Deepak Chopra’s tricks to boost your brain power
1. Build habits and activities that encourage a positive brain
Sleep well, exercise, meditate, reduce stress and eat a healthy, balanced diet. These may sound like very obvious tips, but many people forget the reason behind them. If we do not sleep well, it will always be harder to stay positive and deal with everyday situations.
In fact, many problems that torment us end up being solved once we have rested.
Then there is the idea of a healthy mind in a healthy body, and vice versa. We should not underestimate the power of a balanced diet and of giving our body certain nutrients. Numerous studies show how a junk-food diet can make us much unhappier than a balanced one.
Finally, as for exercise, it is no secret that it releases stress and improves not only our general health and our body, but also our mind.
2. Avoid whatever can harm your brain
Cut out the habits and substances that can interfere with the proper functioning of your brain. As far as possible, give up nicotine, alcohol and drugs in general, because they do great damage to the brain and distort our sense of reality, even worsening the way we see our circumstances.
If a problem looks big, add alcohol or drugs and it becomes huge.
3. The brain is like any other part of the body
Like any other muscle in the body, the more the brain is worked, the stronger it gets. But, as with any muscle, if we push it to exhaustion we can cause the opposite effect.
Either way, we should exercise our brain every day.
4. Always keep an open mind
Don’t put limits on your brain. Listen to other people’s ideas, even if they are very different from yours. Always stay open to the possibility that some of your thoughts are pre-programmed and may make no sense. Being open to other opinions and ideas will make your brain smarter.
5. Don’t try to do too many things at once
You will not be smarter or more efficient by doing too many things at once. Truly efficient people do one thing well before moving on to the next. Going back to the idea that the brain is like any other muscle: at the gym, we cannot lift weights and swim at the same time.
Get into the habit of focusing on one thing and doing it as well as you can.
6. Dwelling on missed opportunities won’t help you
We should not punish our mind by thinking about what no longer makes sense. Opportunities that have passed are gone, so spending too much time on regrets is a constant drain that will get you nowhere.
Instead, focus on the opportunities still to come, or on ways to create new ones. Living in the past is the best way to tell your brain there is no future.
7. Wake up every morning with a fresh mind
We have said it in previous articles: every day you have the chance to start being a completely different person and take new steps along the path you want to follow.
So reinvent yourself every morning. When you get up, the day is not a continuation of a bad week. It is a new day full of new opportunities, where you can avoid repeating yesterday’s mistakes and start working on the things you shied away from yesterday.
That is how easy, or how hard, it is to have a brain free of negative baggage.
Further reading
- The main differences between successful and unsuccessful people
- How to find the bright side of painful life changes
- 9 things you should know before you turn 30
Featured image: Mitch Aidelbaum Photography, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr.
