The truth about mind power

Me, on a boat in pretty Cape Town, South Africa recently. (And no I'm not really steering that boat - dummy wheel)

It is an old adage that dates back through the ages: The power of belief overcoming the impossible.

The human mind has a conscious part and a subconscious part, the latter being the subject of many books, research papers and articles in recent times.

The subconscious part remains a mystery as no one can tell you exactly how it functions.
It seems to be located in our brains, and yet is connected to other organs through our physiological networks of blood vessels, nerves and synapses, muscle tissue and bones. It is the subconscious mind that runs all the bodily systems and functions in the background. It is the operating system of our bodies, the WINDOWS software to our machine of a body. Breathing, digestion, immune system response and healing, growing are all from the operated by the subconscious.

It is also somehow connected to things outside of our bodies such as other people, objects, creatures, nature and unseen things. We know this through our ability to empathise with others, we feel the pain, joy, sadness, disappointment and excitement of others. Emotions that did not begin within us, but was communicated to us.

The seaside town of Fish Hoek beach in Southern Peninsula of Cape Town.

Yet no one knows the exact dynamics of how the subconscious mind functions. Do you know HOW to digest your food, how to break down a protein differently from a carbohydrate? Do you know HOW many times you need to pump your heart increasing beats per minute when the need for more oxygen arises, and decreasing it to a normal rate afterwards? Do you KNOW HOW to grow your hair or REPAIR your broken bones? Not consciously, no. And yet, you do this everyday, every hour, every second, without fail.

Think about that for a minute. That is how amazing YOU are.
Your subconscious is part of your brain, which is part of you. You are doing things, vital functions, everyday without even knowing (consciously) how it's done.

Bubbles on the beach

I believe our intelligence as human beings, along with our free will, is a great gift from Allah (swt).
We were not made vicegerents over the earth for no reason.

There is a great power to harness within your mind, for wealth, for health, for success.
You could apply it to anything in your life. You do not have to KNOW just how you are going to do it.

The important thing is that you CHOOSE to do it. DECIDE to do it.
Then do the best action that you can think of to achieve it. It works without fail.
It may not be a straight road to success. All journeys begin with a first step, and it is a critical first step to CHOOSE and to DECIDE to do something to improve your situation.

Fish Hoek beach under the autumn sun

Say you want to change something in your life, let's choose a fitness goal for example, because this is a fitness blog: Choose to lose weight, get fit and be as healthy as you can.

Because our minds are so powerful in dictating our actions, and thus the results in our life, I'd say begin with overcoming the mind, instead of trying to harness it's potential.

We are surrounded by facts and data, half-truths and information overload, most of which tell us we are on the downward spiral to failure. Most of which stimulate our senses with negativity, prompting our actions on a negative path. Overcome your mind when it tells you that losing weight is impossible because you are not disciplined enough to stick to a plan and therefore most likely to fail.
Overcome you mind when it tells you the "facts" of your body being too far gone in bad health to make it back to a more healthier functioning.

An industrial view of Table Mountain. The harbour is in the foreground, where international ships arrive with shipments and passengers. Some ships and even oil rigs come here for as long as six months to undergo repairs.

Overcome your mind by showing it through your own action, that it is wrong. Stimulate your senses through action and experience and direct your mind to the path you want to go. Your mind needs the experience of a different path to bring it out of its current path. That is the connection between mind and body,  the physical experience that teaches the mind.

You've heard it said before: the mind can be your greatest friend or your greatest enemy.
It can be your tool for success or your biggest obstacle.

I believe that in overcoming the mind as an obstacle first, you'll start to change the results you see in your life faster and more effectively than if you tried to harness its power first.

I hope you enjoyed my random photos of Cape Town.

View of Table Mountain (behind) and Signal Hill (front) from the boat.