The Best Cure For Sluggish Mind Is To Disturb Its Routine
102. The best cure for a sluggish mind is to disturb its routine.
Your brain is simply a computer and a computer can only work based upon what input is given to that computer and how the computer is wired. We earlier covered how the things we believe, shows we watch, and things we read serve as the input for our computer. When these inputs equal garbage, it is very little surprise that the output matches the input. Our routines of daily living are the way we decide to approach the day each day.
It is the routine mechanism that over time builds the wiring pathways we have in our brain. When the routine is repeated over and over and over, the wiring has a habit to become “hard wired” and with this, it affects the ability for the brain to do things other than the way it has been conditioned. The good news is just as these inputs can be changed, we can also rewire the pathways that exist.
Some very simple things you can do for starters are to change some simple everyday things around you. Rearrange the furniture in your house. Change when you go to bed and when you get up in the morning. Mix up a bit what you have for lunch or find a new place to go. Change the way that you drive to work. When I drive to work I have two options. I can take the quicker route which has a major three-lane merge to make a very small window. It can get annoying because many times others won’t let you over or speed up on you when you do. I often found myself getting a little angry at these people. So by taking the earlier exit, which takes me about five minutes longer to get to work and has a few more lights, I arrive to work in a much better mindset.
Also I used to get to work just minutes before we started, and so I was rushing and trying to make every light and had a sense of urgency to not be late. I now get up much earlier than I used to, thus allowing me to take the longer way to work, starting my day off right, and changing the outcome at the end of my day. Changing routines may show you an easier way of doing things or they may just make you feel better about your day.
We discussed earlier that change is uncomfortable and that’s why we choose to avoid it. We also mentioned that if you want to know what your life will look like five years from now, don’t change a thing. By shaking things up and moving this around, it gives you new perspectives and allows you to see things in a new way. This is why a change of scenery for people can often jumpstart success. It allows the brain to break the wired chains it has developed over time and gives you the opportunity to work on goals and achieve them. Unless you know to change your old routines, you never will. So implement this Tool if you are trying to get out of the rut you are currently in.