Activate Your Reticular Cortex

One of my distance mentors sent me this letter, I thought it good to share with you.

Dear prof.benson

The Parable of the Talents is the primary reason for wealth or poverty throughout history. Do you ever ask yourself why some people retire rich and most people retire poor? Like you, this subject has fascinated philosophers, thinkers, mystics and teachers throughout the ages.

There have been so many cases of hundreds or thousands and even millions of men and women who have started with nothing and become financially independent that people are naturally curious to know why it happened and what are the common rules or principles that others can apply to become wealthy as well.

Why People Become Rich

One illustration of this key principle is called the parable of the talents. In the Bible, it says, "To him that hath, shall more be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away."

Accumulation Leads to More Accumulation

What does it mean? In the modern world, we say "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer." The fact is that people who accumulate money tend to accumulate more and more. People who don't accumulate money seem to lose even that little bit of money which they have.

Why should this happen? The great success principle, the single idea that explains human destiny is simple. It says that, "you become what you think about, most of the time."

Control Your Thoughts

And whatever you dwell upon, grows in your reality. You create your entire world by the things you choose to think about and how you choose to think about them.

It just so happens that wealthy, successful people fill their minds with thoughts, words, pictures and images of wealth, affluence, success, productivity and solutions to problems in the marketplace, most of the time. These thoughts trigger the reticular activating cortex, the part of the brain that makes you more alert and sensitive to things that you have decided are important to you.

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Activate Your Reticular Cortex

For example, if you decide to invest in a mutual fund, you will start to see news and information about mutual funds everywhere. Mentions in newspapers and magazines will jump out at you. These notices have always been there but now you have sensitized your brain to pick them up and draw them to your attention with far greater frequency and vividness. This is the function and power of your reticular cortex.

Avoid Poverty Thinking

On the other hand, what do poor people think about most of the time? Unfortunately, poor people fill their minds with thoughts of scarcity, lack, poverty, being unable to afford things. They are always thinking and talking about how little money they have, how much things cost and how they wish things could be better financially. What they think about most of the time is how little money they have.

Think Like Wealthy People Think

Wealthy people from an early age think about how much they have, how much they want and all the different things they can do to acquire and earn the money and things they desire.

Find Out How Rich People Think

Here's a rule for you. If you want to become successful, find out what failures do and don't do it. If you want to be wealthy, find out what poor people think about, and avoid thinking in those ways. Instead, find out how wealthy people think. Find out what they read. Find out how they spend their time. Study their lives, read their stories and autobiographies and listen to their words when they are interviewed and on tape. The more you find out what financially successful people think and talk about most of the time, and do the same things, the more rapidly you will enjoy the same rewards that they do.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to put this parable of the talents into action:

First, make a decision today that from now on you will think and talk only about the financial success that you desire. At the same time, you will refuse to talk about or dwell upon your financial problems.

Second, instead of saying, "I can't afford it," instead ask the question, "How can I afford it?" When you think of something that you want or need that you don't have the money for at the time, the only question you ask is, "How?" How can you get it? What can you do to achieve it? What are your options? How can you get from where you are to where you want to go? This type of attitude will change your life.

A Bigger Impact With Your Life

Here are 6 ways you can make a bigger impact with your life:

1. Fill The Gaps With Meaning. I have a friend who reads 40-50 books a year, while leading a large church full time and running a few ministries on the side? How? He says he always has a book with him. When he has 5 minutes or 10 minutes, he reads.
Whether you’re a reader or not, the point is excellent. He fills the gap with meaning. You have gaps every day:
When the kids are in bed.
When you’re stuck in traffic
When you’re waiting in line.
Between meetings.
While you’re waiting for someone to show up.
What are you doing with that time, other than checking Instagram or reading check out magazines that add zero value to your life?
Read a book. Listen to a helpful podcast.
Think. Journal. Pray.

2. Cut Out Trivial Pursuits

Any idea how much TV you watch? The average Nigeria watches 5 hours…a day. That’s. Per. Day.

And yet I have never heard anyone say “TV changed my life. Watching TV is why my life is filled with passion and significance.” The average 21 year old in Nigeria has spent 10,000 hour gaming over his life so far…more time than he actually spent in middle school and high school combined.
Not all TV is bad, and some argue that gaming can be good. But really…that’s a lot of hours.
Does binge watching really make the world a better place? Will levelling up really leave a legacy?
I’m just asking.
We need to relax and enjoy, but in the same way that you are what you eat, you become what you consume.
So curb the junk.

3. Rest When You’re Not Tired, But Not Longer.
The best quote on laziness I’ve encountered is this “Laziness is resting when you’re not tired.”
By all means sleep. Get 8 hours. 9. Seriously. Sleep is the secret weapon so many effective leaders carry.
And rest. Relax.
But there comes a point when resting stops being restorative and starts being self-indulgent. Stop resting when you’re not tired. Do something…meaningful.
Laziness is resting when you’re not tired.

4. Get up earlier.
Don’t miss point 3. Sleep. But do this by going to bed earlier, and then get up…early. I wasn’t always a morning person, but I love being one now. It’s when I do my best stuff. I write messages, blog posts and write creative ideas down first thing in the morning. Most of the people I know who are making a contribution with their life get up early. Rising early is like beating rush hour traffic. You’ve got the road all to yourself. Nobody’s emailing, texting or bothering you before 7 a.m.  As in pretty much nobody.
Your mind is fresh. It’s ready to go.
So go!

5. Track with people who are making a difference.
You’re going to need support on this journey. People will call you driven. Crazy. Obsessed. Abnormal. Weird.
That’s okay. Let them not understand that you refuse to waste your life. Not everybody understands, especially in this culture. So find some friends who get it, and encourage each other. Whether they live in your neighbourhood or whether they live 1000 miles away is irrelevant. Just find some likeminded people. And I have friends locally and all over the place who encourage and spur me on in life. I love them and am so thankful for them!



6. Don’t focus on immediate results.
You can’t be discouraged by current results. Your impact usually can’t be measured now. So don’t be discouraged if you think you’re not making much of a difference.
Rarely will your 4 year old stop you and say “Thanks for being such a wise father” or “Thanks for giving up ”. If you expect the reward of parenting to come in the now, you’ll be badly disappointed. You might not make it to the end.
But inevitably as kids grow up, they often do come back and thank you for the investment they never saw when they were younger. And even if they don’t, well, you know you did the right thing. So just keep doing the right thing. Every day. Eventually you’ll see the early indicators that you’re on the right track. You may have to reset the course from time to time, but don’t despise small beginnings.
For all of you trying to make a bigger impact…these is for you!