Healthy mental stimulation Part 12

Lets consider a short post about the human mind.  Napoleon Hill argues in chapter 11 of Think and Grow Rich that the human mind needs to be stimulated to high levels of creativity in the quest for wealth.  Inspired ideas are often found behind the real 'game changing' creative ideas. We all know that.    

We need creativity to solve the problems of life.  Creativity helps a lot in the quest for building a successful career or business.  Hill suggests that it is indeed possible for us to 'heat up' our mental functioning to higher levels of creativity.  I am not talking about narcotics and other addictive substances, although drugs are listed by Hill as a destructive method of mental stimulation.  

Most of us may be able to recall certain times in our lives when we were able to function at a really high levels of creativity and inspiration.  Hill tells us that most people fall into such periods of inspired creativity by accident.  What he also suggests is that we may consciously stimulate our minds by following specific steps.  

How to positively stimulate your mind to a higher level of creative and inspired functioning (according to Napoleon Hill): 

Hill tells us that there are ten mind stimulants that may be used to increase our mental functioning and creativity. I will briefly outline these below: 

1. The desire for sexual expression. Most people will go to great lengths to satisfy this need. Hill tells us that men would risk "life and reputation in order to indulge this need". Clearly it is a powerful motivator.   

2. Love; the desire to love and be loved is a great motivator.  

3. A burning desire for fame, power and financial gain.

4. Music. Music affects the mind at a very deep level.  

5. Friendships.

6. Working in a harmonious "mastermind alliance".  If you have ever worked with a well 'oiled' team, you maybe able to recall the almost contagious energy that is created amongst the team members.   

7. Mutual suffering. A powerful force that pulls people together.  

8. Auto (self) suggestion

9. Fear; an emotion leading to heightened arousal of the mind.  If one is able to control and channel fear to a positive end, it is very powerful.   

10. Narcotics, alcohol (and coffee to a coffee addict like myself) - as destructive mind stimulants 

A word on anxiety

One of the psychologists who's work I had to study, Harry S Sullivan conducted a deep clinical investigation on anxiety.  What Sullivan proposed is that anxiety, as a mental force, is disintegrative.  

When people are under intense anxiety, it is impossible for them to integrate their thoughts, personality, emotions towards focussed and balanced goals. That is extremely counter productive and may serve to defeat many of our goals in life.   

For that reason anxiety should be regarded as a negative emotion. An emotion that lies on a subconscious level where the person may not be able to consciously deal with it.  Therefore I believe it is pertinent for those of us suffering from anxiety, to get it under control.    

A word on sex and sexual expression

Sex has taken on an almost epic character in the western mind.  Sex permeates the media.  What the media seems to suggest is that sex is merely a physical pursuit.  A mere collision of bodies.  What we are not told by the media is that sex is also a deeply emotional and spiritual act. This is Hill's view as well.

Hill tells us that sex serves three important functions: 

1. Procreation; ensuring the perpetuation of mankind (another overlooked aspect in the 'sex without consequence' idea that permeates the media),

2. Maintenance of health, this seems to align with current medical research, 

3. Transmutation of the 'life energy' into significant achievements.

We may add more to these listed above, but I am only mentioning these in the context of this discussion. 

The third point above is also overlooked in today's society where sex is regarded as only a physical act.  

Sexual desire is a very powerful emotion. Hill notes that most of the successful people of history had 'well developed sex natures'. Hill further suggests that it is possible to covert sexual energy into pro-social goals. 

This seems to align with the freudian concept sublimation. Sublimation refers to a conversion of destructive subconscious energy into pro-social goals.  Freud argued that mature people are those who are able to convert their unsuitable drives into  pro-social goals (I am not saying sex, in itself, is unsuitable, although it we do see a lot of damaging and unsuitable expression in the world) 

Hill argues that the emotions associated with sex are powerful motivators and that we have to find ways to covert those desires into a positive goals for success.  

It appears that successful people are those who are able to 'channel' their sexual drives into appropriate modes of expression. The point Hill makes is not to suppress your desires, but to express them in healthy ways. Importantly, we should realize that sex may also be a powerful motivator for success not just a physical collision of bodies.        

In conclusion, this posting has provided us with ideas on how to positively stimulate your mental functioning to a higher level. As a suggestion, review the ten mind stimulants above, and see if you are able to think of examples where those elements inspired you towards achievements.  

Thank you for reading this post. I am looking forward to your insights and comments.  

The information in this post was adapted from: