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How to Think Clearly
How to think clearly? How to clear your mind? How to stop thinking? These are all very good questions, and they come up often in a person's quest for increased productivity, including the achievement of their biggest dream. You might have been introduced to meditation or prayer as a means to rid the mind of harmful, useless, or other types of negative thoughts by now. But the truth is that negative thoughts are what push you towards desiring to think positive (and in a strange way teach you how to think clearly), because nothing good ever manifested from a negative thought (other than what I just mentioned). We tend to run away from what's bad, and seek proximity to what is considered good... therefore, in the end, everything is good because it's meant to be a lesson on yourself. You could only appreciate the good after you've understood and experienced the bad.
Getting back to the question of how to think clearly, there are certain steps you can take today to help you focus more on what you want, and less on the obstacles that seem to be standing in the way of your objectives. They are:
- Take action towards your dreams, before planning
- Remain still
- Rest well, eat healthy, and exercise regularly
- Help others
Take Action
Taking action towards your dreams definitely provides some assistance in clearing the mind. The reason is that nothing really changes where there's no physical movement. Even while planning something that excites you, you've most likely noticed that your thoughts strangely remain the same day after day. The only measurable progression happens when you take action. Almost any ethical action will do to begin stimulating creativity and intuition. However, if this is the case, why not do the things you love? You could start living right now, and save years (maybe even decades) of trying to believe in yourself. Believing in yourself is something that takes a lot of falling and getting up; It's about not being deterred and continuing along after you've made a mistake and everyone else has given up on you. There is no actual failure until you've given up altogether.
Remain Still
Remaining still seems contradictory to the first step of taking action, but in truth they work hand-in-hand. What I mean to say is that the mind (a machine which can process numerous thoughts per second) sometimes requires a need for slowing down. But the mind itself won't slow down on its own; We either need to shift towards an environment (like a workplace, place of study, or social circle) which is in harmony with us, or stop doing so many different things that we lose sight of the importance of doing each thing well. Can you imagine attempting to get paper work done while sitting just beside a busy highway with cars honking, tires screeching, etc? It would create confusion in your mind, and poor results would be reflected in the documents.
Take Care of Yourself
Someone can tell you how to think clearly, and that may work to a certain degree... but if you're not eating healthy, exercising regularly, and resting adequate amounts, all of the physiological elements linked to the proper functioning of the brain will be limited. For example, it's been proven time and time again that a person who's deprived of sleep can be classified as someone who's drunk, in terms of their motor and response skills. For this point, I suggest listening to your body. Select workouts you're comfortable with, ranging from walking to weight lifting; Note that it's preferable for your training to consist of both cardiovascular (aerobic) activities and muscle-building exercises (in moderation). If you take care of yourself physically, it could only help in promoting sound mental health, focus, and clarity.
Strive to be Selfless
Oddly enough, the question of how to think clearly doesn't seem to produce any answers while thinking it... and it oftentimes becomes an obsession. This is understandably so, as we can't move forward unless we have a clear mind. But it's only when we get out of our head and take our thoughts to another place that the solution almost magically pops into our mind. This is why I recommend helping someone in need occasionally - and while doing so, really focus your attention on that person and what they're looking to accomplish.
The joy and satisfaction received from assisting a person (in any way) is a pleasure that can't be described. It's not like eating your favorite food, or buying yourself a present; Paying it forward rather than backward spreads heaven on earth. Keep in mind that this type of counter-thought process (which is somewhat opposite to human nature's) requires you to be in a position of helping others. For example, you don't want to run yourself into debt, or fall ill while doing so. The littlest deeds sometimes have the biggest effect; Your job, therefore, is to simply plant a seed... and with a little luck, be fortunate enough to watch it grow.