The Mind is What the Mind is Fed (Its More Than Just Food)

Feed the body AND the mind what it needs every day.
Feed the body AND the mind what it needs every day.

Having my superfood shake after a good MMA Plyo workout this morning… I started thinking about how important nutrients are to our body. Superfood nutrition is essential for maximal energy, to aid weight loss and to boost sense of well-being. Nutrients we take in are only part of the story for the health of our mind though. Our mind needs healthy information fuel as well!

They say “the mind is what the mind is fed”.. mind food doesn’t come in packages though and you can’t buy it at the store. Mind food is your environment–all those countless things that influence our conscious and subconscious thought.   The kind of mind food we take in determines our habits, attitudes and personality.

The mind reflects what its environment feeds it just as the body reflects the food you feed it.

Is this really true?

Habits and mannerisms that we have are typically picked up from other people.  Just try to find one that isn’t!  Even weird little things like the way we walk, words we use, hold a cup, the way we dress, preference for music are all influenced by what we experience and pick up from others.

The most important point here is that even the size of our thinking, our goals, attitudes and personality are formed by the environment.  If we have associations with negative people, it makes us think more negative!  If we have associations with petty people, it will also develop petty habits in us too!  On the other hand…association with people who are big thinkers and ambitious people, can bring those things out in us too!

Certain types of people tend to discourage others and tell them that what they dream of cannot be done.  These types of people usually are unsuccessful and are often only mediocre in terms of what they have ever accomplished.  Don’t let these type of people discourage you from your dreams!!

The late Jim Rohn, a mentor of mine, states that we become the 5 people we spend the most time with… and if you think about environmental influences and how they affect our behavior and habits, its totally TRUE!  “Birds of a feather flock together”…and since how we think is directly affected by the group we are in, be sure you are in the flock that things right!

Besides being around the influence of people, the kind of information we feed our minds every day is also important and influences our brain chemistry, positivity, and belief in ourselves and the world.  Watching world news  and reading the newspaper full of negativity can be draining on our emotional energy (and we do not realize just how much!). Spending time playing mindless video games, reading fiction and watching extended amounts of TV shows all waste mental energy and all have an impact on our thinking and our potential for success.

So, what would good mind food be?

Listen to motivating podcasts, read inspirational books (or listen to audio books) about how to think bigger and to improve yourself and read inspirational stories of success.   Use these stories and books to inspire you, to throw all of that thought poison out of your environment…to help you stay positive and to be a good person.  Learn positive ways of being and have your new attitude be your ally towards a happy and successful life and to encourage others!   Making the switch to positive mind food for me has completely changed my life, my relationships, my attitude, my belief in the world and myself …and my zest for life!

Overall, clean eating and superfood nutrition are essential for our physical and mental health, to have a healthy weight, avoid chronic disease and to have healthy energy levels.  We often forget that the food for our mind is just as important to feel happy, accomplished and positive.  Take some time today to think about what you can do to rid yourself of negative influences and to implement some more positive habits to feed your mind in a good way and work at being a good example for others.

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P.S.   A couple of great starter book ideas for you!

“The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy

“The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz