The Foundation Of Everything

I want to start with this as our base mission for what we do at MindSkills Performance. It is the fundamental belief that the brain and nervous system are the foundation of all that we are, all that we do, and all that we feel.

Because of this truth, there is a always a way to use neurology to improve any situation, including but not limited to:

  1. How we move 
  2. How we breathe
  3. What we feel
  4. How and what we think
  5. How we see ourselves
  6. How we see others
  7. How we learn
  8. How we react to the world around us
    1. In the moment
    2. Over time
  9. How motivated we are
  10. What goals we set
  11. What interests we have
  12. What influences we pay attention to and act upon

This means that if we can find a way to use our neurology more helpfully, we can positively influence our own lives as well as those around us.

What this means in practice

It’s all good and well having this as a theory, but what does it actually mean in real life? What can we actually do to use our neurology more helpfully?

In a practical sense, there are physical drills and exercises we can do. We can also learn and apply neurology based skills such as visualisation and emotional mapping. In addition, there are neurostimulation devices that we can employ to help target our brain and nervous system in order to enhance learning and skills mastery.

But we need somewhere to start, and that is why we have the three pillars of:

  1. Movement
  2. Breathing
  3. Emotions

These three pillars encompass everything we do, think and feel. They are broad enough to create starting goals, but specific enough to focus on a single area to improve. They are also interdependent, so working in one area will have an influence on the other two areas.

Connecting all three pillars is our experience of pain. It connects them only because we can experience pain across all three pillars, and all three pillars contribute to our experiences of pain.

The starting point, therefore, is to choose one pillar (Movement, Breathing or Emotions)  and note down some things you would like to improve about that area. Remain focussed on only that area for now. The things you want to improve don’t need to be laser focussed goals. They are just things you think would improve the quality of your life (or the lives of others, and therefore your life) if those things were as you imagine them to be.

An example might be a physical experience such as knee pain. Or it might be the anxiety you feel every time you walk into your workplace. How about those days when your self-worth feels low and you just don’t know who you are any more?