How to Train Your Mind for Success

Your mind is one of the most powerful tools to achieve whatever you want in life, so train it for success.

This is good advice, but it can work like a double-edged sword.

If you use it wisely, your mind can solve the most pressing problem and make you successful.

On the contrary, if you do not know how to control or manage it well, it can go against you.

A study has discovered that we experience about 70,000 thoughts per day.

And depending on what you think about, these thoughts can be constructive to lead you to achieve your goals and reach higher success in life, or they can work against you and tear you down.

For example, if you doubt your abilities, don’t believe in yourself, call yourself names, and see yourself as a failure, your outer life will somehow show.

This is why people often say you will become what you think.

Here’s a famous quote that precisely reflects this idea:

Remember, your thoughts can influence your action.

And your effort will determine the results you get in life.

It all begins with your thoughts.

The good news is that you can change your thoughts and, ultimately, your life.

And this is precisely what you are going to discover in this article.

Below are the seven methods to train your mind for success.

1. Practice Mindfulness

In this busy world, distractions are everywhere.

And one excellent method to train your mind for success is to be present.

In other words, you need to practice mindfulness.

Many studies have discovered that being mindful has a lot of benefits, including the improvement of your overall well-being and also your mental health.

Psychotherapists have turned to mindfulness meditation as a treatment method for several mental illnesses, such as stress, depression, eating disorders, chronic anxiety, etc.

Also, Arianna Huffington, the founder of HuffingtonPost, wrote in her book Thrive that mindfulness can improve productivity and help us be more creative.

So how does mindfulness work?

It can be pretty straightforward.

You just need to achieve a state of alertness and focus by paying attention to your thoughts without judgment.

For example, when drinking a cup of coffee, pay attention to its taste, smell the aroma, and feel your lips touch the cup and the flow of the coffee through your throat.

The key is to stay present so that you can focus your thoughts on what is going on.

Practicing daily mindfulness can heighten your attention, improve your focus, and make you more productive.

2. Train Your Mind With Meditation

Meditation is very common these days; it works like being mindful of what is happening around you.

Many highly successful people like Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Bob Stiller, Ray Dalio, and Jerry Seinfeld practice meditation regularly.

Bridgewater Associates, an investment management company that manages the largest fund in the world, was founded by Ray Dalio.

And in 2012, Dalio said in an interview at Georgetown University that meditation had opened his mind and improved his mental clarity.

Dalio said, “Meditation has given me centeredness and creativity.

It’s also given me peace and health.”

Therefore, practice meditation if you want to improve your life and train your mind for higher success.

Every morning, meditate about 10 to 15 minutes before you start your day.

If you are new and think meditation is difficult, you can start small, like 3 minutes, and then increase it to 5 minutes after a week.

3. Physical Exercise

Another proven way you can train your mind is through physical exercise.

There is no doubt that exercise brings many physical and mental benefits, but do you know that exercise can also train your mind for success?

Take running as an example.

Before you hit the road and run, you will likely have set a goal in your mind as to how far, how many laps, or how fast you will run.

And when you run, you train yourself to keep your promise and aim for something.

And as you run and feel tired, notice what you tell yourself.

Your self-talk either tells you to stop running or encourages you to go further.

Besides that, when you exercise and are involved in physical activities, your brain will release endorphins that make you feel good.

This is why exercise is a good stress reliever and improves your mood after the workout session.

Successful entrepreneur Mark Cuban starts his day with exercise.

Cuban told The Dallas Morning News that he aims for at least an hour of cardio exercise six days a week.

Facebook’s founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, also works out thrice a week.

This is what he said:

“Doing anything well requires energy, and you just have a lot more energy when you’re fit.”

4. Visualization Helps Train Your Mind

Do you know that our brain cannot differentiate between what is real and what is being imagined?

Dr. Biasiotto conducted a study at the University of Chicago.

He divided the students into three groups and tested each group on how many basketball free throws they could make.

Dr. Biasotto got the first group to practice free throws for an hour daily.

The second group visualized themselves practicing without going through the real physical training.

And the third group did nothing.

After a month, Dr. Biasotto tested the students again.

The first group who underwent physical training improved their free throws by 24%.

The third group did not improve at all, which was expected.

However, the second group who visualized their training improved by 23% and did it without touching a basketball.

Can you see how powerful visualization can be right now?

This is why vision boards work.

If you want to achieve something, you must first see it in your mind.

So practice visualization, see yourself achieve great success, and live the ideal life you desire.

Visualization is an excellent way for anyone to train their mind for higher success.

5. Keep Your Commitment

Whatever you say to yourself, you must keep the promise.

You have to train your mind to believe in yourself by holding on to what you have committed.

For example, if you promise to write an article for your blog today, ensure you do.

Don’t procrastinate, and don’t delay it until the next day because if you do, you unconsciously tell yourself that you are someone who lacks commitment.

Your thinking can affect your actions, but your activities reinforce your review.

When you say that you will exercise for 30 minutes, do it.

Don’t procrastinate and choose to watch TV.

Keep your word and hold your commitments.

This is how you can train yourself and build a stronger character for success.

6. Train Your Mind By Learning Something New

If you want to improve your mental performance, learn something new regularly.

You keep your mind active and engaged when you learn or do something new.

For example, learning to cook a new dish can make you feel fresh.

Even playing new games can help train your mind, but do not overdo it.

Not just that, when you learn something new, your mind chemistry and perceptions change.

As a result, it makes it easier to adapt to the new change you will face in the future.

Or, if you want to learn advanced skills and advance your career, you can take courses such as a master of information technology online.

This is why people who travel a lot have higher self-confidence and are more adaptable to the new environment.

If you have no idea what new things to learn, don’t worry; here are some good skills to start with:

• Speed reading
• Playing the guitar
• Arts and drawing
• Basic car repairs
• Basic home repairs
• Reading a new book
• Learn to use Photoshop
• Develop photography skills
• Learn self-defense skills like Karate
• Organizing your house or workplace
• Build your own garden and grow something

The list can go on and on.

You must be creative and commit to learning and doing something new.

Find something interesting and then do it.

7. Challenge Yourself to Go Out of Your Comfort Zone

Finally, to train your mind for success, you must also prepare to leave your comfort zone.

Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable.

This is the only way to grow.

If you are always doing things you are comfortable with, guess what?

You will always receive the same old results.

And if you want a different result, you must venture out of your comfort zone and do something different.

Taking the same route to work every day or doing the same thing can make you and your mind lazy.

You have to keep your mind active and energized by venturing out of your comfort zone.

More importantly, challenge yourself to do something better.

If you are a blogger and have never written any article above 5,000 words, perhaps it is a good time to challenge yourself to do it now.

If you always do 30 push-ups, challenge yourself to do more.

Step out of your comfort zone and do more.

Go for 40 or even 50 push-ups.

When you push yourself further, you grow your mental power to break your limit and achieve more.

It is like what Arnold Schwarzenegger said:

“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion.

That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens.”

So get out of your comfort zone regularly.

This is how you can train your mind for growth and higher success.

What do you do to get out of your comfort zone?

Let us know in the comment section!