The mind is capable of achieving and overcoming extraordinary things – and to an extent can be considered a hub of endless potential. The successful have found a way to harness some of this potential which has manifested into the form of what many call mental capacity i.e. the ability of the mind to learn more and to achieve greater things. Whether these things are physical or mental feats – the mind always plays a fundamental role. For many it can be difficult to get to the point where they are actually the best at something or at least very close to the best.
These people often struggle with having the right mental capacity or in other words lack the ability to overcome and create new thresholds. E.g. a experienced marathon runner can be considered someone with excellent mental capacity in the sense that he has the willpower to continuously increase his threshold for long distance running. This is as opposed to a non-disciplined athlete that can’t wake up early enough to start his routine.
If you too are struggling with ways to increase your mental capacity, here is a great method to get the ball rolling:
Defining what is an increase mental capacity
Before going further it is important to define what is an increase in mental capacity. To different people, this varies widely. For example to an academic – mental capacity could mean learning loads of textbooks about science in a short period of time. On the contrary, a person trying to lose weight would want to increase the his/her mental capacity to reach new fitness levels (e.g run longer, pick up heavier weights). So depending on the person you are and the goals you are trying to achieve, you need to first clearly define what an increase in mental capacity means to you. Irrespective of whatever this is, the procedure for developing mental capacity is usually the same as outlined below.
Steps to increase mental capacity
Here are some very helpful steps that can help you increase mental capacity:
Develop your willpower
The first step is to increase your willpower. I wrote a post previously highlighting why many people don’t have enough willpower. Without willpower, you will not be have the tools necessary for helping you get past the difficult times. You need to tie in your willpower with something you really want to achieve. This is so that each time your actions falter, you can remind yourself of what the bottom line is.
Use the 5 second rule
According to Mel Robbins, Author of the 5 second rule, humans tend to procrastinate out of stress associated with what they are trying to accomplish. She then further outlines that “fast thinking” usually referred to as our intuition, is what we need to activate. So the key is to make a 5 second decision to do the stressful thing. This in a way, also boils down to having the willpower to make these split second decisions.
Create good habits
After using the above rule, you can then start to develop positive habits. These habits will actively prevent the onset of procrastination and it will be easier to stick to your goals. Developing habits means developing a routine that you stick to and never back down from. Read this great post on how to use willpower to create good habits.
Go with the flow
Once you start to see improvement in your mental capacity – you need to keep going. Break old thresholds and create new ones. Continuously test yourself and don’t become complacent.
Do you love learning about multiple subject areas? Then you may be a polymath. Read: Your Ultimate Guide To Being A Polymath; to understand how to harness your mind’s full potential.
