 Now let's talk about the mind. I recently read a classic book by James Allen called As a Man Thinketh. So we'll start from one of the quotes from that book. I quote, As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Much like one would tend to his body with proper nutrition and an exercise regimen, one must attend to his mind, for it is the mind that determines the quality of our lives. Everything is based of how we perceive this world, so we need to make sure that we perceive it in the way that best helps us. For example, one person might lose a job and see that's the worst possible thing that could have possibly happened to them. This person might have been identified with their ego and attached to the job. Losing this job meant losing a sense of themselves, perhaps a sense of their masculinity. However, by the same token you can have someone else who loses the same job. Now this other person who's worked on their mind might see the loss of this job as the seed of opportunity. This person might believe in the stoic approach of life, of turning obstacles into ways of self-betterment. Which of these two are gonna be happier and which of these two are going to have a better life? You'd be the judge. Now James Allen also compares the human mind to a garden. As a gardener, in order to adorn your garden you would have to remove the weeds. You'd have to get the best soil and the best manure for the cultivation of plants. You would have to attend to your garden by watering it frequently and making sure it has adequate sunlight. And of course you would remove parasites and things that threaten to infect your Eden. Now as humans we must do the same but with our minds. We must be critically thinking about what thoughts we harbor in our minds. Are they doing us a service or a disservice? Are we clinging on to things that we have no control over? Do we live in a mind created future illusion in which everything that can go wrong does go wrong? What material are we exposing to our mind? Are we watching dumb-down mainstream media or are we reading books that make us challenge the way we think? What type of music are we listening to? What visuals are we seeing? All these things matter in the grand scheme of things. Now James Allen also says and I quote, a man is literally what he thinks. His character being the complete sum of all his thoughts. Everything matters much like when you are setting up your diet you take care of the micro and macronutrients of the body. Yet many of us spend next to no time thinking about what we're putting into our minds. Remember that everything begins inwards then expands outwards. Your world starts from inside then outside. If I was to hit you with a baseball bat right now your perception of the world will change immediately. If your brain was damaged so you must take care of your mind. Napoleon Hill said more gold has been mined from the thoughts of man than has been taken from the earth. How many of us do not see the power of our own minds? Previously in the early days in the times of the Enlightenment era when men made their life's duty to advance humanity people would dedicate themselves. They would spend hours trying to understand their disciplines. Isaac Newton came up with calculus. You know all these great scientists that we hear of all these great thinkers of the past they dedicate themselves. They made sure that their mind was in prime condition to come up with these fruits that they have left for us to reap years later. But you fast forward to today's day and age and what do you see? You see people watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta. You see people watching Game of Thrones. You see people being complacent. People not challenging themselves. Not using their mind. People are living on autopilot. They never dedicate themselves completely to something. They never understand how far they could actually push their mind. They never think about these type of things. So we have become stagnant. People have become distracted. They've become distracted by the work of others. It's through the work of other men that we have the internet and all these technological advances that allow us to sit down and Netflix and chill and what have you. But we need to also progress. We need to also dive into our own minds and better understand them. We need to see how we can leave our imprint on humanity. How we ourselves can help future civilizations so that when they look back at this day and age they will remember that there were men and women that dedicate themselves to the betterment of humanity. Not just complacent pleasure seeking. So how are you using your mind and how are you taking care of your garden? Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that video. If you did make sure you give a thumbs up. If you don't subscribe, make sure you subscribe. Peace and we'll be making some more. So I'll catch you guys. Just do it!