The Power of Your Mind

One Sunday night I stumbled across an Albert Einstein documentary on the History Channel. Since it was late I decided to watch only the first few minutes of the documentary before going to bed. I realized I knew very little about Einstein except he was the genius behind the Theory of Relativity. And what exactly was his theory about, anyway?

I became riveted to the documentary and before I knew it, I had watched the entire piece. Besides learning about his Theory, I walked away with a newfound admiration for Einstein and his tenacity, the challenges he overcame, the disappointments he faced, the errors he discovered in his Theory, and the doubters he confronted. By the end, I was reminded of a very valuable lesson: we are all able to achieve so much by using the power of our minds.

As the narrator put it, "Alone in his studio, using only his mind and a pencil, Einstein made bizarre discoveries as intriguing to the public as the most talked about music and movies of the day." (History Channel, 2008).

There is so much we are all capable of doing when we put our minds to it. Yet we sabotage ourselves with thoughts such as "this won't work" or "I'm just a failure." Guess what? Einstein started out thinking he was a failure, too. Sometimes I find myself slipping into that belief system; the belief that I am not capable of achieving a specific goal. In those moments I remind myself of others like Einstein, who achieved goals by using the power of their minds. Think about it. Everything that touches our lives on a daily basis started as a thought in the mind of one person: The computers we use every day, the forks with which we eat, the pens we use, the socks we wear, or the cars we drive.

Imagine the obstacles and objections these inventors faced when they shared their ideas with others. In his book, Second Acts, author Stephen Pollan discusses how he coaches clients to overcome barriers as well as objections they receive from family and friends. Pollan says the most common barrier his clients cite is age because many believe they are either too old or to young to achieve a goal. (Pollan, 2003, p. 74). At age 42, Einstein became science’s first superstar, all the while his Theory of Relativity was being challenged, and we all know how that challenge ended! Other barriers Pollan’s clients cite are lack of money and lack of experience. In his book he provides plenty of real-life examples of others who moved past barriers to achieve goals.

Like Pollan’s clients, we sometimes seek the guidance of others to help us make decisions. Have you ever asked someone else’s opinion about how to handle a problem or what they think of your idea? The thought or perspective this person then shares with you is completely contrary to your own thinking. In the end, you dismiss their opinion and proceed with doing things the way you had intended. Some people may call you stubborn or maybe you have such belief in yourself and your ideas that you move into executing things the way you had planned or imagined.

The mind is a powerful instrument. Yet, not everyone really leverages their brain power. When Ben Carson, a young black neurologist, was interviewed for residency at the prestigious John Hopkins, he was asked why he wanted to be a neurosurgeon and why they get to accept him into their program. He began his response by talking about miracles and added that some doctors think only about the physical. He said he believes in miracles and that the brain "is a source of accomplishment."

For Albert Einstein his brain indeed proved to be a source of accomplishment. He was known to sit and ponder a problem for hours, months or even years. After fifteen years—which included setbacks and personal disappointments including a failed marriage—Einstein’s Theory was finally proven. And although he did not win the Nobel Prize for his Theory, his work and his genius live on.

"Here was a man because of the power of his intellect, the sheer power of his mind was able to rise above poverty, rise above war and strife to become one of the great figures in all of human history. And that was an inspiration because you don’t have to be born handsome, you don’t have to be born with muscles, you don’t have to be born that way. You can achieve it by the sheer power of intellect." -Michio Kaku

Sources:

Einstein (2008). History Channel.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009).

Pollan, S. (2003). Second Acts: Creating the life you really want, building the career you truly desire.