Line BreakAuthor: Steven Aitchison (382 Articles)
The owner of this blog. Proud father, doting husband, blogger, hire me as freelance writer, and addiction worker
This weeks Sunday Siesta has been postponed as I have been working all weekend on this article. It’s my longest article ever at over 4500 words but I think it was worth the time and the effort.
I have been resisting doing this post for a while now. However, it kept niggling away at the back of my mind and I kept getting more and more ideas to add to it so here it is.
I was originally inspired to do this by Dragos Roua who wrote a great post 100 Ways to Live a Better Life and who was inspired by Mike King in this great post 100 Ways To Be A Better Leader who was inspired by Armen Shirvanian: 100 Ways to Show Boldness who was inspired by the maniac 
who started it all Luciano Passuello and his post Tackling Any Issue With A List Of 100
So here I am with 100 Ways to Develop Your Mind
1. Do the Thing You Fear the Most.
If there’s one thing that will change your thoughts quicker than anything else, it’s facing your fears.
2. Stand up For Yourself
A lot of people have difficulty in standing up for themselves. The first time you do it can be very empowering and your thoughts about yourself will change forever. See Dealing With Confrontation
3. Stop Talking
It’s great to be silent for just a little while. Our thoughts turn inward and we begin to appreciate ourselves just a little more.
4. Strengthen Your Strengths
Sometimes we focus too much on trying to strengthen our weaknesses when we should be concentrating on strengthening our strengths.
5. Take A Walk Around an Art Gallery
You might not appreciate art or participate in it but it’s great to see the thoughts of others on canvas. It can give us a tiny glimpse of what goes on in other people’s minds.
6. Blindfold Yourself for a Day
Walk in the shoes of a blind person for 1 full day, it will forever change the way you think about life.
7. Stand on a Chair for 5 Minutes Per Day
Building self discipline is a great way to take control of your mind and your thoughts. If you just get up and stand on a sturdy chair your mind will be wondering what the hells going on and try and force you to get off the chair. Disciplining your mind is a great way to start changing your life. See Self Discipline
8. Dance When There’s Nobody There
It’s a strange sensation to dance on your own, although when I have done this I look like a dog having a seizure, nonetheless it’s a great way to let go of your inhibitions.
9. Give Money to Someone Unexpectedly
Whether it be on the internet, or in the street, just give a larger than normal donation to someone. This again is liberating and your thoughts about money will change for a few moments (that’s all it takes to start the process of changing your life.)
10. Strengthen Your Thoughts About Yourself
Reinforce your thoughts about your good points. If you are good at talking to people, tell yourself this often. If you are good at maths, tell yourself often. This has the benefit of reinforcing and strengthening your self image.
11. Take A Risk
Life would be boring without ever having taken a risk in your life. Do something that you didn’t want to do because you thought you wouldn’t be any good at it. This totally smashes the boundaries of your comfort zone and your life could change forever. Read This Post by Robin Easton
12. Talk To A Stranger
Again this is breaking our comfort zones, but just saying hi to stranger in the street or good morning can have an enormous impact on your day and the person you said hi to.
13. Walk Around The House Naked
I can almost feel the shock at this. I don’t mean when you’ve got guests in, I mean when everybody is out. Lock the door and totally liberate yourself and your thinking of what’s right and what’s wrong. I wouldn’t advise doing it all the time, but from time to time, it’s a great feeling.
14. Read A Book By An Author You Most Avoid
reading books by authors we avoid gives us a chance to take control of our minds and lets us see another side to our thinking. We’ve got to ask why we avoid them in the first place, is it something within us that we are avoiding?
15. Write An Article About Yourself
Imagine a newspaper has asked you to write an article of 1000 words or less about yourself and your life and they want to know what motivates you in life, now write the article. This helps put your life into some perspective and gets you thinking about your childhood and growing up.
16. Stop Contact With Your Down People
If you have people in your life who constantly drag you down, or are negative all the time, drop them. Honestly drop them from your life, you are not serving them and they are not serving you and they are dragging your thoughts down. Read This Post by Dan And jennifer
17. Believe In Yourself
A lot of people believe their life has been pre-destined and there’s nothing we can do to change it – absolute rubbish. YOU are the only person who controls the universe, yes I did mean universe. Your universe is different from mine so you control your own universe, think about that and start acting upon it.
18. Meditate Every Day
Another powerful thing that has the power to change your life and your thinking for good. Retreating into your mind for a few minutes every day will do you a power of good. Read How To Meditate
19. Ask For A Discount
When you buy anything from a shop that is over $100, ask for a discount. Tell the salesman you’d like a 10% discount on the item. Most people are so afraid of doing this but it’s a great way to empower yourself and let go of another inhibition, what’s the worst that can happen?
20. Risk Embarrassment
Imagine if you had seen the person of your dreams on a bus, or at the store and you didn’t do anything about it how much would you kick yourself. If this happens to you, do something about it, don’t keep it hidden. Just say to them you thought you would come over and say how attractive they looked and felt you had to tell them. You never know what will happen and how much your life could be changed. Obviously don’t turn into a weirdo and do it with every good looking person on the street.
21. Work Toward, What You Think, Is An Impossible Goal
If you work toward a goal without expectation you don’t care about the outcome as much. When you don’t care about the outcome, you don’t have as much expectation.
22. Practice Gratitude
We all know what we don’t have in our lives because we spend a lot of time wishing we had them, but are we really thankful for what we have? Spend time every single day being thankful for the good things we do have in our lives. read The Post at ZenHabits on Gratitude
23. Do Something Nice And Don’t Tell Anyone About It
We tell others about our acts of kindness to let them know how nice we are and to seek approval. If you keep your act of kindness to yourself without ever telling anyone the feeling of positive energy lasts much longer.
24. Share Your Skills
Everybody has a skill of some kind. When you share it you not only have the power to help others, but you enhance your own skill by owning it.
25. Don’t Talk Just Listen
Enhance your listening skills by not talking when someone is speaking to you. Resist the urge to speak your views when someone is talking to you, just listen to them and ask them more open ended questions at the appropriate times. This has two benefits: a) You can really listen if you are not formulating the stories in your own head when someone is talking b) you will make the other person feel great as you are actively listening to them.
26. Write Your Future Life Story
Start from the age you are just now and start writing your future life story as you’d like it to be. Be as outrageous as you want and just write about your ideal life and how you interact with it. Words on paper are powerful and can help shape your goals.
27. Give Someone A Gift For No Reason
We always assume someone buys us a gift for a reason whether it be a birthday, christmas or special occasion. Buy someone a gift just because you know they would like it.
28. Pass On Your Good Books
If you’ve read a book and it changed your thinking or life in some way, pass it on to someone else who might benefit.;
29. Spend More Time With Your Kids
Your kids will grow up very quickly, spend as much time as you can with them.
30. Forgive Behavior
The way we behave doesn’t necessarily reflect our true thoughts. Remember this when someone acts out of character and behaves in a way you don’t approve of.
31. Allow Yourself To Be A Lazy Git
We are so used to filling our time with useful things to do and being productive we have forgotten the art of laziness. Being lazy is good every ONCE IN A WHILE and it allows our mind to slow down and relax.
32. What Is Your Best Quality Today
Every morning for 10 seconds just state, out loud if you can, what your best quality is. Try and change it every day. This reinforces your strengths and weakens your perceived weaknesses.
33. Write A Comment
If you visit a blog you like, leave a comment and join in the community of people. Or, if there is not much of a community, be part of starting it.
34. Tell Your Friends And Colleagues How Good They Are
If a friend or colleague does something good, tell them how good they are at that particular task. This reinforces someone else strengths or strengthens their weaknesses and makes them feel good about themselves.
35. Make A Video Of Yourself And Post It To Youtube
Why on earth would you do this? Just because you can!
36. List All Your Worries
Make a list of every single worry you have at the moment. You will notice that you don’t have as many worries as you thought. Worrying consumes our thinking and we think our whole life is one big worry. When you get it down on paper it’s extremely surprising that you don’t have as many as you’d thought.
37. Work On Each Worry In Turn
Now that you have all your worries listed. Go through them and start acting on them in turn. If you find worries you cannot act upon it means there is nothing you can do to change the outcome of that worry, so forget it, why waste mind energy on something you cannot control at all? Read This Post for More Info
38. Read About Successful People
If you want to change your thoughts and change your life read about people who have already done it and use them as guides.
39. Tweet Your Moods
If you use twitter why not tweet your moods daily and see if there is some kind of pattern after a few months.
40. Stop Watching Soaps
Soap operas actually have the power to alter your state of mind. People get so caught up in the emotions of the soap that they experience what the actors and actresses are doing.
41. Have A News Break
What would happen if you never read a newspaper for a week? nothing at all, your life wouldn’t change, you wouldn’t run out of things to talk about, you would still be as up on the world as everyone else. Newspapers sell because of their doom and gloom, read it and you are buying into it.
42. Do Something Spontaneous
Jump on a bus without looking at the destination, book a holiday, take time off work, take your partner away, buy your kids a gift; do anything and make sure it’s out of character, (expand that boundary).
43. Write To An Author
Authors are people just like you and I and they love getting feedback about their work. If a book touched you in some way or changed you, take time to write to the author and thank them. Don’t look for a reply, just thank them.
44. Follow your instincts
We don’t trust ourselves nearly enough as we should. Follow your instincts more and pay attention to the signals your body is picking up and see where it takes you. You might find that your conscious brain gets in the way of your body signals a lot of the time. Read This Post for More Info
45. If You Find Some Money Give It To Charity
If you find money in the street don’t pocket it, give it to someone who is homeless or better yet buy them a meal with it. If it’s a suitcase full of money, that’s obviously a different story.
46. Your Thoughts Really Do Have Power
When you realize this, it will change your thinking in so many ways. I can’t tell you that it’s true you have to experience it for yourself.
47. Always Admit It When You Have Made A Mistake
Don’t blame others or hide behind someone else. Hold your hands up and admit you made a mistake, no matter what the consequences are. You will be much more respected this way. However, don’t take the blame for others.
48. Do Something Every Day To Improve Your Mind
Learn a new word, do an anagram puzzle, sudoku your mind, read a book, read a stimulating blog post, anything that will help your mind just a little. Just a little turns into something huge.
49. Change Your Thinking Style
If something is not working out, try and change your thinking style and come at it from another angle. This is true of everything in life.
50. What Do You Really Want To Do In Life
You will find most people cannot answer this question simply because they are plodding along with life. When you know what you really want to do with your life then your life takes another path. read This Post by Dragos Roua
51. Pass On Your Knowledge
Knowledge is for sharing, let others know what you know if it’s appropriate.
52. Ask For What You Want In Life
If you don’t ask you won’t get. Asking for your wants puts it out there. I mean literally ask and metaphorically ask. When you want a big house or a mansion, ask out loud and send it out there. When you want the smaller things in life, ask for them from people who can give you them. Always pay it forward.
53. When Someone Does You A Good Turn Pay It Forward
If you receive a compliment, thank the person and look for an opportunity to give someone else a compliment. If you receive a gift, give a gift to someone else at an opportune time.
54. Always Have A Good Breakfast
We underestimate the power of food to keep our brains healthy and our minds alive with energy. If you don’t eat that much, make sure you have a good breakfast to set you up for the day. Read this post on eating by Vin Miller
55. What Would People Say About You If You Died
This is not a morbid thought, but I often think about what people would say about me at my funeral. The thing is the ones who might say something bad, I can’t really not invite because I’ll be dead. However, the important people are ones I would care about most and I would like to develop my life’s values based on what people would say about me at my funeral; he was a caring man, he was a family man, he always told the truth no matter how hard it might seem, he had integrity etc.
56. Sing Your Heart Out
I love to sing, I hopeless at it, but I love it. We have a radio station over in the UK called gold http://www.mygoldmusic.co.uk/ and it plays music from the 60s, 70s and 80s and I sing at the top of my voice as there is always something on that’s good. My sons are not very pleased about it though
57. Love The One You’re With
Always let your partner know how much you love them by telling them and showing them. This way your mind is focused on them for at least part of the day.
58. Pacing Whilst Studying
This has helped me a lot over the years. I paced my way through university. My theory is that the body and mind is being stimulated with the exercise you are doing whilst walking, this makes the blood flow. Blood flow to the brain help you to study and remember.
59. Make New friends
Whether it be online or offline. Keeping yourself busy socially is stimulating for the mind and lets you see the world from others peoples perspective.
60. Make Love Regularly
Releasing the feel good chemicals, endorphins, into your bloodstream is a great way to stimulate the mind. I have to admit to feeling much more creative after making love.
61. Listen To Music
This stimulates the mind and can have tremendous benefits for your thoughts, therefore your life. I love listening to Baroque music whilst driving at night, I love rousing rock driving during the day and dance trance music at the weekend whist driving
62. Listen To A Book Instead Of The Radio
Getting downloadable books from Amazon.com or Audible.com is a great way to spend long journeys and learn something at the same time.
63. Have A Sleep In
I am not a big fan of sleeping longer than I have to, but sometimes it’s great to lie in bed for a few hours longer than normal. It helps the brain recuperate.
64. Turn Off The TV
There’s nothing more brain numbing than having the TV on all day every day. Exercise your mind and read a book, or at least watch something educational. Read this post by Vin Miller
65. Look For Evidence Of Your Beliefs
This will develop your mind and your critical thinking. If you look for evidence of your beliefs such as ‘what is the evidence that sea water is blue or green’, you’ll discover some great information on during your research.
66. Take Micro Naps
Taking a micro nap for 10 minutes a few times a day does wonders for your brain energy. read this post on Micro Naps
67. Travel Often
Travel really does broaden your horizons especially if you really get into the local food and culture.
68. Tidy House Tidy Mind
There really is nothing better than clearing your house or office space to clear your mind. When the house is not tidy there is always a niggling at the back of your mind. When the house, office and workspace is totally clean and tidy it frees your mind to concentrate on work or your family at home. read this post at DumbLittleMan
69. Exercise Your Mind Not Just Your Body
We all know the benefits of exercising the body but exercising the mind by doing crosswords, maths puzzles, playing chess, reading, anagrams, sudoku etc, all help to increase the minds capacity for learning.
70. Read Philosophy
the beauty of philosophy is that there is no right and wrong. However, reading different philosophers views about the world will stimulate your mind. Read this post by Tim Ferris
71. Ditch The Credit Card
We have forgotten how to wait for the things we want in life, if we see something we like we want it now and using a credit card is too easy. Make the object of your desire more precious by saving up for it. This will discipline your mind as well as your money spending habits.
72. Watch A Motivational Video On Youtube First Thing In The Morning
This is a great way to start the day. Just type in motivational into youtube search box, sort by view count and watch a few videos.
73. Keep Up To Date With New Theories
Whatever field you are interested in keep up to date with new theories and discoveries. New theories in psychology are especially interesting albeit quite thin on the ground.
74. Take One Action Toward Your Goals Every Day
Your Self confidence, self esteem, and goals can only be reached by taking action. The more action you take the more your mind will help you to keep going.
75. Never Let Your Mind Go Out Of Fashion
Keep up to date with the latest research on health, beauty and intelligence. Only those whose thoughts keep searching will stay intelligent for life.
76. Confronting Your Stressors
Whatever you are stressed about the most tackle first. The less stress you have the less your mind has to cope with. Tackle the biggest stressors first and work your way down. Read this post by Jonathan Wells
77. Drink Coffee And Tea
Despite evidence to the contrary coffee and tea have been shown to help the brain. Antioxidants and/or caffeine may help fight the onset of Alzheimer’s by 30-60% drinking 30 cups a day is obviously not good but 3-5 cups per day is okay.
78. Carry Yourself With Confidence
People can tell by the way you walk if you are confident or not. Walk with purpose and have a purpose to walk. Read this post by Brandon Lindell
79. Make Up Your Own Mind
When reading or listening to the news, do your own research and make up your own mind. The government and large corporations, whether deliberate or not, is a propaganda machine feeding you information to manipulate your thinking.
80. Take Up Yoga
This is meant to be one of the best ways to relive stress and exercise both mind and body. watch this video to get you started
81. Change Your Hands
Practice doing this with your less dominant hand. If you are right handed start doing things with your left hand and vice versa. If you are ambidextrous, start doing it with your feet
82. Eat Plenty Of Fish
There is an abundance on new evidence that eating fish is great for our brains and keeping them healthy.
83. Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
I had to say this, I am an addiction worker. Don’t cut it out just reduce it to the recommended safe level.
84. Quit The Smoking
Yep it can be one of the hardest drugs to give up but it is worth it. I feel so much better for giving up smoking and have a lot more energy than normal and my mind can function a lot better.
85. Practice Deep Breathing
Getting plenty of oxygen to your brain is key for a healthy mind, deep breathing can help with this.
86. Get A Dog/Cat
If you live alone why not go to one of the pet rescue centres and get a dog or a cat. People who have pets are shown to be less lonely, more active, and show fewer signs of stress. read this article by elizabeth Scott
87. Break your Pattern
If you are the one who always goes shopping swap the routine with your partner. Or if you always go to a particular store, change it and go to the same store in another area. Do anything to break the patterns you have in life. This way your mind is kept more active.
88. Try New Food
We have trained our palettes over the years and have gotten used to eating certain foods day in and day out. Try new foods and train your palette to eat better foods.
89. Stimulate Your Brain By Going To A Concert
Whether it be a rock concert or am orchestral concert, getting out and hearing music live and being with people who enjoy the same music stimulates your mind and your emotions.
90. Join An Internet Group
Join an internet discussion group to further your education on topics of interest. Want to start a business? join a group and get ideas for best practice. Want to know more about tropical fish? join a group. This educates your mind, gives you ideas and lets you meet people who are interested in the same topics as you.
91. Volunteer To Help Others
Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community and help others learn the skills you have. Even if you don’t think you have skills you can still help someone out in your community just by talking or doing their shopping for 1 hour per week.
92. Read The Tao Te Ching
Has to be one of the best books, in my opinion, for developing your mind. read this blog byNaoto Matsumoto
93. Practice Patience
Waiting in queues, traffic jams, on a telephone call can be very frustrating sometimes. If you use the time to develop your mind and focus on your goals your frustration will dissipate very quickly. Use free time like this constructively instead of getting angry and putting yourself in a bad mood.
94. Practice Divergent Thinking
This is the practice of looking for multiple solutions to problems or issues that arise in your life, whether they be at home or at work. Don’t judge your solutions just put them down on paper until you can’t think of any other ways. get others involved in this as well. Read this article on divergent thinking
95. Put On A New Hat
Edward De Bono wrote a book called Six Thinking Hats in which he proposed you to put on a different, mental, hat for each area of your life. For example you put on your parent hat when talking to your kids, you can also put on your child hat for playing around with your kids. mentally putting on different hats allows you to better go in and out of different roles in your life.
96. Stop trying To Multitask
Multitasking can’t be done except with unconscious processes such as walking and talking. If you try to consciously multitask like make the kids lunches, have a telephone conversation and try and get the kids ready for school it can’t be done nearly as effectively as doing each task separately. Multitasking stresses out minds and helps to produce bad results. read this article by Dave Crenshaw
97. Write A Short Essay On The Books Your Read
Doing this will keep your mind active and helps your to read in a different way as you are analyzing books instead of just reading. this way you retain more information and in a few years time you don’t embarrass yourself by saying ‘yeah, that was a great book but I can’t remember what it was about.’
98. Allocate Time For Worrying
If you are a recovering worrier and you need some help, allocate a certain time each day to worry about everything. Once you’ve done the time of worry, leave it until the next day.
99. Stop Faffing And Just Do It
Faffing is the art of doing small things to avoid completing a bigger task. I am constantly getting on at my son and saying ‘Stop faffing!’. We spend too much time faffing instead on concentrating on the task at hand. Read this Article at Lifehack.org
100. Read The Dictionary
Learning a new word every 2 -3 days will increase your vocabulary by 120 – 170 words per year.
101. Always Over deliver On Your Promises
If you say your going to do something, don’t just do it and get the job complete, make sure you over deliver on everything you do.
Your thoughts
Why not leave a comment about this article or add to it by giving us your thoughts.
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AWESOME POST. Brilliant.
bretthimself´s last blog ..Disarming Logic
Hi Steven, just wanted to say thanks for giving up your weekend and writing such a fantastic article, after reading it i realised i do actually do some of them, but there is many i have never done or even thought of doing, so i have decided i am going to work my way through and do everyone. Thank you so much for everything you have written, your website has helped me so much, I’ve always been such a worrier, but I’ve noticed since reading your web pages i feel so much better, definitely the best site I’ve been on. Thank you.
Shirley, that is the best compliment I could ever recieve and I am so happy that this site has made a difference to you. Thank you for making my night.
Thanks Brett, appreciate your comments, it was worth it then
Hello Steven.
There is no shortage of practicality in this set.
#20 about risking embarrassment is a quick one to get to results, because we very quickly realize the possible embarrassment is actually nothing. I recently read on some site about how the person will conquer a fear each day for 100 days. I get the feeling that they will very quickly realize that they will sort of run out in a short time since there are only a few fears that have been in our minds for most of what we do, and once those are attacked and understood better, the rest comes from maintaining that understanding.
#53 is a winner because continuing the good is something many don’t see the value of. Being part of a moving train leaves no chance of missing the train. It doesn’t take too much to keep the train rolling, and the gains are immeasurable, or measurable for those interested in that type of measuring.
Thanks for the package you have provided here.
Thanks Armen, I always appreciate your visits and comments.
Incredible post Steve! This is one of the few articles that I have saved because I am going to be reading this more than once. It may even get printed.
Justin- AlittleBetter.net´s last blog ..What Is A Better Life Anyways?
Thanks Justin, I’m honoured that you bookmarked it. Thanks for stopping by.
Great list… I know you spent quite some time on this.
I think number 40 (Stop Watching Soaps) is so true…. The more we watch them, the more we become socially conditioned and we tend to bring more drama into our lives!
I don’t agree with number 77 (Drink Coffee And Tea) though… and 3-5 cups a day is still too much (caffeine)! Water always win… Besides, you can get anti-oxidants in other ways…
Yee Shun Jian | RichGrad.com´s last blog ..17-Page Info-Packed FREE Report with life changing strategies
Hi yee, thanks for dropping by. The Coffee and tea one was for coffee and tea drinkers, I didn’t mean for people to take up drinking coffee, I meant it as a way for people not to be scared to keep drinking coffee and tea
cool and thanks for getting past your resistance.
Turning off the tv and taking action towards a goal everyday work well.
well done
Thanks Mike, turning off the TV is a great way to slow the mind down and regain control of your thoughts.
This is great Steven thanks for reaching out to me about this
Darren Scott Monroe´s last blog ..Quotes by Darren Scott Monroe V (5)
Hi Darren, thanks for visiting I appreciate it, glad you and your wife liked the article.
Hi Steve, really great list. The one point that jumped off the page and caught me off guard was #3, stop talking. There’s a lot of value to this simple strategy. It was nice to see several points here from other bloggers also (thank you). Great to see Vin mentioned several times, I really like his blog. I know this was a lot of work and I appreciate how comprehensive the whole list is. Thanks
Jonathan – Advanced Life Skills´s last blog ..Validation, Approval, and Happiness
Hi Jonathan, thanks, had to have you and Vin and some other great bloggers out there.
Great list Steven! I loved the “faffing it” tip. I do that for sure. Well done!
Stephen – Rat Race Trap´s last blog ..Basic Principles of Living By Larry Winget
Hi Stephen, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I love that word ‘faffing’
WoW
thanks … a great list
Thanks Mohammed
Yes Well Done. Keep up the good work. Love the List
Thanks Mike, appreciate your comments
Great ideas, I think they are very interting and simple. I am just sharing them with my son in Mexico.
Hi Daniel, hope your son likes them.
Very nice list. I am now inspired to produce a top 100 list. I am one for more is less so I am going to go with top 10. Mind if I take a few ideas from you. I will link your post within my blog.
andy
Andrew Abranches´s last blog ..Success – What Creates It
Hi Andrew, it’s good to deep link your articles from time to time. I would definitely try and go for the 100 list as it could go viral and be one of your ‘Pillar Posts’ that brings a lot of new readers to your blog.
Excellent article!
Thanks Lalitha
FANTASTIC list, Steven! I’m bookmarking this and printing out a list to put on my wall and carry around with me. I’m a firm believer in maxims, mantras and general good advice and this post is dripping with great ones.
1, 12, 22, and 82 are ones I already try to practice regularly but I’m looking forward to dancing more often, standing on a chair for 5 minutes a day, and tweeting my moods. Thanks for this awesome collection of ideas!
Hi Richard, great to have you here and thanks for the wonderful comments, I really appreciate it.
Great, great stuff, thanks! You made the front page at delicious — well deserved. I’m saving this piece to reread down the road. Keep up the wonderful work!
Hi Twig, that’s brilliant news, only been on the front page a few times in the last 3 years.
wonderful ideas…!!
thanks afshan
Hi Steven,
Great job on putting together the list. The one that rings the most with me is no. 75 where I would add to “Only those whose thoughts keep searching will stay intelligent for life.” And relevant.
Thanks!
Jorge Barba´s last blog ..10 more resources to boost your brain power
Hi Jorge thanks for stopping by. Just checked out your blog and there’s some great articles in there.
Extraordinary post! I have bookmarked it and plan to read it 2 – 3 times a week… very useful information to get everything in just one reading! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the visit Fernando and for leaving a comment.
Thanks Steven, Very helpfull.
Cheers Ali
Great post Steven. Many of the points we come across many times in our lives but we forget to implement them.
Coming out of our comfort zone (like facing embarrasement, trying new food, working on impulse rather than planning etc.) is always difficult and we often feel lonely if we do them.
But then I agree, if we don’t keep ourself fresh (stimulate the brain) then a few years down the line we would smell as a dead fish.
The only point is to keep yourself motivated while you try to go out of your comfort zone and try out things to stimulate your brain.
Abhinav S´s last blog ..The American Dream Continues
Hi Abhinav, thanks for visting and posting a comment
Hi Steven,
.
These ideas are great not only for development of the mind but also to get those neurons pumping for us to write better articles
I’ve been stuck so many times in the process of writing and I’m always searching for thinsg that will get me out of that “mud mode ” LOL . <<<just made that one up- hee he.
What a fantastic list. Gonna tweet and delicious this.
All the best,
Eren
Eren Mckay´s last blog ..Whitney Houston interview on Oprah Winfrey show cd debut
Hi Eren, I like that phrase ‘mud mode’ better use it as a post before I steal the idea
Steve, I am sure I would be reading this post once a week for a long time. Mind-blowing. Brilliant.
Kavita Kampani´s last blog ..Winning Vs. Losing
Kavita, thanks for the comments I really do appreciate it.
Great post Steven. The list is comprehensive and not only can it be used for developing the brain, it is great for improving one’s life as a whole. I especially like #26. Writing your future story is a good way to create goals, and I sincerely believe it works better than say writing a list of goals. After all, story are more powerful in motivating action.
Karlil´s last blog ..The 4 Steps Guide To Achieving Your True Focus
Hi Nik, writing your future story is something I have been working on and wil release another post soon about this with some work sheets, it’s a great way to plan, imagine and activate all your senses with this.
hey steven,
loved the list. n i mean it.
i had already been working on several points you mentioned but there were few points which were quite stimulating especially
1. Do the Thing You Fear the Most.
6. Blindfold Yourself for a Day
15. Write An Article About Yourself
26. Write Your Future Life Story
14. Read A Book By An Author You Most Avoid
87. Break your Pattern
i honestly believe just by having a look that these would be quite impactful.
but for
77. Drink Coffee And Tea
don’t agree much(just to a certain extent). i mean there are very goud alternatives to it like herbal tea and oorlongs tea. these are good for health and have usually the same impact as regular tea and coffee.
anywys great compilation
cheers!!
Hi Sunil, thanks for visiting, cool picture BTW. I am glad you liked some of the points in the post. A lot of people are not agreeing with the coffee one, but if you’re a coffee drinker it’s good news as it means you don’t have to cut it out altogether
thanx for the good words
neda’a´s last blog ..Threadless Tshirt Giveaway at jaypeeonline.net
Thanks Neda
Steven, I am flabbergasted by the sheer amount of crazy, outrageous, and great inspirations you’ve given in this article.
Of course I will continue to do Nr. 33 (commenting on blogs).
I had an interesting experience with Nr. 43 (Write to an author). I once wanted to write a comment on Paulo Coelho’s blog, but I clicked the wrong link and send a private message to him. Just 10 minutes later I got a very nice and warm reply by him personally. I was shocked. Here I was an unknown fan in Germany and I got an answer from a famous author from the other side of the world. And it was very nice from him. I felt great the whole weekend. Why not do it, some will answer, some not, but they are humans like you. Give it a shot. Oh and BTW you might start with Steven – he will be a famous author soon, I bet.
I could go on and on raving about your great list. I will save it and reflect on it constantly.
And I will go on with Nr. 60
Patrick´s last blog ..Release Your Fear of Scarcity
Hi Patrick, that’s a great story about Paulo Coelho. Thanks for the kind words as well I appreciate it very much. Loving your blog just now, so we’re on the same journey as are a lot of people who’ve visited here, it’s a great feeling.
Great list, Steven! You’ve inspired me to consider writing one of these myself!
Reading the Tao Te Ching is a great suggestion. I’ve started it, but unfortunately, haven’t followed through.
Also, when standing on a chair for 5 minutes, do some single leg squats.
Vin – NaturalBias´s last blog ..Super Size Me: Is Fast Food Really to Blame?
Hi Vin, you should do one of these, it’s a great way to focus your writing skills.
The Tao Te Ching is a great work and it brings up something different every time I dip into it.
Good suggestion about doing the leg squats.
Nice , very nice
Thanks Aliyu
Superb list!
Just to comment on a few.
13 – I do this all the time. Doesn’t everybody?
35 – That’s the scariest one on the list (for me)
40/41 – Why do people watchthese anyway?
82 – Any alternatives for those of us who don’t eat meat?
Ian | Quantum Learning´s last blog ..The secret of happiness
Hi Ian, thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. As for 82, the reason i was saying eat fish is for the omega’s. Taking Omega supplements might work just as well
Okay, I’ll admit that I haven’t read the entire list just yet. But I think that’s a good thing; it means there’s enough meat here for more than one day!
The suggestions I really like on this list are the ones about breaking patterns. Things like changing hands sound simple, but I like the idea. Sometimes it doesn’t matter -what- pattern you break or how insignificant the change may seem.
Thanks for the great list, Steven!
Jeffrey Tang´s last blog ..The Crowd is an Illusion
Jeffrey, I really appreciate you visiting and leaving a comment. It’s good to mix things up in life and breaking our patterns, it lets us see that life doesn’t have to be one big routine.
Steven, I must admit that, this is one of the best article I’ve read in a long time. v I wish you had wrote it earlier.
Excellent article, I really got a lot from it. Very practical, straight-forward and lots of action items to get the mental ball rolling. I’m also gonna read the references provided here too. Good Stuff!
Hi Chris, thanks for stopping by and taking time out to read this post. You’ll enjoy the links as well.
Great post Steven!
I liked it and most tips are amazing and very inspiring…
Jump out of your box, yeeeaaah
Thanks Jan
Great post! I didn’t have time to read and digest all of it this morning, but I have printed it off and bookmarked it for future reference and inspiration.
I find that making improvements in your thoughts, your actions and your life sometimes get relegated to the back shelf when life gets busy. It’s so important to have inspirational reading such as this to keep us present to what we really want in life instead of letting the urgent but not really important stuff take over!
Thanks for the inspiration Steven.
Hi Anne, you’re right we tend to forget mental health which can lead to problems down the line. It’s all about being pro-active instead of reactive.
Oh I HAVE to try the blindfold for a day. I’m prepping myself for this one now. I can foresee some serious benefit there.
Then I’ll come back and read the 94 that follow
So I guess that ce n’est qu’un au-revoir!
Charles – Creative Lab´s last blog ..How to get hundreds of dofollow backlinks to your website.
Hi Charles, it’s extremely difficult blindfolding yourself for the day however I found it very beneficial. I found my other senses heightened dramatically and I found my instincts being honed more, and that’s only after 1 day. It really did make me appreciate what it would be like being blind, at least for a day and I didn’t have to stay that way for long, so I can’t really know but it gave me a glimpse.
nice from Venezuela
Thanks Luis
Great list, very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Fathum, appreciate you stopping by
Wow! What a great post.. really made me think.. and already started helping to develop my mind.. I definitely will work to incorporate each in my life..
Hi Latoya, be good to know how you get on.
Great post. Now build an app that will email me one a day …
John Koetsier´s last blog ..This is smart: School sign-ups via Google Docs
Hi John, that’s a really good idea
Steven, your blog article on 100 Ways To Develop Your Mind has been a pure joy to read and to absorb. Clearly, you’ve found a way to trigger a positive note for anyone who is fortunate to read your thoughts. Thanks for sharing your unique approach to positive living.
David Schaefer´s last blog ..If You Think Positive Self-Talk Is Mumbo Jumbo, Think Again
Hi David, I really do appreciate your kind words, it’s been great seeing the reaction to this post.
I really like this article. Inspiring. Thanks for your time!
RSSed your blog to my google reader.
Thanks for subscribing Wang and I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Wow, this is an AMAZING post! You have so many fantastic ideas on here Steven, I don’t even know where to begin. But I will say this…meditation is one BIGGIE for me! I can’t imagine a life without it.
Thanks for the brilliant post!
Cheers,
Dayne
Dayne | TheHappySelf.com´s last blog ..Are We Communicating More and Listening Less?
Hi Dayne, readers would do well to visit your blog as well, I really like what you’re doing.
Meditation is so beneficial in so many ways it’s hard to know where to begin with the benefits, the small ways as well as the bigger differences it can make.
Thanks for your time.
Stephen, terrific list! Thank you.
I would buy a book with 1000 ways…
Belinda Munoz´s last blog ..ALL CLEAR: FeedMedic Alert for thehalfwaypoint
Hi Belinda, are you setting me a challenge – if you know of any book agents send them my way
#33.
My first visit to this site. I really enjoyed this piece and will share it.
My husband uses some of these in his classes and many are things I’ve just done on my own as I find they completely shift my thinking in ways that break old habits. Very liberating! This post is truly a work of art and a basis for a whole book. You could go into each one in more depth. I bet it would sell like hot cakes. I had fun just reading it. Great job, Steven.
Robin Easton´s last blog ..Bizarro Week
Hi Robin, thanks for your kind words as always, I never fail to be touched by them. The book idea is playing on my mind more and more
Thanks for this comprehensive list. I must agree with Dayne when it comes to meditation. That is my still point that all else seems to resonate from.
Thanks again
Andy
Hi Andy, we’ll need to get an online meditation group together – how would that work ?
Either you are on some stimulatory drugs or antidepressant or you having manic attack! You have written too many good stuff. People who are struggling for survival, can’t think like this.
Thanks,
PP
Hi Pravn,
I appreciate your comments.
Great read…thank you for the reminders!
Hi Kyle, you are very welcome
I loved it…Thank you so much…..
Hi Kate, thanks for your comments
I keep looking for some fun ways to overcome my inhibitions.
Your list gives me a bunch of ideas.. Thanks!
But I should say, I strongly disagree with points #77 and #82 i.e. intake of tea, coffee, fish (or any non-veg for that matter)
As far as I know, Tea, Coffee, etc. work opposite to Yoga; they accumulate stress and toxins in the body, instead of releasing them, though they give a temporary high.
And, non-veg intake makes us dull, as it is a huge strain on our digestive system. Also, it is not healthy in the long run.
Hi Anjan, thanks for commenting. I hear you about the coffee, tea and fish, a lot of people are commenting on that, but it’s just a preference
HI there, great post. I added a link on my site to your blog.
Great stuff.
Andrew
Hi Andrew, thanks for linking this on your blog, I appreciate it
I thought this was a good list and had some things that I had not seen elsewhere. Thanks for the time of putting something like that together.
Good Time Tribe´s last blog ..Bassline 010 by Good Time Tribe
Thanks GTT, I appreciate you stopping by
Hi Steven,
and don’t take it personal, it’s just 1 of 101…
Amazing list… I’m already trying some of those.
The #72 remembered me of the ted.com videos… they make me change my mind sometimes already..
Try to keep up with your comment replies, even for the disagreeing coffee ones
Cheers,
Pedro
Hi Pedro, the TED videos are fantastic, you should read 29 Great TED videos
Trying to keep up with all the comments
Hi Steven
Kevin Walker a friend I have made via “facebook”, directed me to your 100 Ways……………
It is absolutely BRILLIANT – Thank you so much.
I feel INSPIRED to have a FREE “100 Ways…………” seminar – What a fantastic way to SHARE and help people develop.
I want to add you on facebook, but there are a few Steve A’s – add me “Maurice Kelleher”
Once again Steven, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A VERY ENLIGHTING easy guide to HEALTHY LIVING
Best wishes
Maurice
“Keep your DREAMS alive…..”
Hi Maurice, the feedback on this post has given me some great ideas and I think with your knowledge at OnHoldVideo it could be doable to do a “100 Ways video series – ”
thanks for your very kind words, I appreciate them
Wow, a wonderful post!
You came up with so many unexpected and brilliant ways to develop mind; I am just impressed with the amount of work you have put into this post.
I went through the whole 101 ways on one breath, though I will bookmark your article for future reference
Tomorrow I’ll try standing on a chair and see how it ill make me feel
Anastasiya´s last blog ..10 Most Important Secrets of Longevity
Hi Anastasiya, thanks for visiting and leaving a comment, I hope you get a lot out of it.
good article..given me more ideas n make me think out of the box..thankz..;)
Hi Sweety (I feel like Patsy, from AbFab, saying that) thanks for leaving a comment
Steven Aitchison´s last blog ..Your True Achievement Expectations Have High Accuracy
Impressive article here Steve! I’m actually practicing #33 now.
Your posts here are simply top notch! Keep it going man.
Daniel Richard´s last blog ..7+1 *Bonus* Lessons Learnt From a Trekking Trip in Kota Tinggi, Malaysia, and Climbing Waterfalls
Steven Aitchison´s last blog ..Your True Achievement Expectations Have High Accuracy
)n3 0f the Best Sites I’ve seen in a while.
Hi Brian, thanks for the visit and comment, I appreciate it
Steven Aitchison´s last blog ..Your True Achievement Expectations Have High Accuracy
Great post steven we should all bin our Tvs
Hi Lloyd, I wouldn’t go that far
Steven Aitchison´s last blog ..Seeing the Beauty in Ugliness
thanks for this post very interesting to read these i will be checkin in on often
Thanks for stopping by John
Nice! This is very good read. I can imagine how you racked your brain thinking about all 100 ways. Thanks for this. Could I add another? You can help develop your mind by thinking of ways to Make More, Live More, Give More (http://makemorelivemoregivemore.com)
Kudos to your blog!
Wow great post! I will share this one to my friends.
Thanks for tha Jan, I appreciate it
Hi Steven,
Enjoyed the read. Thanks for putting this together.
Best,
Harry
Thanks Harry, glad you emjoyed it
Excellent post! Opening ourselves to new challenges and going through them can really help develop our mind. Learning new skills helps to activate those nerves in the brain that are lying dormant.
Vijay – Meditation Techniques Guide´s last blog ..Yoga Meditation Technique
Hi Vijay, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment
Wow… what a great list! I think I could start by taking one of these a day, then repeating the cycle! Kindof like my motto for the day! Thanks for some really great ideas
Thaks Mel, I am glad you find this helpful
hi,Steve!
I am very impressed with them, I already practice many of them and I am glad that there is someone else that thinks like you.
From time to time we need to get reassurence and I got it!
Keep it up STEVE!
Thanks Cristina, there’s a lot of us out there
Hi Steven!
can’t believe how much I really appreciated reading this post! some of these are just amazing and easy to do. I must admit that blindfolded for a day would be something worth trying to do. I have already worked out what I would not be able to do just by thinking about it! Though I have been practising most of these ideas, some of them are quite astounding. Ditching the credit card is a beauty! Live within your means and you feel like a King or Queen! great stuff Steve! glad I found you.
Nancy
Nancy Wylde´s last blog ..The Secret – Deleted Scenes
Nancy, thanks so much for your comments. Blindfoldiong for the day is difficult but you definitiely appreciate what you have it, at least for a day or two.
This is certainly a powerful article. I haven’t quite thought of so many points but some of them I myself believe in and do… Regards, Darshan.
Darshan Chande´s last blog ..What counts: Outer looks or inner beauty?
Hi Steven,
I found your blog post completely by accident very random. I had never heard of you or your blog. Love the post and I’ll be reading the rest of your posts. My favorite is #50. I think it is important that people love what they do and don’t just plod along. ~ Lisa
Thank you, I really enjoyed reading your article. It is a good thing to want change and persue excellence.
Kind Regards,
Christian
Some original ideas her: I will definitley try some out. Perhaps I could combine and stand on a chair in the nude.
Love all these suggestions.
Didn’t see this one yet:
Use Mind Maps to organize your thoughts instead of simple, linear ‘lists’.
Great article… I love # 29. Spend time not only with your own kids, but any children. It can not help but improve your mind. Kids are not imature adults, adults are burned out children.
you are a great genius. you have great articles in here thati have almost fallen in love with them all
keep going. its in you.
Thank you Steven, you nailed it. Hope to read more great articles from you. A weekend well invested. Wishing you perpetual inspiration.
Great post Steven, alot of good ones that I didn’t think about either, but I could see how they would benefit. Thought is a powerful thing, and when you sharpen your mind for the better, to be more positive, amazing things happen
Terrance Charles´s last blog ..Top 100 Most Helpful Twitter Tips…
The points you’ve made here are absolutely inspiring. I especially liked scrolling down and seeing the bit about not being afraid of embarrassment–because it applies to my life so directly. There is a guy I’ve been seeing on the bus, who lives in my area, whom I would love to get to know better. It’s a little like fate I think [because I believe in that]–I saw him once before while coming home from, about 5 months ago. He looked like a famous person and I went up to him, and asked him if anyone had ever told him he looked like this person. He responded pleasantly, but I made the mistake of walking away without saying anything more. 5 months later on my way to school I see him on my bus again in the morning on my way to school–I have no idea if he remembers me. On that same day, on my way home from school, I see him on his way home, and again we take the same bus home!
I contemplated for the entire journey that I would write my name and number on a slip of paper and give it to him–I even went as far as actually doing it. But I just didn’t give it to him–now I regret that. What’s the worst that could have happened? Maybe he wouldn’t contact me, but that would have been fine, I would have moved on.
So really, seeing you write that point, amongst the others, is really a great push for me, and hopefully in the right direction!
Hi Steve
What you wrote covers may be all areas and it’s really good work, thank you!
?
Weak points in my opinion are points 77. Drink coffee 3-5 times a day? Come on, this is a large dosage (http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/adverse_effects_of_coffee_drinking) and point 95. is kind of a trick but it’s somehow not so useful, I mean something quite more useful can replace it. May be it’s also worth saying that physical exercises not only develop your body, they do develop your mind maps and create new neuron networks that can boost many other zones and be useful, for exmaple if you swim 3 times a week it’s definetely changing your brain after you you’ll be able to do other things better, simple things like reading for exmaple, it’s all connected.
And just a quickie for you, how many of the points you think you have mastered
Steven, great article, feels like a to do list that is worth spending some time on. Thanks
Antony
Awesome post – -I sent it to @dougbench – Brain Doctor. Thought he’d appreciate it.
Sally Witzky,
Chief Strategist,
Traction Group
A really useful post. I read your post about eye exercise too. I shall be following this site from now on. Thank you so much for taking the time to maintain an awesome site.
i am already trying some of these things.
but i use to think that some people who have everything are leading the best life….means i useto think i am useless…like people with good physique have girlfriends, have great jobs even if they are less qualified….
but after reading this article iam relieved not much but to some extent…
which i think is good for me…
thank u
Steve, this is an incredible post. I am sure I cannot explain in words how much this means to me. Eren Mckay from embracinghome.com referred me to this post, and I am glad that I read it. This is totally reviving.
Thank you. Bookmarked your post and got through a bit of it and had to go connect with my adult ‘kids’. Found myself referring to what you shared. Thank you. And I haven’t even finished reading your post, yet. Made me smile. Thank you.
Hi Steve,
great list.
I suggest some more points:
1. Use another way to the places you are going to on a regulary basis.
2. Have a walk in nature, listen to the sound of nature.
3. Recognise what is happening in your body while you move.
4. Release tension while you act.
5. Touch something natural, the trunk of a tree, a stone you find, a leaf and really feel it.
6.Smell the natural fragrances and be aware doing it.
7. Learn a new movement.
8. Sing, and when you run out of breath close your mouth inhale through the nose and sing further where the music is.
Have fun practising
Larissa