It is amazing what people can do when they utilize the might of mind.
Recently, Nik Wallenda grabbed a lot of headlines by becoming the first person in 116 years to walk a tightrope across the Niagara Gorge, and the first ever to stroll right over the falls.
Wallenda is reported to have said that he accomplished the feat through “a lot of praying, that’s for sure. But, you know, it’s all about the concentration, the focus, and the training.”
In my own experience, although I’ve never considered walking over the Niagara Gorge, much less my backyard pool, I’ve found that concentration, focus, and training are quite necessary for health and success.
More on that later.
Another individual who succeeds at what most of us don’t even contemplate is Chrissie Wellington, four-time triathlon World Ironman champion.
In an article for CNN, speaking on how she does what she does, Wellington explained, “Of all the body parts we train, none is more important than the mind. …it’s when the discomfort strikes that [you] realize a strong mind is the most powerful weapon of all. I believe that it is my mind that has carried me through to some of my greatest victories.”
Although, I don’t walk tightrope or participate in triathlons as Wellington does, I am learning quite a lot about this “most powerful weapon of all.”
Again, I’ll dig a little deeper on this in a moment.
I’m not sure if Marc B. Lewis bikes and swims. However, I do know he writes. And in a Huffington Post article Does Your Mind Impact Your Health? Lewis wrote, “In a discussion of health, wellness and well-being, an important concept is the relationship between the mind and the body.”
He examined what he called the “two primary ways of looking at the mind-body relationship.” He explained that Monism is the view that the mind and body are not “distinct entities” but “one interrelated system.” The opposite or dualism model suggests that the mind and body never impact one another.
I do believe that both Wallenda and Wellington might be supportive of the Monism theory. I am.
Lewis further wrote, “If the monism principle … is correct, you likely notice changes in your body that correlate with what you think and the emotions you experience. Since your mind and emotions impact the conditions in your body and the conditions in your body are a factor in the manifestation of disease and illness, your mind and emotions are a major player in determining your health and wellness.”
If you are finding mind to be a “major player” in your experience, you’re not alone.
Harris Dienstfrey in an essay in Consciousness & Healing: Integral Approaches To Mind-Body Medicine, has written, “I hope this is clear. There is as yet no bottom to the well of the mind’s capacity to do in the body (some bodies) what any newly invented drug can do. The problem the drug is treating does not matter. The mind is expansive enough to treat the problem. Put it this way: The mind so far can do (for some people) what all the pharmaceutical labs of the world together haven’t been able to do.”
If you are keeping count, you’ve seen mind described as “a major player” and as “the most powerful weapon of all.” You’ve read that mind can accomplish “what all the pharmaceutical labs of the world together haven’t been able to do.” Yet, is it really the human mind that is such a dominant power?
The human mind can do a lot of things. However, perhaps you are finding, like I am, that no matter the training, focus, or concentration given, the human mind, by itself, cannot motivate and drive you to experience sustained success or health.
Possibly, you are discovering, as I am, that instead of the human mind being a powerhouse that possesses unstoppable abilities, in fact, it achieves success and promotes health only to the degree that it humbly embraces and reflects a divine consciousness.
The Bible describes Jesus as a master of both health and success. Did his accomplishments come about because of a human mind and will or was it an outcome of his subordination to the divine?
I believe that it is the latter, indicating that health and success are achieved by our growing awareness of a higher consciousness. A productive mind stems from a divinely governed mind.
I have found that if you prayerfully train your thought with focused concentration, acknowledging the spiritual nature of existence, you can experience the success and health you hope for, — your hard work will pay off. Your mind and body will be animated to act in the direction that the divine wisely and carefully points out.
– Keith Wommack is a Syndicated Columnist, Christian Science practitioner and teacher, husband, and step-dad. He has been described as a spiritual spur (since every horse needs a little nudge now and then). Keith’s columns originate at: KeithWommack.com
Keith, thanks for this article! For success (and health), mind matters most
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