In the Garden of Your Mind

If you want to grow your garden, you need to water it and nourish it. You should pull out the weeds, so they don’t take over the beauty in sustenance that your flowers and vegetables give you. If you want your garden to be there for you, you need to pay attention to it. Give it what is required to grow.

If you want your ideas and thoughts to grow and your mind to do well, as well as your knowledge, the same is real for it. You must give your mind challenges and expertise. You must Engage those around you both in thought in conversation. If you fail to do so, your mind can atrophy and grow tired and lazy, just like plants that have gone to seed.

As you go through your day, take time to do some things manually rather than just running on automatic. Try to find new ways to do something and learn new facts and exciting ideas. It is not that you’re trying to be smarter than anyone else; you just want to keep your brain active so that the neurons have something to continue lighting up.

Some people lose their thought processes very early in life. Others keep a very sharp mind well into their later years. I wonder how many of these occurrences are because the brain is just not used enough? I believe that if you don’t use something, it whithers and goes away. It would be interesting to run a research report on such findings of memory and brain function.

I try to stay active. I may not be reading the encyclopedia, yet I find exciting things to do.  There are books to read and radio shows, and even radio plays where you get to imagine what the people are doing. I’m a frequent visitor to the library. I like to go to movies, plays, and I’m always interested in new songs.

What do you do for fun? Do you do puzzles? Put together models, go for long walks? Talk with friends or neighbors? All of these are good things to help keep the mind moving forward.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof