Throughout my life, I have always heard and have been told the expression, "Mind over matter." Up until this year, I have never truly understood what and where this well-known expression has been derived from. It originally was once said by Buddha. One of my best friends has it hung on her wall of her bedroom, background on her phone, and stickers on her computer, so I finally asked her what it all meant, and how she interpreted it. This is what she told me.
Willpower can help you overcome physical obstacles.
This is something that has such a wide variety of meaning. It can refer to a new diet plan you have, a huge exam you've been studying for, or something more personal, such as anxiety or depression. If you have the drive to succeed, and overcome something that is difficult for you, you can. Don't allow physical barriers to hold you back.
Your mind is stronger than your body.
With the right motivation, you can overcome anything you work for. "I could never run a marathon!" "I could never run that far!"
These are sayings that are so common, but so untrue. Hundreds of thousands of people every year run marathons. More than 90% of those people are just your average joe's, running for a cause or even just running for themselves. They weren't born to be elite runners. They probably weren't born stars on the track team or varsity athletes. They were born themselves. You will never get there without hard work. You cannot wake up one morning and decide to go out and run 26.2 miles. It takes a long time to train, physically and mentally, but you will get there, and only yourself can decide if you do.
Turn mental weakness into physical toughness.
Or physical weakness into mental toughness. Channel the negative, and use it as incentive to work that much harder. Don't settle for less than you know you can achieve. If you're having a bad day, use that to make it a good one. Clean your room, get long-term papers done. Once you do, the feeling that you accomplished something is amazing. If you're working out and you have 30 seconds of a plank left, Its 30 seconds of your life. Yes, it hurts and yes, you probably hate your instructor at this point, but you CAN do it. It is not physically impossible. Turn your stress into positive energy to push yourself further than you thought you could go.
Every day in itself is an accomplishment. The bad can be really bad, but the good can be great. Mind Over Matter. Failing a huge exam can be devastating. Denting up the side of your car is expensive and annoying. But Mind Over Matter. You're living and breathing, and even those situations aren't ideal, you can bounce back from them. Take a bad grade and use it to study harder. Take a banged up car and remind yourself to use your mirrors more often. Every mistake is turned into a lesson. Use the precious time you're given to turn it into something great.
Mind Over Matter.
