1-Sentence-Summary: Mind Hacking is a hands-on guide on how to transform your mind in just 21 days, which is the time required for your brain to form new habits and adapt to changes, and teaches you how to reprogram your brain to follow healthier, better habits, and ditch the self-sabotaging patterns that stand in your way.
Read in: 4 minutes
Favorite quote from the author:
You might’ve heard people saying that the biggest impediment you have in your life is, in fact, you. But what does that really mean? Between your procrastination sessions, beating yourself up for no reason, and your overthinking phases, how much do you actually work on using your brain to its full potential?
In Mind Hacking, Sir John Hargraves explains how to train your brain to excel. The book will show you how to stay alert to new opportunities and live life more meaningfully. To do so, you’ll have to fix the negative patterns and the flaws in your cognitive processes first. How? Let’s find out!
Here are my three favorite lessons from the book:
- Log into your mind like a superuser and go beyond the user mode.
- Train your mind to focus by eliminating distractions.
- Imagination can project you further in life and contribute to your daily happiness.
Now, we’ll explore each lesson in detail. Let’s go!
Lesson 1: Our mind is like a computer, which is why we can log in and log off at any time.
You’ve heard that right! Our mind is similar to a computer. And once you understand what that means, hacking it will become easier than ever. This funny association is one of the best examples we can use to describe the process of metathinking. In a nutshell, it means thinking about thinking. But what is that? Well, this concept implies that we, as humans, can log into our minds at any given point, and stay there as super users.
That is because we are separate from our brains, which is why we can notice ourselves thinking. Just try to close your eyes and observe yourself thinking. You’re already doing meta-thinking now! You see, as you learn to log into your mind like a superuser, instead of staying there on user mode, you’ll be able to achieve great things with it. The catch? Something logging in traps you inside, where thoughts run wild and you get into overthinking and mood swings.
Becoming a master at thinking and meta-thinking allows you to access great cognitive superpowers. For example, you could have an important task to do, so you actively try to log into your mind and access your database of information, your focused brain, and all the tools needed to complete it. Then, you log off. Visualizing this process can help you tap into great powers and do things done faster. Train your mind by frequently asking what it’s thinking and observing it. Then, use awareness to distinguish between your brain thinking and yourself, observing and joining when you need to do something.
Lesson 2: Concentration is a skill that has to be learned and trained to be fully mastered.
Picture this scenario: you’re finally working on that task you had to get done. All of a sudden, a phone notification pops up on your phone. Before you know it, your one-minute check-up turns into a one-hour procrastination session on social media, and now you’re too tired to go back to the task. Sound familiar?
There are two kinds of attention: Voluntary and reflexive. One is when your brain directs focus to a particular task, like reading, the other is reacting to an outside stimulus.
Your aim is to diminish the latter and work on improving voluntary attention. How? By eliminating digital distractions. At least for one hour a day, turn off your phone, radio, or TV, and simply meditate or work on something productive. Why? It all comes to how the brain is wired. Not checking your pop-up notification makes your mind feel like it has something to finish up doing, which in turn stresses it and creates anxiety.
For meditation, start by finding a comfortable position, then close your eyes and focus on your breathing pattern. If you feel like your mind starts wandering around, bring the focus back on breathing. Do so for twenty minutes a day, and create a habit out of it by rewarding yourself after completing it, setting up an alarm to go for it, or setting milestones weekly or monthly. Learn to analyze your mind and body from an observer’s point of view, and your focus will get stronger.
Lesson 3: There are five imagination exercises that you can try right away to plan your dream reality.
Studies show that simple imagination exercises and day-dreaming sessions can make people happier and more fulfilled in their life. By practicing intentional thinking and detailing the life you want to live, you’re picturing an end goal, which makes it easier for you to pursue it with everyday actions.
You know what they say: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” Imagination can help solve this dilemma with five exercises:
- Imagine that you’re inserting a mood chip into your brain, which can amplify one emotion. What emotion would that be? That’s your desired mood!
- Imagine you have all the money in the world. What would you buy with it? That’s something worth working for!
- Picture a genie that can make any wish come true. What would that wish be? Whatever you asked for is something you want out of life right now.
- Imagine you can enrich the world by bringing forth something new, useful, or valuable. It could be a brand discovery, charity work, or anything you want. What would that be?
- Think about how you’d like your friends and family to remember you at your funeral – that’s how you should aim to behave with those around you!
It’s easier to accomplish an objective when you know what you want the outcome to be. Use these five exercises to set your next big target!
Mind Hacking Review
Mind Hacking is a remarkable book that explains how to overcome the loopholes in your thinking and reverse the negative patterns in your cognitive processes. You’ll learn to make your brain work in your favor instead of dragging you down. With the right combination of imagination, mind techniques, and a positive attitude, you too can tap into your mental super powers!
Who would I recommend the Mind Hacking summary to?
The 25-year-old person who feels stuck in their head and wants to find ways to get out of it and live a better life, the 35-year-old who keeps getting trapped in self-sabotaging behaviors and wants to take charge of their life, or the 40-year-old life coach who wants to learn more ways to improve their clientele’s life by giving better advice.
Last Updated on October 5, 2022
