What do you want out of life? Most of the people I talk to want to make life easier. They don't really care about dominating the world, or even reaching the pinnacles of success. They want to work a little less, make a little more money, have their relationships be a little more satisfying. There is nothing wrong with this idea. Life is usually a series of growth steps. Moving from one level to the next level slightly further ahead than the last. Evolution on a personal level.
But why stop there? What if you could have all your dreams fulfilled? What if you could say some magic word and have all your troubles go away? While not the majority, there is definitely a large population who would like this scenario. Instant gratification. I want it all. Give me, give me, gimme. Sound familiar? I'm sure you've heard this tune from at least one person in the last month.
What's the difference between these two mindsets? One point of view only wants the next step in the pathway of evolution. The other wants everything now. I think that the main difference between these two mindsets is one of belief. One person believes that they can have it all, and the other believes that getting a little bit more is all they can have or all they should have.
Of course, the person who believes that it is wrong to want everything will disagree with me. This person will say that the difference is one of values and morals. Anyone who studies history and cultures will realize at some point that values and morals depend greatly on the society in which one lives. In some cultures, it is considered a great honor to take the head of an enemy and eat his body. In other cultures, women are considered the superior sex. In still other cultures, education is considered a waste of time.
Today, the many cultures of the world are becoming much closer to each other, much easier to make contact with. We can no longer remain ignorant of other cultures and their value systems. Gradually, we are starting to accept the differences between ourselves and other people. Being intellectually sophisticated, we are beginning to realize that values are indeed relative, and may be exchanged with other values when the time and situation is right.
Whether you believe that you deserve to have everything you want in life, or if it is 'better' to make progress a step at a time doesn't matter. You can live your life any way you want to live it. One thing that we all have in common is that we want our lives to improve. And we will use techniques that seem logical and feel natural to us. If it seems logical to take additional classes to get ahead in our job, and it is not too difficult to take those classes, most of us will take that step. If it seems logical to change certain habits in order to make progress in an area of life we care about, and there is a process of changing those habits that does not require us to do anything unpleasant, we will usually take the steps to make the required changes.
What goals do you want to attain? What steps seem logical to you to reach those goals? Does it seem logical to you to increase the effectiveness of your mind? Would improving your perceptive abilities, your creativity, your memory, and your intellect move you closer to your goals? Experts have agreed for many years that we are living in an age where information is the most valuable commodity we can possess. Some experts are now saying that our 'information age' is quickly becoming a 'communication age'. Information is so commonly available now, so much so that we are drowning in a sea of it, that what we need most is not raw information but rather refined information communicated well.
This is not something that is easily done, at least not by the average person. But there are techniques that the average person can use to achieve this level of mental ability. Using specific techniques, anyone can increase their mental abilities, in much the same way that anyone can use specific physical techniques to improve their physical performance. Physical exercise will condition the body to perform better. There exist mental exercises which will condition the mind to perform better.
There are many other exercises, and these exercises may be taken in different directions to improve the benefits in specific circumstances. If you want to improve your effectiveness in attaining your goals, work on these exercises. Try to create your own exercises to push the limits of your mental capacity. You will see gradual changes in the results you get in all areas of your life.