To be “mentally rich” means to fill the mind with valuable and beautiful things that nourish to the soul. To get “mentally rich”, you must work hard to “gather wealth” every day, and don’t let the wealth already in your head seep away in vain. To gather wealth in your head, you could develop a good habit. Spend some time and effort every night to actively recall all the beautiful people, things and scenery passed you by that day. A law regarding the operation of the brain is with every memory, each retrieval deepens it. For the daily positive experiences and feelings to stay indefinitely in your mind, you have to recall them many times. A comparison is in order to leave footprints on a dirt road, you have to trudge through it several times. For each time, the footprints deepen. If you only pass once, the shallow footprints will disappear quickly.
Replaying beautiful scenery every day has scientifically proven benefits. In 2005, the Journal of Happiness Studies published a study stating that taking the initiative to recall positive people, events and scenes for a week (twice a day, 10 minutes each) can significantly increase the time people spend happy throughout the week. This recalling process is effective in bringing out vivid pictures in your mind. This is more joyful than appreciating items with commemorative value. If you want to accumulate spiritual wealth, you must persevere and spend time remembering good things every day.
Many people find it difficult to remember the beautiful images they saw yesterday. The waves of time wash away the footprints in the mind. But the more important reason is many people spend much time browsing social media or messaging groups before bed, perpetually checking what is happening to others. A large number of images and texts pass from the mobile phone screen, through the eyes, into the mind. Just think about it. If every night an entire army steps past the dirt road in your mind every night, then the footprints left by the good you have experienced will fade.
I have a habit of actively thinking about all the good experiences of the day before going to bed every night, such as a word of thanks I heard, a short report I completed, 30 seconds of plank I did, even as little as the trees I gazed at, a box of on sale but fresh sushi I ate. Before these memories flow away, hold on to them, store them up, and accumulate wealth in your mind bit by bit.
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Originally posted on: HKEJ Health
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
