Getting better answers out of your head

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Did you know that your head is basically a giant computer? It’s true. It’s a massive parallel processor that has individual circuits which are not terribly fast (compared to silicon CPUs in your laptop) but that are meshed together to form an incredible supercomputer capable of processing incredible detail.

That said, your head-based computer comes with no manual and the interface is kind of clunky. As a result, many people – possibly you – aren’t getting the most out of it, just as thousands of quad-core silicon computers capable of incredible feats around the world are currently being used to play Solitaire.

How do you improve the output of your head-based computer, your mind? The same way you do on your silicon machine – with better inputs. Let me give you an example.

Have you ever been sitting around with a friend who is single and they lament,

“Why can’t I find a good man/woman?”

While you nod or sympathize or offer hugs and beer, your friend is giving their mind the wrong inputs.

Linguistically, they just asked their mind for a list of reasons why they can’t do something – and their mind will answer. If you’ve ever seen an episode of Star Trek, where the captain of the ship asks the ship’s computer a question, you can imagine the following in the captain’s voice:

Captain: Computer, why can’t I find a good woman?
Computer: [random beeping sounds]
Computer: The following is a list of 18 different reasons why you can’t find a good partner.
Computer: Reason 1: you are 24.5 pounds over your ideal weight for a person of your age and gender.
Computer: Reason 2: your chronic habit of spitting fluids out your nose while you laugh is statistically unappealing to the majority of your desired demographic.
Computer: Reason 3: approximately 44% of your wardrobe is older than 22 years beyond the current fashion trend.
Computer: Reason 4: your hairpiece adhesive has malfunctioned.

… and so on. Get the idea?

When you ask yourself a question about why you can’t, why something bad always happens to you, why your day/week/month/life is going so terribly, your mind will give you the exact answers to that question. You will get the answer to the question you asked, even if the answer is counterproductive.

Logically, the way to get better answers is to ask better questions:

– How can I turn around this situation and make it a win?
– How can I set this up so that we both walk away winners?
– What three things do I need to change to win that guy’s/girl’s attention?
– What can I learn from this scenario?
– What do I respect about that person’s opinion, even though I violently disagree with it?
– What little thing can I do today, right now to improve my blog readership?

Ask yourself questions that encourage your conscious and subconscious minds to focus on the solutions and outcomes that you want. It’s hard – very hard at first – so make sure you verbalize to yourself. You can even throw in an undo. When you catch yourself asking a counterproductive question, literally say to yourself, undo – the question I really meant to ask is… and then ask the question that will give you the solution you need.

You are in charge of the computer between your ears. It’s the same general hardware and software that Einstein, Mozart, Hawking, Obama, Lincoln, and billions of other people have. What they are capable of, what their mental computers can generate in terms of results, you can also generate as long as you use the machine correctly and effectively.

Try it out. Ask the best questions of yourself that you can. I won’t ask what’s the worst that can happen, because I want you to ask yourself, what’s the BEST that can happen?


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Comments

13 responses to “Getting better answers out of your head”

  1. Ask yourself questions that encourage your conscious and subconscious minds to focus on the solutions and outcomes that you want.

    Kind of like the difference between waiting for someone to do something for you and doing it yourself. It's like the saying goes, God helps those who help themselves.

  2. Ask yourself questions that encourage your conscious and subconscious minds to focus on the solutions and outcomes that you want.

    Kind of like the difference between waiting for someone to do something for you and doing it yourself. It’s like the saying goes, God helps those who help themselves.

  3. This is a super post. I really enjoyed the metaphors and the reminder that there can be no complacency about how you tune your brain and your thinking patterns. Thanks to Valeria Maltoni for the tweet.

  4. I really enjoyed this. I love the metaphors and the reminder that there is no room for complacency when tuning the brain to perform at its best.

  5. I LOVE this! What a great great post!

  6. debashishbrahma Avatar
    debashishbrahma

    Absolutely Great.
    thanks for the post, i was looking in to similar kind of papers, it's absolutely funny.
    But the Brains cells don't regenerate , it has to be repaired , GE medicine is working on this
    to repair the barin celles for tratment of Alzeimer and Perkinson deasease.
    With Warm Regards

  7. This is a super post. I really enjoyed the metaphors and the reminder that there can be no complacency about how you tune your brain and your thinking patterns. Thanks to Valeria Maltoni for the tweet.

  8. I really enjoyed this. I love the metaphors and the reminder that there is no room for complacency when tuning the brain to perform at its best.

  9. I LOVE this! What a great great post!

  10. Absolutely Great.
    thanks for the post, i was looking in to similar kind of papers, it’s absolutely funny.
    But the Brains cells don’t regenerate , it has to be repaired , GE medicine is working on this
    to repair the barin celles for tratment of Alzeimer and Perkinson deasease.
    With Warm Regards

  11. DianeCourt Avatar
    DianeCourt

    I so love your get-off-the-couch approach, Chris and the generous spirit with which you share it. In your hands the power of positive thinking eschews the warm fuzzy realm of clichés for forward motion, just as you revive the analogy of brain and computer and make it fresh, relevant and vital again. When we think we haven't got the resources, that in fact we're using but a fraction of what we have-playing solitaire with our lives. Asking questions that beg actionable answers and solutions that push the possible still farther ahead, you've got me thinking clearer and smarter already! I really enjoyed this.

  12. DianeCourt Avatar
    DianeCourt

    I so love your get-off-the-couch approach, Chris and the generous spirit with which you share it. In your hands the power of positive thinking eschews the warm fuzzy realm of clichés for forward motion, just as you revive the analogy of brain and computer and make it fresh, relevant and vital again. When we think we haven't got the resources, that in fact we're using but a fraction of what we have-playing solitaire with our lives. Asking questions that beg actionable answers and solutions that push the possible still farther ahead, you've got me thinking clearer and smarter already! I really enjoyed this.

  13. DianeCourt Avatar
    DianeCourt

    I so love your get-off-the-couch approach, Chris and the generous spirit with which you share it. In your hands the power of positive thinking eschews the warm fuzzy realm of clichés for forward motion, just as you revive the analogy of brain and computer and make it fresh, relevant and vital again. When we think we haven't got the resources, that in fact we're using but a fraction of what we have-playing solitaire with our lives. Asking questions that beg actionable answers and solutions that push the possible still farther ahead, you've got me thinking clearer and smarter already! I really enjoyed this.

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