Corridors of Curiosity 021

How to Connect the Powers of the Brain & Mind for Personal Fulfillment

The Man stares at the tree with intense focus.

“I wonder if this tree has emotional responses to what happens? I wonder if this tree is ever consumed by dread and doom, I wonder if this tree has trouble with its mental health?”

Of course not — it’s a fucking tree.

Nature is not concerned with the thoughts that plague mankind.

Nature accepts the situation at hand and adapts to improve the chances of its survival.

Birds migrate based on the availability of resources.

Emperor Penguins will march through blizzards in the Arctic for the opportunity to give birth in a controlled environment — they have to do what they have to do!

Trees will grow branches in the direction of consistent sunlight and will grow their roots to gain consistent amounts of water. Trees cannot get up and move, so they must make the most of their situation.

Nature doesn’t label situations as good or bad, it just carries on with its purpose.

If only human beings could learn from this.

Wait — we can!

We have brains. We have minds. (at least some of us do!)

We can conceptualize and integrate the lessons of Reality and Nature into our lives — because after all, aren’t we just a part of nature?

Human beings are so gifted, we can use our brains during our conquest towards meaning and purpose.

The brain is extremely helpful — there is a lot of useful information and processing hardware stored in our special brain systems.

My brain has no chance of unraveling the complete mystery but I have learned what allows my brain to operate at a higher level than previous versions of Paril.

The human brain and mind are in constant communication with each other — the brain sending information to the body and the mind creating thoughts and emotions — both are integral in the game of human thriving.

The brain is the central component of the human nervous system and is a physical structure — while the mind is responsible for thought processes, consciousness, and understanding.

Again this is my interpretation (I am using 11% of my brain, so I might know a thing or two.)

Regardless of the differences, we know the brain and mind are synonymous with mental health and meaningful pursuits of our lifetimes.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of our brain + mind, this shit is always with us.

It is important that one invests time, effort, and energy, and carefully considers the actions one is participating in. As the quality of actions determines the quality of mind.

The brain and mind can either obscure or clarify perspective.

The brain and mind can either work for you or against you.

The brain and mind can be connected to your vision of a purposeful, meaningful life — or it can be disconnected and cause pain, excess suffering, and negative symptoms that we are all too familiar with.

Here are my go-to habits and routines that unlock my brain and mind, creating cohesive connections, and tactics to utilize the mind + brain for self-mastery, higher levels of performance, and meaningful pursuits.

Movement

Moving the body is the prime method of getting the mind + brain systems working in our favor.

Movement requires the brain to lock in and send signals to each part of the system.

These signals are crucial to human fulfillment, the basis of movement is inherently programmed into each of us.

Again, the brain is not that complicated — one of its favorite things to do is move the body. We are blessed to be able to choose the method of movement we prefer — and we can manipulate various forms of movement for our enjoyment.

Human beings were meant to move — today we spend our days cramped over a screen that we have lost touch with our biological needs.

Basic Movement Protocols for 95% of people:

• something you enjoy (walking the dog, running, playing basketball or pickleball, lifting, etc)

• low-moderate intensity — start here and you can always level up intensity once you have a solid base.

• 30-60 minutes a day for 3-5 days of the week.

• Intentional movement that is planned — following some sort of program. (separate from walking for work, activities of daily living, etc.)

• Exercise and Movement is something you can iterate on for the rest of your life. I encourage you to find your favorite methods of movement and participate in them often.

Observing Nature

Nature doesn’t have to be deep woods or oceanside views

Nature is simply trees, sky, plenty of fresh air, and sunlight.

Nature is OUTSIDE!

Nature is screenless.

Nature has the answers we’re looking for.

I find plenty of answers in nature — my mind is quiet when I am walking around observing nature.

Taking the occasional trip out to a trail or lake is well worth the shift in perspective.

Again, think about how human beings lived for thousands of years, for the vast majority of humankind, we have lived outdoors and in cahoots with nature.

Nowadays, we are confined to indoor spaces due to advancements in society. (This is a blessing, but also a curse.)

It is easy to become comfortable and spend our days indoors.

I encourage you to get outside and do shit you enjoy. (bonus points if you’re walking your dog!)

Writing

Writing about Writing. Let’s Go!!! What a Concept!

Writing is taking what is swirling around in my mind and placing it on paper.

This practice brings much-needed clarity and calmness to my brain and mind.

The brain is busy directing my fingers and hand to craft words — the mind is busy with thoughts and emotions.

Writing is the most critical component of my day.

The more I write, the clearer I am about the future and my actions.

I enjoy the tactile feel of writing pen and paper more than typing on the keyboard. (Mainly because I suck at typing, I am a huge pen nerd, and I have found writing on paper to be my preferred way to journal.)

You do not have to share your writings at all. Write for the sake of mental clarity.

I share mine because writing and sharing ideas is a main part of my purpose.

21 Newsletters in, I have learned so much about myself and the Art of Writing. I will be playing this game for the remainder of my life.

Creating + Building

Each one of us has a creative energy within us. In today’s world, this is obvious as you scroll down your social media feeds.

Whatever you enjoy, you can create a plethora of creations and share them online.

The best part about creation? The actual act of creation — do not feel the need to share your creations with the world.

Maybe you like to sew together a couple of things for your favorite people, you don’t have to become a professional storefront — unless you want to, it’s available based on today's consumer society and the powers of social media. But again, do not feel afraid to create for creation's sake.

Your brain and mind will rejoice in joy!

So figure out what you love to create and embrace the difficulty that comes with creating.

That difficulty is prime fuel for your mind and brain.

It is great to challenge your brain + mind in directions and situations that bring you joy.

Building is applying the learning — I wish I had learned this principle earlier. Whatever you’re learning, build something with that knowledge.

Again, you do not have to share it — the process of building will teach you the nuances that learning cannot showcase.

An example is this very newsletter!

I have built a newsletter which has taught me the skills of writing and sharing my ideas.

Now we keep stacking iterations on top of iterations — one day I might become a professional author/writer.

Laughing, Organization, and Human Connection

One thing my brain and mind love doing is creating confusion.

Most of the time, it’s best to keep things simple.

There is no need to over-complicate anything when it comes to harnessing the power of a well-connected mind and brain.

Laughing is one of my staple habits. I have been laughing most of my life, whenever I am feeling the sting of sadness, I always try to laugh it off.

My mind is going all the time — it is very nice to turn it off and just laugh.

Sometimes, it’s a YouTube search for my favorite comedians (Theo Von, Stavros Halkias, ********and Shane Gillis — among many others!)

Sometimes, I find funny videos on Instagram — videos of dogs being goofy, people being goofy, and other laughter-inducing videos. (If you’re ever on IG to see a funny video, do not hesitate to send it to me via DM. I love laughing, share your laughter with me!)

Organization is one of my least favorite things to do — but it brings me tremendous amounts of mental calmness and clarity.

Organization is something that you can improve with iteration and discipline — creating systems and sticking to them is a major key here.

Cleaning personal spaces is a huge bang for your buck routine, and you can invest as little as 5-15 minutes a day towards it (depending on your organization level)

Remember, a clean + clear + coherent environment is better for your mind and brain than a disorganized mess.

Try this framework:

1. Organize (what is my goal?)

2. Clarify (what is going on?)

3. Focus (where exactly do I need to apply focus so I can achieve this goal?)

4. Execute (let’s rock and roll — do the damn thing!)

5. Repeat for life (once you complete the task, you’ll be back at the beginning of this framework.)

This does not have to be an emotional situation, just pick up the pieces as move along.

A peaceful environment opens the way for violent creativity.

Human connection is crucial for the mind and brain — there is no way around this.

Many people stress the importance of embracing solitude — and few stress the importance of human connection. We can do both very well — all it takes is presence and ownership.

It is easy to opt out of the requirements of society and human connection, but the consequences of ignoring human interaction are tremendously negative.

You need people, people need you.

This doesn’t have to be so hard either, most people are nice and are looking for friends.

I have found most of my friends through my interests: sports, music, movement, health, badassery, etc.

Finding humans to connect with is a crucial part of the mental health crisis, you must be willing to be uncomfortable enough to venture out and meet new people and try new things.

Find common interests and be a normal human being. Listen and care about people.

Not too much specific advice here — just put yourself out there.

The pain of regret is always more than the pain of action.

ALWAYS.

Pick your preferred path and start ya steppin!

I appreciate your time and attention.

I have some great things planned for this year.

I don’t want to talk about it until it’s time to talk to about.

See you next week, my friend.

Paril