The Mind Area explains how thought shapes action, systems improve decisions, and discipline builds long-term mastery.
Mind
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Essential
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Long
Human Thought
Most likely, everything you’ve used today, from the shoes you’re wearing to the car you drove to work, to the device you’re reading these words on, first entered the world as a thought before it became manifest. Our mind is an extraordinary tool that can be a refuge in times of trouble, a self-made prison when we’re not careful, an instrument that produces the greatest invention in the world, or an entity that could end up destroying most life on the planet. What a responsibility we carry to experience a mind—to be able to think—yet how do we use such a thing?
Essence
Mind is the analytical domain of life, which aids us in analyzing, deconstructing, and planning. The realm of thought is a huge part of the mind, and ever-present for most of us. It can help turn chaos into order, confusion into understanding, and aimlessness into goals. Without a mind, we could not function in this world, and when used well, it can enhance the quality of our lives. James Allen wrote about it concisely when he said: “Mind is the Master power that molds and makes, And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes the tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills, Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills: — He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass: Environment is but his looking-glass.” ¹
the Mind Area
Our brain consumes around 20% of the body’s energy, despite accounting for only about 2% of the body’s mass.² Without the power of thought, we would still be monkeys scrabbling in the dirt. Agriculture, cities, and machines, the Mind has, influenced and altered the planet beyond recognition. Besides the obvious environmental influence, most people experience a voice—or voices—talking in their heads pretty much all the time. Our mind is a companion that we take with us throughout our whole life and often identify with. When faced with challenges, dilemmas, and crossroads. It’s our mind that helps us create structure and make a choice. Thought is what the mind creates, and with it comes a slippery road that can either make us miserable or joyful.
Through critical thinking, we can make sense of our lives, tell stories, and produce feats of mastery that are incredible. When we are looking to create a great life, the mind simply cannot be overlooked, nor overstated in its importance. The sharpness that can be cultivated in turn serves many other areas of our lives. And when we distill life to its essentials, we grow sharper, our time is well spent, and our actions align with our values. The great virtuosos have always ceaselessly educated themselves and reflected ceaselessly about their own behavior. By truly investing and consciously using the tool of thought, we can live a better life.
A wonderful servant, but a bad master.
The Mind a tricky subject to write about, as most modern human beings are overly identified with the intellect, and have therefore too much energy placed, or unconscious investment, in this area. And when too little or too much energy is placed in any of the seven areas, an imbalance occurs. And so the Mind has become more like a demon that possesses us, rather than the wonderful tool it is. For most humans on the planet right now, the mind is in a state of fear and is progressively worsening the lives of people and their environment.
But when the mind is placed in its proper position as a servant of our Heart, it becomes a powerful tool. It’s pure magic that we can directly create something that hadn’t existed before. It can sharpen any energy, like the inspiration of a book, an image of a building, or an art piece, and manifest it in the real world. Although many negative things can be stated about the mind, the 7LA aims to integrate all of life. A tool such as the mind, when used consciously, can enhance everything we do. And like each area, it goes infinitely deep and can be explored for a lifetime.
Core Pillars
When you’re looking to invest in the Mind area, please consider the following pillars carefully, as they represent the essentials of the area of the Mind. Much, much more can be explored, but first, let us focus on the basics.
Attention
Our mind gives us the ability to direct and sustain focus by concentrating on selective tasks. In reverse, it also gives us divided attention, the ability to concentrate on multiple tasks at the same time, alternating between tasks, or meta-cognition: to become aware where attention is placed and when it drifts. By training our attention, we become more effective.
Learning
A key skill that all great thinkers and most doers share is that they continuously educate themselves throughout life. This could be done through, e.g., reading, direct experience, or learning from a mentor. Self-study is, in the end, the only real study that exists, and we are therefore responsible for our education.
Translation
The nature of the intellect is to become sharper over time, and by clearly translating thought into structured language, such as stories or other methods. We benefit from knowing the essentials in any given undertaking to make sense of a chaotic world. This can be developed through writing, speaking, and reasoning. This way, our ideas can be examined, shared, and tested.
Planning & Structure
A key skill to develop is planning. Knowing what to prioritize, what to spend time on, and how to sequence these priorities all result in becoming more effective. Designing good systems can improve our decision-making, which in turn leads to better actions, which lead to better results.
Discipline
Our capacity to sustain effort and direction over a long period of time. Whatever we choose to do, we must be consistent with it to become good. This requires investing in our habits, reflecting deeply on our actions, to make small course corrections, and become adaptive problem-solvers. Our emotions change like the wind, but being steadfast in one’s convictions can help bring more order and results in any undertaking.
Signs of balance and imbalance
A balanced mind helps us achieve our goals and brings more clarity to our lives. Being able to focus long-term on any tasks we choose is a good sign that concentration has been significantly developed. Our curiosity deepens as we reflect more on any given subject, for the more you learn, the less you know. Being able to commit to goals and breaking them down allows us to become more than we were and to achieve extraordinary results. A peaceful, balanced, or knowledgeable mind is earned through practice. And by disciplining ourselves, we can rise above our lower nature.
An imbalanced mind, as repeatedly stated in other areas, looks different for everyone. Yet common features are being out of control, overly identified with your own stories, and not being able to make progress. Strangely, both under- and overuse of the mind often leads to making bad decisions because we’re not realizing the long-term consequences of our actions. To be, as Napoleon Hill put it, “A drifter is one who permits himself to be influenced and controlled by circumstances outside of his own mind."³ The most common ailment of this area is being used by thought, in stead of using thought consciously—i.e., that the Mind becomes the master in stead of the servant it should be.
Relationship to the Other Life Areas
Mind is in direct polarity with Heart. Our head needs to be firmly and rightly placed on top of our heart. A mind that is the servant of our heart is powerful, magnificent, and worthy of praise. A head that’s loose from the heart is a dangerous monster that needs to be checked, eliminated, and shaken up. Energy that is invested in the area of the Mind will take energy away from the Heart. It is common to feel an intense battle between what our mind tells us to do and what our heart wants. Cultivating that unity is a lifetime work that we need to practice every day, but that yields tremendous gifts. When Heart and Mind align, we can create beauty and order and bring it into the world.
Mind is in direct relation with Body and Matter, producing Clarity. A quality like discernment and discipline can easily be seen to improve one’s bodily health and financial wealth. And the reserve is true also, stressful thoughts can easily result in bad financial decisions and worsening of our health. Balancing these three areas with each other is very important. It’s especially vital that the mind does not become obsessed with either one of these areas, i.e., only having eyes for business, or your personal health. Mind stands between the areas Body and Matter and acts as a bridge between the two. ⁴
Mastery
From creating a new workout routine, planning a journey, or writing a novel, we need the instrument of the Mind in order to realize it. We cannot ever master any area of our life, for they all go infinitely deep, but by mastering the essentials of the Mind we live clearer and more truthful lives. Our mind is an instrument with incredible powers when used wisely; on the other hand, it can be a difficult entity to deal with, and take up too much space in our lives. Cultivating the pillars of the mind results in better balance, which aids the areas of Body and Matter.
Footnote
“As a man thinketh” by James AllanA phenomenal essay that is worth reading a few times.
“Appraising the brain’s energy budget” by Marcus E. Raichle & Debra A. Gusnard (PNAS, 2002)
“Outwitting the Devil” by Napoleon Hill. Napoleon Hill was ahead of his time, and this book still is ahead of our time, an absolute masterpiece.
See Seven Areas for the full map.
