I saw a You Tube video the other day that may free your mind. It’s called ‘the scientific power of thought.’ 1 It’s incredible stuff. Apparently some scientists did an experiment on the power of imagination with two groups of people. One group did muscle building exercises for 4 weeks, while the others just imagined doing it. Astonishingly, this last group still managed to increase their muscle strength by a whopping 22% - maybe by mentally doing bench presses or squat thrusts on a couch, perhaps? According to the scientists involved, this is due to the neurons deep within the human brain still being used and strengthened for muscle-building instructions. Neurons are nerve cells that transmit and process information in your brain. They are extremely excitable, sending out electrical and chemical signals to other cells in your body – like the cells in your muscles - at lightening speeds. Amazingly, your brain has around 100 billion neurons, averaging around 5’000 connections each, which is similar to having 500 trillion microprocessors wired up together in a single network. The potential combinations of these neurons firing or not, is at least 10 to the millionth power – more than all the atoms in the known universe.
Yes, your brain is truly an awesome machine, no doubt – a natural resource inside your skull right now. Imagine harnessing its power by using your mind? What if I told you that the fourth largest supercomputer in the world took 40 minutes to calculate a single second’s worth of brain activity? Known as the K computer and built in Japan, this awesome machine used 1.4 million GB of RAM to carry out its most accurate simulation. In fact, believe it or not, the time it takes this supercomputer to model a second of brain activity you could sit down and watch an episode of Mad Men. 3 Yes - your brain is currently more powerful than any supercomputer in the world. But before you cancel your gym membership, scientists warn us that any progress on any skill or training regime does require a good deal of physical work, beforehand. This makes logical sense, I suppose. After all, it makes more sense that they would’ve wanted their study participants to be reasonably fit and muscular in the first place before the experiment began, right? Surely they wouldn’t pick a big couch potato for their experiment, would they? Yes, the power of imagination must have earthly limitations.
In another study, similar test results were found with pianists. A group imagining their piano practice for two hours a day still achieved positive results in their playing abilities. The same physical changes in the brain still occurred, specifically in the motor cortex region. However, I emphasize that the participants involved were all competent pianists in the first place. On a serious note, just think of all the things you can achieve with your willpower? Your imaginative mind can harness the power of your natural gifts: your skills, your talents and your amazing brain. Additionally, it can do this even under the most difficult of circumstances. Amy Purdy believes in the power of imagination. In an inspirational TED talk - called Living Beyond Limits - Amy explains how imagination allows us all to break down borders, move beyond our circumstances and make creative decisions. Borders can either stop us in our tracks or force us to be more creative in order to progress, she says. 4 Amy has gone through tough challenges in life: at the age of nineteen she lost both her legs below the knee. Yet, she has persevered and accepted new challenges. Today, in her mid thirties, she is an athlete; a top ranked snowboarder in the world winning Bronze at the 2014 Paralympics. Amy has inspired many others with similar problems and co-founded an organization called Adaptive Action Sports. She’s also a best-selling author and a movie actress! Amy believes we should all draw inspiration from life’s obstacles. Our imaginations should be ignited by them, allowing us to live beyond our perceived limitations. The power of imagination can help unlock your true potential. As Albert Einstein once said, ‘Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.’ Why not use your imagination to make your dreams come true?
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