Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “A strong body makes a strong mind.”

But really? We know how to exercise our physical muscles to keep them strong. But how do we exercise our mind to keep it strong? I am going to introduce you to your six intellectual faculties which are your mental muscles. Successful people and those who live above the ordinary take advantage all the time. Why do you think that 5% of the population owns 95% of the wealth? The more you exercise these six intellectual faculties, the more freedom and power you will have to achieve any goal you desire.

Most of us live through our five sensory faculties: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. Why? Because we have been conditioned to do so. We have been programmed to allow outside influences to dictate how we think, behave, feel, and the outcomes we experience in our lives.

Here’s an example: Marcie has a dream. She wants to quit her job and start her own business. She has been thinking about this goal for a long time. Finally, she shares her goal with family and friends. What does she hear? Nothing but derogatory, discouraging and discouraging comments surround her.

Here are some examples: “Are you serious? You have an amazing job with great benefits. Have you thought about what that would do to your family? Don’t you listen to the news and read the paper? Haven’t you read about the rate of success and statistics regarding anyone starting a new business in this economy are pretty low, don’t you know?

And it goes on and on. Sounds familiar? If Marcie listens to those comments and allows outside influences to dictate whether or not she pursues her goal, it is very possible that she will end up with her dream along with the garbage. BUT if she taps into her six intellectual faculties, her mental muscles, no outside influences, obstacles or objections can stand in her way.

The six intellectual faculties are beyond the physical senses. They are in the conscious mind, which is the thinking mind. These mental muscles when exercised will help us achieve any goal we desire. Let’s focus on them. They are Imagination, Will, Reason, Perception, Memory and Intuition.

use your imagination. It is the creator of images. It is the beginning of all creation. It is the workshop of the mind. When was the last time you sat down, closed your eyes and used your imagination to take yourself on a journey? Close your eyes right now and imagine that you have achieved your greatest goal. Imagine what it looks like. Feel in possession of it for a few moments…

Exercising our Imagination allows us to see our goal on the screen of our mind clearly and in vivid detail. When we envision our goal in our imagination, the following mental muscle helps keep it there.

use your will. Exercising the Will means having the power to expel all external distractions and influences. It gives you the ability to focus, concentrate, and hone in on a goal or objective. Exercising the Will keeps your mental eye on the prize.

use your reason. Exercising Reason allows us to take harmonious thoughts and weave them into wonderful ideas. Our reasoning is our thinking. We are free to think what we want to think. Nobody can tell us what to think. Unfortunately, most people don’t think. They think they are thinking when the voice in their head is talking all day. That is mental talk and not thinking. Henry Ford said, “Thinking is hard work and that’s probably why so few people engage in it.”

Exercising Reason will indicate the correct action steps to achieve our goal.

Use your Perception. This is our point of view. Expanding our Perception allows us to see from the point of view of others and opens our visual prism to see with an open mind. Exercising our Perception helps us access more information and awareness to see opportunities to achieve a goal that we might otherwise miss.

use your memory. We have a great memory. It’s just that we don’t exercise it much and it’s weak from lack of use. There is a great book written by Harry Laraine and Jerry Lucas called the memory book. There is a chapter on how to remember names. Completing the exercises to remember names will leave you in awe of how perfect your memory is. You may never forget another name again. Exercising Memory means letting go of negative associations that Memory reminds us of in the past and helps us move towards our goal. As a result, we will create new and positive memories as we move toward our goal.

use your intuition. Most people do not listen to their inner voice, that knowing that comes from within. Exercising intuition means tapping into and trusting the inner wisdom that points the finger to the right course of action. Stand still and listen. They are the hunches, the flashes and the inspiration that do not come from the senses. Learning to trust and exercising our Intuition will help us make the right decisions with confidence to help achieve our goal.

If we exercise our mental muscles, our six intellectual faculties, Imagination, Will, Reason, Perception, Memory and Intuition, we can achieve any goal we desire. Successful people and people who live above the average take advantage of these gifts whenever they want to achieve a life-changing goal.

It is where our power and freedom lives.