By Iuri Melo
My incredible friend, good day to you wherever you find yourself. Now, I’m writing this on World Mental Health Day and I’ll be super honest, I’m not even sure I realized that there was a World Mental Health Day until someone way smarter than I am, and who pays attention to such things told me about it. So what kind of an individual and therapist would I be if i didn’t give you 3 extraordinary tips that will for sure—undoubtedly— help you to improve your mental health, your mental wellness?
By the way, what is your mental health? I guess it’s the opposite of mental illness or mental unwellness, but in my mind, someone who has an extraordinary mindset, and that’s what we are aiming for by the way. I want that beautiful brain and mind of yours to run clean, tuned up, sharp, aware, flexible, and ready to take on the world, and I’m going to show you how. So for me, a powerful mind possesses or is working to nurture and build these 3 qualities:
- A beginner’s mindset (curious, flexible, humble)
- A powerful mind is Optimistic (hopeful, powerful, teachable), and
- A healthy mind is Flexible (Michael Scott)
Now you know I’m all about your psychology, in part because I want you to go into life confidently, hungry, and ready to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. I want you to stretch your perspective, the way you see yourself, others, and the world around you in a positive and helpful way. So let’s get to the first idea.
- A beginner’s mindset. My brilliant person, tackle this life in a humble, open, and teachable way. In fact the very purpose of life is to seek, to knock, to experiment, and by and by, to find those values and principles that will dictate your life and the direction that you take. There is a short story of a farmer who goes out to sow seeds in his field. And as he is throwing these seeds into the ground, some of the seeds fall upon the path or road, some fall on stony ground, some fall among the weeds, and some fall upon soft ground. Now the seeds that fall on the path or road are eaten up by the birds. Those that fall upon the rocky ground actually begin to grow, but the ground is so hard that the sun kills those flowers. Those that fall in the weeds grow as well, but the weeds choke them out. Now the seeds that fall on the soft ground grow, and give back fruit 100’s and 1000’s of times. Now this short story isn’t about farming soil, it’s about the hardness in your heart… Is your heart soft, willing, and ready to learn? Are you teachable? Are you humble enough to be taught in school, at home, in your teams, in your clubs, in your community, in your religious institutions, or wherever you find yourself? My friend, trust me… put aside the mask and the facade that you have to know everything, that you can do it all by yourself, and open your heart enough to ask for help… to seek… to become a scientist and learn. So that’s tip #1 for a healthy mind, begin with a beginner’s mindset, not a rigid one, I know everything, and everytime someone criticizes me, or give me feedback I get offended and irritated, because my heart is hard… let’s massage that lovely heart of yours and let’s soften it up a bit, and go into life with a beginner’s mindset.
- A powerful mind is optimistic. Listen, optimism isn’t wishful thinking, it’s not being naive. Optimism is a skill, it’s a perspective— a true perspective by the way— that allows you to view life from a lens that says “there is opportunity all around me… there is opportunity in the good, in the suffering, in my successes and in my failures.” This optimism realizes that every obstacle ultimately becomes the way and the path that you must tread, and to do so in a beautiful and honorable way. An optimistic mind steps into the ring, in fact let me read this short quote to you… “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Do you hear the optimism here? Do you see the radical positivity? My friend, step into the fray, take a risk, go into the arena with the optimistic mindset that no matter the outcome, you will be better, wiser, stronger, with greater understanding and depth, and more compassion for those around you.
- Flexible & dynamic. My brilliant friends, one of the greatest philosophers of all time (Michael Scott from The Office) said “Adapt, React, Readapt, Apt.” Now of course this is gibberish from one of the funniest characters in all television, but something that I’ve now learned from the greatest warriors who have ever walked this planet, is the simple mantra ‘Adapt, Improvise, Overcome’. Think of this more like a circle… where we adapt to our surroundings, improvise new solutions, and overcome (and when that doesn’t work) we go again. I’ve been a climber for more than two decades, and have taught thousands of people how to become extraordinary climbers themselves, and my simple motto for them was, ‘see it, think it, climb it”, over and over again, knowing that when failure came, they could simply reset it, see where they are headed, think it or plan it, and get back on the rock and climb it. My friend, this is the mindset that I want you to tackle every circumstance in your life, all the way from your friendships, relationships, math, biology, or any other classes, job, family relationships… learn to act based on the very best values and principles you possess, improvise, be willing to try new things that may be useful, and overcome, meaning, continue on, never, ever stopping to do anything that is valuable and honorable.
So, my friend, for this special day, which is really everyday, adopt these three steps into your mind, into your brain, into your heart. Write it out somewhere, these three steps to help you to have an extraordinary mental health, mental fortitude, and exceptional psychology that will help you to literally become invincible, in part because every circumstance becomes your curriculum, every event builds the muscles, mental and physical… Anyways, know that I’m always here cheering and pulling for you to stay humble, and to give fearlessly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Through Iuri’s extensive 20-year career as a Licensed Therapist, he has helped countless individuals and gained valuable insights into
the human psyche. As a published author of two books, Mind Over Grey Matter and Know Thy Selfie, Iuri has established himself as an authority in his field. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his outstanding work, and his passion for helping people is evident in everything he does. Iuri has expressed his admiration for people and their capacity for personal growth and transformation. He believes that positive change starts with improving our own psychology, and this is the guiding principle behind Copilot. Their mission is to inspire deep, lasting change in individuals by offering the best positive psychology service in the country. To learn more about Copilot and their approach to empowering individuals to live better lives, click here.
