Energize Your Business: 4 Mental Exercises for Entrepreneurs

By Eileen Burton

Building a business takes a lot of energy--energy to think, energy to strive, and continual energy to make a business name! For this reason, entrepreneurs need to be wide awake and alert, because you know what they say: “The mind is more powerful than the body.”

For many, a cup of caffeine or two is a simple fix. For others, force feeding the brain with “wake up” signals is viewed as a poor and ineffective strategy to give the brain a work out and grow its potential. Hence, they resort to mental exercises that train their brains to work faster and be fit enough to take on challenges daily.

Don’t worry. The brain won’t actually “grow” into a buff guy! Mental exercises tend to form and strengthen neural pathways and enhance energy and focus.

Here are some quick and easy-to-do mental exercises that will help energize your brain--and give you even better results than your daily morning coffee!

1. Give it Some Blue Light

Did you know that blue light works better than caffeine? According to a study done by researchers Martyn Beaven and Johan Ekstrom, blue light can be even more effective than caffeine to improve alertness and cognitive function.

So, what is blue light? The most natural source of blue light is in solar rays emitted from sunlight. Go for a five to ten minute walk every day and give your brain a fresh dose of sunlight. It will work like a drug to stimulate your brain and improve alertness.

2. Visualize Your Goals

Believe it or not, but when you are “visualizing” you are actually giving your brain a new set of 100-pound bench presses to do.

This exercise begins with a goal in mind. Think about a single goal first. Envision how you intend to achieve this goal through a step-by-step process. Consider new possibilities. Could there be a better way to approach a problem, perhaps some way you could get to the target faster? If you come up with new ideas or new approaches, make sure you write them down. Then move on to the next goal.

Taking a few minutes out to envision your goals daily–even if you’re just reviewing what you already know–is great practice because it constantly reminds you of the purpose behind everything you do.

3. Go for a Run

Now, this may sound more like a physical exercise rather than mental one, but in reality it’s a little bit of both. Many scientific studies have proved how physical exercise affects the brain in multiple ways.

For one, exercise increases heart rate which pumps in more oxygen to the brain and improves brain function. Additionally, exercising releases a number of hormones that aid the growth of brain cells. Powering up every day with a 20-30 minute jog is a great way to get fired up about your day ahead.

4. Replace Negative Thoughts With Positive Ones

This mental exercise requires us to think over our thoughts, which is certainly a rare activity, but definitely an undervalued one. The idea behind this exercise is to evaluate your negative train of thoughts and counteract them with positive ones. The result won’t necessarily be an overly optimistic version of yourself but rather a “realistic” one.

For example, one may habitually think to himself, “I’m never sure about what I want.” This overly negative thought can be replaced with a more positive and realistic one: “Sometimes, I have to think long and hard about my choices, but when I finally do, I make sure it’s one that I don’t regret.”

Not too hard is it? Keep red flagging and rectifying any persistent negativity you spot in your brain.

Training your mind to look beyond the horizons is just like “opening up a box.” After consistent monitoring and practice you should be able to habitually expend your mental energy more wisely.