If you are one of those people who is always asking yourself: “Why didn’t I think of that?” this post is for you. How many thoughts do you think the human mind processes every minute? 5? 10 Maybe? The actual number is around 48.6 for the average human according the the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging at the University of Southern California. That’s just under one per second or somewhere in between 60 and 80 THOUSAND PER DAY!!! Please set aside a few of these thoughts, and let me ask you a few questions. What are you doing with those thoughts? You have roughly 100 billion brain cells working tirelessly to build and process thoughts constantly, but what good is coming from it? Are you seeing satisfactory results? If you feel the way I used to, the answer is probably a big and resounding NO.

I recently read a post titled 13 Habits of self-made millionaires, from a man who spent five years studying rich people by Kathleen Elkins. Number twelve on her list states that most millionaires take at least fifteen minutes every day to focus their thoughts on goals and ways to improve themselves or their businesses. Really, just fifteen minutes a day? How is it possible that such a simple principle could be linked to accomplishment and is listed as one of the defining habits that separate the financially successful from others? Well consider this for just a moment. While most of us are constantly bombarding our psyche with movie-watching, game-playing, and forced mental labor for our bosses, the independent “successful” guys are setting aside time to free their minds up to come up with their next brilliant plan. While most are bogged down in keeping the status quo, those who make time to let their mind wander are changing the world.

The answer to the question of why your thoughts don’t seem to be benefiting you is really two-fold. You are either not utilizing the tremendous amount of computing power that we have already established is in your skull for things that are BENEFICIAL, or you are not using them on things that YOU find important. This concept really boils down to simple math. If you can utilize fifteen minutes of the day to focus on things that YOU have set as important and BENEFICIAL goals, you will be giving these targets enormous opportunity for a genius idea to pop up. Let’s go back to the fifteen minute idea. Fifteen minutes of time spent exclusively on pondering a project that you are passionate about will place 729 thoughts toward that venture. What are the chances that one of those 729 thoughts might end up being a really brilliant idea? I would bet that they are pretty good! Now think of doing that every day and the odds just get better over time!

I can already hear the combined outcry from you all, “But I don’t have an extra fifteen minutes to myself!” I’m sure that you do. Once you realize that your goals and the ambition to make a difference in the world around you outweigh your apathy and the temptation to watch yet another episode of your favorite show, I believe that you will make the time. I hope you now realize that you don’t have to be genetically gifted with a brilliant mind to achieve your goals; you just need to be intentional with the resources that you are already in your possession. I encourage you to take some time to separate yourself from your day-to-day grind and plot ways to make your dreams happen. If you are going to be putting your brain to work toward something, it might as well be something that makes a difference.

You’ve got the power