Elvenia Gray-Sandiford, MSVU Student
As students, we strive to unlock greateness and reach out full potential. There are six mental faculties that can help us reach out destined potential: imagination, will, perception, intuition, reason and memory.
We often hear the phrase, "Unlocking our Full Potential", but what does it really mean? And as students, how does using our mental faculties lead us to reach our highest potential. The six main mental faculties are imagination, will, perception, intuition, reason, and memory. Each of these faculties is essential in its own way, and we need to understand how to use them effectively to reach our goals.
Imagination allows us to visualize things beyond our current reality, which is essential for creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. Imagination is what drive us to develop groundbreaking inventions, but also what drive us to write to write good essays.
Willpower drives our motivation and determination to persevere through difficult situations and achieve our goals. Willpower is also an essential component of self-discipline, which drive us to study when we are tired, or feel like giving up when the reading is too long, or we feel lonely or alone and we feel liking quitting and return home to our families.
Perception is necessary for us to navigate through the world and pick up on subtle cues in our surroundings. and make informed decisions based on that information. Perception helps us to expand our knowledge and critical thinking skills, not just to do our coursework, assignments, and discussions, but also our personal growth.
Intuition helps us to make quick and accurate decisions without needing to analyze every detail. Intuition is having "gut feeling" or a "sixth sense about something." By learning to trust our instincts and listen to our inner voice, we can make better decisions and achieve our goals more effectively.
Reason is essential for problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking. It helps us to think logically and rationally, and involves analyzing information and drawing conclusions based on evidence rather than emotion or intuition. By developing strong reasoning skills, we can improve their academic performance and prepare ourselves for success in our future careers.
Memory is necessary for learning and retaining and recalling information, and it allows us to make connections between different pieces of information. A strong memory is essential for success in academic and professional settings, as well as in daily life.
Many of us may be using our faculties unconsciously and ineffectively. For example, we may use our imagination to get lost in daydreams rather than developing creative solutions to problems, or using our intuition to go only by gut feelings, without analyzing the facts.
To be at our fullest potential, we must first become aware of how we use faculties. We can develop our faculties through practice and exercise. For example, those looking to improve their imagination can step into the pages of the books we are reading, or engage in activities that require creative thinking, such as painting or writing stories. Practicing analyzing data and figuring out what they are saying can improve our reasoning skills. The key to be intentionally.
By being aware of our mental faculties and consciously using them in the right direction, we can unlock our full potential and achieve success in all areas of our life. By practicing and exercising our faculties, we can improve our skills and become more intentional in using them. So, let’s take the time to understand our mental faculties, and start using them effectively today!