Ravinder Taylor Reveals Simple Tools for Self-Empowerment and Mental Growth

0:00Have you trained your brain to do all that it can do? If not, this episode is for you. We are here with brain training expert Ravinder Taylor. She's going to give you a bunch of techniques, a bunch of sources to push you through the limits so that you can be the best version of yourself that you could possibly be. Without further ado, this is Ravinder Taylor. Ravinder, how are you doing today, dear? I am great, Mick. Thank you so much. And what a lovely introduction. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on. Absolutely. I am honored to have you here. Ravinder, you do a lot with mind training, with personal development.

0:41So I'm honored to have you here on the show. And I always like to start with my guests with understanding what's their because? What's their purpose that keeps you doing what you do to help so many people? So Ravinder, what's your because today? My because? I think I've always believed that I was capable of more, but I was also aware that I was full of insecurities and inadequacies, especially as a child. I grew up in England. We were the only brown family in our city, actually, almost. it felt that way um so there were always there were always differences you know and it was there was an attitude back then particularly that if you didn't do it the British way that was wrong and so I was constantly and I I always had these inadequacies but I always knew I always knew that there was something more and so I've been striving to to learn more about that and they do say you teach what it is that you want to learn so I want to learn how to become fully myself not a copy of somebody else not puppeted by other ideas not pushed around because of the I think I should I ought to you know all of those kinds of things I wanted to become fully myself and that's what my journey has all been about and that's precisely what I try to teach no I love that a lot I love that a lot.

2:17And you talked about realizing that you were capable of more. And I want to go a little bit deeper there because I think if we're all honest with ourselves, right, like we are capable of more. And I think a lot of times when people think of more, they think of physically, but I like to think of it as mentally as well too, right? Like you are capable of thinking more, you're capable of pushing your mind to the limit. So when did you realize that you were actually capable of more you know mick i think i could have come into the world having that in the background as i said my childhood was full of inadequacies so i was constantly hearing around me that what i did wasn't right the way i the way i thought wasn't correct it everything was just wrong about what I did and there was a part of me yes it had an influence on me but there was a part of me that said no no it isn't necessarily so and so one of the core teachings that I have in my life as a result of that because there's always good things that can come from bad situations there's always something that you can learn from it and so for me one of the first things that I decided was there aren't rights and wrongs there are just differences now I'm not talking about the big moral questions I'm talking about things like you know there are some people who cover their head when they go into church and there are others that uncover them there are you know those kinds It's like these things don't matter.

4:00We're all human beings. If what we're doing is out of respect, out of care for somebody else, then that's the part that should be appreciated. And that's how I try to treat other people. If I meet people and they do things differently, it's like, okay, what's the intent? What's the intent? That means a whole lot more to me. no absolutely for the the person that's watching or listening to this and they feel like you know I hear Ravinder talking now and I do think I'm capable of more what are some things that that they can do to identify what that looks like for them that's a big question Mick that's a really really big question there um i think we are all capable of more there are many people who who aren't aware of that they think they are just the way they are because of their genes because of their upbringing because this is how god made them i would tell everyone out there no you are capable of more you're capable of expressing your full potential a whole lot a whole lot more I would say look at yourself look at where you are and I'm not only talking about finances and career and education I'm talking about the kind of person that you are the kind of relationships that you have can you be a better partner well I think Mick we can all agree that we can all be better better partners right but it's it's that journey it's that constant striving to do better you know to be a better partner to be a better parent to be a better friend those are the things that really matter and then when it comes to your your career don't think that you have to accept just where you are you you can go further if that's what you want you know i'm not trying to tell someone what that what they should do if you are happy in your life appreciate that that's great that's wonderful but if you feel like there is more you want to push yourself more you want to experience more you want to learn more things then don't allow others ideas don't let somebody else tell you no that that's all you can do or you you don't want to try and run a marathon my gosh you haven't run in for forever and that's a personal example of mine because i did run a marathon when I was 55 and I hadn't run for decades prior to that but it was like I actually had a friend who had who had done this and that showed me that it was possible and so it was just an experience that I wanted to have and I grew to love running I fully intend to do more marathons they are just they take a great deal of time and so I have to prioritize all the other things in my life.

7:12But to push yourself more, to experience more things, you only have one go around in this life. You know, perhaps there's reincarnation, perhaps you get, but we don't have control over that. What we have control over is this life right now. And I'm into maximizing it, enjoying it, experiencing it to the best of my ability. And most importantly, I don't want to be the one holding myself back because there are beliefs in my subconscious mind that I didn't put there, but that are controlling me. And that really comes to the crux of the whole mind training process. I like that. And I want to go into some of the mind training techniques that you've established and that you're you're doing now um let's go with the book so talk to us about you know why now with the book right and then what are some of the key aspects that we can pull out from it there is lots in mind training that you can pull out the full title is mind training the science of self-empowerment and that says it all it is very science-based I actually draw on about 200 independent research studies that were done I draw on those to create the tools and techniques that I recommend in mind training but the empowerment the self-empowerment part was really important to me so often you know you can have teachers that you know specialize in personal development and they give out recipes they say do this do this do this and you will get what you want they don't tell you what the purpose is behind each of these techniques they don't allow you to understand it and personalize it and make it your own and then when it doesn't work for you they just tell you you didn't do it right and i didn't want that i don't like that so i wanted that the self-empowerment part was really important to me so in my training each chapter i will go through the science um i provide lots of examples i don't just draw on one or two.

9:39There'll be research studies done in different places in the world that reinforce the basic concept. But then at the end of each chapter, I will provide a summary for why I shared that information, why that information is important. And then I provide tools and techniques that people can use to put into practice right away what it is they have learned. There's two kinds of knowing. You can know something on a superficial level and you can know something so deeply within you that it becomes habituated. And that's what I wanted mind training to do. The tools and techniques are frequently very simple.

10:25But first, you have to understand why they're important. Otherwise, you'll just dismiss it. You won't see the consequence of it. You'll say, oh, that's just airy-fairy nonsense. So I wanted to say why it's so important. I wanted to explain how the elements work. And then I wanted to empower you to make it part of your day-to-day routine. That's amazing. Can you give us an example? So from the book, could you give us a case study and talk about the science behind it? Any chapter, your your choice i'll pick one of my favorites and it's actually a bit difficult because it is so simple nick it is so incredibly simple that if i just give you the bottom line people aren't going to do it it's like it's like okay okay that's just more airy fairy stuff but the the benefits that come from smiling okay when i first encountered the idea that putting a pencil between your teeth will cause your brain to release endorphins which is one of the happy brain chemicals i thought that was crazy absolutely crazy but i dug in and yes that is absolutely true but then you want to look at some of the other evidence out there there are two research studies that I really appreciated totally independently one looked at baseball cards and one looked at high school photographs and looking at those pictures the researchers were able to predict how long the person would live so what they found was that in these pictures if a person had a small smile on their face they would live on average two years longer if they had the big broad duchene smile the duchene smile is the one that reaches up to the eyes gives you all those laughter lines if you had they have the full duchene smile then they would live on average seven years longer smiling the duchene smile diaphragmatic breathing these are very mechanical ways to get your body more relaxed to reduce the stress to increase the the happy brain chemicals i've tested this on myself mick i said i'm very skeptical so i try everything out for myself so there was a period in my life generally I've always had really good blood pressure but during COVID my brother passed away which was traumatic I couldn't be with him but then there's all the other traumas that surround that can surround you when someone passes away there's arguments over the world you see the greed in me there was just some really ugly stuff that went on and I'm aware that lots of people have these experiences at the time I thought it was just me It's like, how can people be so awful?

13:37But anyway, as a result, my blood pressure went up. It's the highest it's ever been. It went crazy. So I tested out both the smiling and the diaphragmatic breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing. If you put your hand at the bottom of your rib cage and then breathe in and feel your lungs expand, feel the rib cage expand and come up, that will expand the diaphragm. and it's a bit like having a big stretch i mean try it for yourself right now make take a big deep breath feel it and there is it's a bit like a yawn or a big stretch you just you feel good right away so i tested both of these i took my blood pressure the numbers were high i turned the blood pressure cuff off i put on the big duchene smile fortunately i was all by myself so there wasn't anyone to see me looking silly put on the big duchene smile did about three big diaphragmatic breaths slowly evenly just allowed myself to enjoy that the stretching of the diaphragmatic muscle took my blood pressure again my blood pressure had dropped 30 points in a matter of minutes now it's not going to stay there it's not going to stay there for forever but the more you can remind your body how it is supposed to feel the quicker it is to achieve that state again and then you realize that when you're going through your day if you're if you're feeling upset you're aware that being upset will raise blood pressure you know having the the stress chemicals in your system just isn't good for you it's not good for your immune system not good for your health not good for anything so you can just do this just walking down the stairs put on a smile take that big diaphragmatic breath release it release that tension and the proof is in the pudding you get to see that but it goes even further mick because when you look at optimism studies they found that more optimistic people will live longer have better relationships be better off financially better off um you know in in their careers they're they're better parents it goes it goes in every single direction just from being optimistic and smiling and optimism So, you know, one is going to be a belief in the future, but the other just just reinforces it.

16:24So when you're smiling and you're thinking about your future, it's easier to feel positively about it. And there are other techniques in my training that where I explain how to increase your optimism, because some people are just naturally pessimistic. Yeah, yeah. And and we see that a lot in business and in life. Right. Like I talk about adjusting your circle or your tight knit group and community, because just like optimism spreads, well, so does pessimism. Right. And that energy that you receive can be the difference of, man, I need to do some some stretching. Like Miss Ravender told me. Right.

17:06I need to I need to to bite on the pencil and smile because I've got this pessimism around me. So I love the fact that you were talking about that. And I know that a lot of that comes from your work with the Progressive Awareness Research. Tell us a little bit about some of the things that you are doing with that company. Progressive Awareness Research is all about researching tools and techniques to enhance the quality of someone's life. The main product that we sell are the InnerTalk subliminal programs, subliminal self-help programs. Now, I'm aware many of your listeners could say, I've heard that subliminal doesn't work.

17:52We commonly hear subliminals don't work, they're dangerous, and they're being used anyway. primarily they're being used by advertisers marketers the medias politicians they all use it if it didn't work why would they use it why would they invest so much money in it if it doesn't work how can it be dangerous and there is an entire appendix in mind training where I go through the history of the controversy behind subliminal information. And you actually see that big money has a great deal of power. So those people who want to use it against you have every incentive to make you believe that it doesn't work.

18:44For us, though, bringing it back to the positive perspective, we have all of these beliefs in the subconscious mind. Research shows that most of our decisions come from the subconscious mind. Our subconscious mind is a repository of all of our experiences. And because we have a negativity bias, we hold on to those negative experiences a whole lot more. So every time someone told you you're not capable of something, there it goes into your subconscious mind. Every time you've experienced this idea of you don't deserve any better, there it goes in the subconscious mind. And research has shown there is activity in the subconscious mind up to seven seconds before you consciously make a choice.

19:36choice so technicians looking at the equipment in some of these research studies the choices are really simple do i press the button with my right hand or left hand that kind of simple and technicians looking at the equipment could tell you up to seven seconds earlier what it is you're going to choose even before you've chosen it so the information is coming from there and that is what what guides everything that we do so if your subconscious mind is full of negativity we talk to ourselves all the time and so just think about it Mick on a bad day if you're feeling depressed that self-talk that inner chatter that goes on non-stop is going to go on the lines of I hate my life I can't do this nobody likes me I don't deserve it anyway you cannot just replace that with positive affirmations positive affirmations are good it's good to surround yourself with positivity but telling yourself I am good cannot detract from that subconscious idea when someone had told you you're disgusting you can't do anything you're stupid you're dumb there is pain that comes when someone says that and all of that is locked away in the subconscious mind now with the inner talk subliminal programs the affirmations are presented in a way where it bypasses your conscious defense mechanisms so for me if I say to myself I am good immediately I have this whole stream of chatter I'll try to keep it brief for you because I have one idea of what does good mean I'm not really good because I was short with my husband I was impatient with my kids I didn't give my dog enough attention But then it goes even further.

21:42What does good mean? Just because society thinks something is good doesn't make it so. And the biggest examples there, of course, are going to be black slavery. Society thought it was good. Society thought that was normal. Thank you. No, thank you. i have another example of my own from being brought up in england when i was young when i was in elementary school so i'm talking about between the age of six and eleven anti-gay jokes were so normal homosexuality was derided so badly that kids in the playground were making these jokes that is what society was telling us is good so as i said my conversations get really deep because i say okay what does good mean because society says it's good doesn't mean that it is and because i missed those things back then what am i missing today so there's a huge debate that goes on in my mind from an affirmation like I am good but when you don't believe in yourself you put a cap on everything that you can possibly achieve when you don't believe that you can succeed at something you will not try your hardest at doing that so the inner talk subliminal programs the affirmations are presented subliminally um and just to explain how that works have you ever been in a party say conversations going on all around you you're engrossed in your own conversation and then someone across the room says your name and your ears prick up your subconscious mind did hear it you just weren't aware of it another example of that can be have you ever been out in a store and then you start humming a song to yourself only to realize that's the song that's being played in the music system in the background yeah you just automatically repeat it so with the inner talk subliminal programs you don't hear the affirmations consciously so you can't object to them you can't fight back against them they go in go in directly and just like the music in the store you start repeating it so back to the example of being depressed if that self-talk is saying i can't do this i'm so i suck i'm no good at this if that gets replaced by i'm good i've got this life is good people like me you can't be depressed at the same time when your self-talk is positive so in a nutshell that's what we do progressive awareness and that is just one of the the tools and techniques that i discuss in my training i love it and i want to make sure that everyone can get a copy of this book so ravender where can we get copies you can buy you want us to get copies wherever you prefer to shop so all the major bookstores amazon barnes and noble has it if your local bookstore doesn't have it and i'm all for supporting local bookstores if your local bookstore doesn't have it ask them to order it in they can order it in that that that's great so yeah wherever you you prefer to buy them so the title of the book is mind training the science of self-empowerment.

25:31I love it. I'm going to make sure we have links in our show notes and descriptions. Ravinda, where can people find and follow you personally? You can visit my website. That is simply ravindataylor.com. You can also find me on social networking. Just search for Ravinda Taylor. It's not that common a name. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook. I love interacting with people. If you read my training, I would love to hear your feedback on it. If you like it, if you don't like it, I would like to hear, you know, how you benefited from it. The parts of the book that you appreciated and your own challenges in life.

26:13What is it that you're trying to overcome? So, yes, I love hearing from people. Absolutely. So I'm going to make sure I have links to your social. Everyone do me a favor. go number one go get the book and then number two message ravinda with your with your your feedback and what you would rate it and then any questions that you have she's very active on social she's very engaging um she's she's one of my favorite follows ravinda i thank you so much for taking time out of your busy busy schedule to talk to our viewers and listeners it means the world to have you here with us today. Thank you so much, Mick.

26:53I very much enjoyed speaking with you. You are an excellent host. You have a wonderful show. Thank you for honoring me by allowing me to come on your show. You got it. We'll have to do this again. We'll have to do this again for sure. And for all the viewers and listeners, remember your because is your superpower. Go Unleash It. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Mick Unplugged. If today hits you hard, then imagine what's next. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and share this with someone who needs it. And most of all, make a plan and take action, because the next level is already waiting for you.

27:36Have a question or insight to share? Send us an email to hello at mickunplugged.com. Until next time, ask yourself how you can step up.