Wellness doesn’t just mean exploring your spirituality and emotional well being. Having a sharp, active mind is just as important. Recently I’ve been reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad and have been poignantly reminded of this. This book stresses that exercising the mind is a key life practice and an essential skill necessary for a wealthy, prosperous life. I know that’s what we all want – an abundant life – and so with that in mind, let’s not forget to keep our minds well-used, healthy, and engaged. In the rush of life, sometimes this is hard to do – it seems like an extra chore to “think hard” when there’s already so much vying for your attention. Because of this, I’ve listed some easy actions we can take to keep our minds in drive and out of cruise control.

1. Join Wordsmith.org and receive “A Word a Day” in your inbox. This is a great service that themes each week and sends words via email with definitions and quotations that fit within the theme. For instance, one week’s theme was “There is a word for it” and some of the words included omphaloskepsis (contemplation of one’s navel) and incunabulum (a book created during the infancy of printing). There is a very active forum and it seems to be a great community of linguistic enthusiasts. It’s a great way to get a bit of mental stimulation in the course of a busy day.

2. Pick up a…for Dummies or Complete Idiot’s Guide to… book and have fun reading about something you’ve always wanted to learn about. The topics range from homemade ice cream to improving your memory. They are in most cases an easy, yet stimulating and inspiring read. The format is simple enough to follow but still provides you with content to think about and understand. I definitely recommend them as a stress-free and fun way of learning.

3. Take a free online course at Free-ed.net, LearnThat or right here at our very own Bellaonline Course area. I’ve always been a fan of online courses. It’s yet another simple, stress free way to learn something new on your own time. There are no worries about working up to anyone’s standards except your own, so you can truly enjoy the subject and engage your creative mind as well.

4. Sign up for a e-newsletter delivery system that delivers articles on your topic of interest on a regular basis. If you don’t know already, here at Bellaonline we’ve got a ton of channels on all types of subjects; you can find our e-newsletter list here. Topica also has an awesome database of e-newsletters on topics across the board. Most e-newsletters are well aware that readers are often pressed for time and so the content is easy to read and designed to bring about quick insight. Reading an interesting article a day is a sure way to keep your mind stimulated.

Enjoy working those mental muscles!