There are many aspects and capabilities of the human mind we simply do not understand. Notice I’m talking about the human mind and not the brain.

The human brain is like a computer processor.
To use a computer metaphor, I consider the human brain to be much like the processor in a computer. The processor is the part of the computer that actually moves the data from one part of the machine to the other – like from the hard drive, internet or keyboard to the computer monitor screen. It is also capable of carrying out very basic operations like addition or multiplication of numbers. And that’s about it.

The human mind is like the entire computer.
In contrast, I consider the human mind to be the entire process we use to interpret and act upon facts and feelings or experience emotions, that sort of thing. Using the computer metaphor again, the human mind would be most appropriately compared to the entire computer.

No one knows where our mind is located.
We know that our brains are located in our skull. But we are not sure, and really have no firm idea, as to where our mind is located. I think, like the computer, our mind is distributed throughout our entire body.

We feel emotions throughout our entire body.
I’ve noticed that depending on the emotion, sometimes I get a particular feeling in my arms and throat. That’s where I feel fear. All of us have heard someone say that upon receiving bad news they felt sick. When I feel that way I feel that sinking feeling at the top of my stomach and in my chest. Like many people I tend to feel stress in my jaws and on the inside of my shoulders.

Stress often is felt in our jaws and shoulders.
When I am stressed and want to relax I simply think of relaxing my jaws, as well as my shoulders, and a feeling of calm comes over me. This bit of information is really nothing new. You can read it or something similar in various books on stress management or yoga. The point is that this knowledge has been around for years.

Massages are known to bring back old memories.
I know people who after having a massage, and upon having the therapist work on their arms, legs or whatever, were flooded with memories and emotions that have long since been forgotten. This leads me to believe that, like a computer used to store information on its hard disk (not in the processor), we store memories and knowledge throughout our bodies.

We are taught very little about how our mind works.
The point of all of this is that we as a people, from a scientific standpoint, have an amazingly small amount of information as to how the most important part of our existence works – our mind. In fact, when we moved through the education process, we received very little information or instruction concerning the best way to make our inherent thinking process work for us. I personally feel that this is a shame.

I have had to solve many problems.
Throughout my career I have been faced with problems or challenges that seemed insurmountable at the time. Most of the time, but not all, they were technical. At least the technical ones are easiest to recall.

Many times I simply had to find a workable solution.
To accept the fact there was not an acceptable solution for a particular problem would have meant a considerable setback. So during these times it became imperative that I solved whatever problem was in front of me.

Here are a few examples.
One such problem involved data compression. Another was how to make it easier – much easier – to enter data into a home accounting program that started me in business. Yet another was how to most effectively present one of our new products. The list of problems I've encountered that required not so obvious solutions goes on and on.

I know of a mental process that works.
Some might look at these problems and instantly realize the solutions were not so difficult. However the required solutions were not apparent to me at the time, and no matter how much time I spent searching for the answers I drew a blank. Today, whenever I find myself in this situation, I go through a problem solving process I learned to use over the years. You might even call it a “trick.” One thing is for sure, I know it works.

Think about anything but the problem at hand.
After I spend time wrestling with a problem or a situation and can’t come up with an acceptable solution, I’ve found that the best and most effective thing to do is to stop thinking about it – entirely. Instead I like to completely defocus and do something I enjoy.

Both sleep and exercise seem to help.
If I’m sufficiently tired, I find it helpful to take a nap. If it’s late enough I turn in for the night. After I awake, I like to exercise. I like to do cardio type exercise and lift weights. During this time I make it a point to think about anything but the problem at hand.

The answer will often come out of no where.
It is usually at the tail end of my exercise session, or during the cool down period after I exercise that something remarkable happens. The answer I’m searching for will seemingly come out of nowhere and occur to me.

I know this process works.
This method of finding an elusive answer has worked often enough for me to know there is something to the process. I have suspicions as to why it works, but I really don’t know for sure.

How I think it works.
I think by focusing away from the problem at hand, I allow my subconscious mind – whatever that is – to fully devote itself to the problem. Taking a nap seems to help the process, and exercising might create enough bodily activity to also help the process.

Another example.
I’ve seen something similar to this process work for others who were trying to recall some obscure fact – maybe the name of a song or the name of a place – and couldn’t do it. Then later on, after the conversation changes to something else, out of the blue they blurt out whatever the fact is they were searching for. This has to be the mind working as it was intended to do – on its own.

Try it. You should be surprised at the results.
So why not put this important mental process to work for yourself? The next time you’re faced with a problem that seems unsolvable — after you’ve racked your brains for an answer but have come up with nothing — do what I do, forget about your problem for a while. Go do something else you enjoy. Maybe even take a nap. You might just find that the solution you're searching for will simply present itself to you.