Rekindle Brainpower or Spin Wheels?

People ask how they can rekindle brainpower to do something novel. If you’ve slipped into potholes of anger, disappointment, or anxiety lately –  you likely feel the need for a new shot at success.

For some it’s a matter of moving beyond ruts and into renewed opportunities. For others it’s about sidestepping toxins at work to discover what’s possible on the other side. For you?

Consider the problem of defensiveness, or inability to work with a team member. In order to shift into transparency or show vulnerability to trust takes an awareness of your brain’s equipment. It used to be popular to find out why people acted in negative ways.  How does it work now that we know more about human brains?

Simply shift your focus.  Rather than concentrate on your basal ganglia storehouse of disappointment,  missteps, or unhealthy reactions, focus instead on creating new neural pathways forward. Mental trails to a novel approach in one area,  eliminate your problem in another. How so?

Working memory kicks in when you act on a new approach. Tackle tendencies such as deep regrets that limit your growth, for instance, and one straightforward action can eliminate toxins that held you back in past.  By simply doing an opposite act you propel possibilities toward an innovative solution.

Let’s say you sink into sadness or feel rejected by a person at work. Rather than store those rejected reactions in your brain’s amygdala,  act instead as a perfectly content person would. Yes, regardless of feelings –  contentment follows brainpowered satisfaction.

To reread hurtful emails, vent about a problem or share disappointments, on the other hand, simply rewires your brain for more of the same.

Rather than ignore a peer,  why not  act toward that problem person as a close friend might? You’ll benefit your brain in quite dynamic ways to move you past ruts that previous responses perhaps wired for defensiveness. Daily your brain changes itself  – based on novel actions you toss at its plasticity.

During REM sleep you rejuvenate brainpower for an awareness about stepping past any rut that day, into rebooted possibilities.  Imagine brainpowered novelty that alters your IQ, opens new innovation possibilities, and prepares you to run in new directions the following day.  Worth acting against a stubborn situation that holds you back?

Or will you spin your wheels in ruts at work? If so you can sidestep harmful chemicals such as cortisol, by acting opposite of one setback.  Your brain will help you through, by sending serotonin chemicals with increased brainpower for innovative new results.

It’s really a matter of gazing into the windshield to drive forward, while merely glancing into the rear view mirror to ensure progress. Check out how one stroke victim acted opposite paralysis and remapped speech and movement.  How do you take advantage to newly discovered research about your brain’s ability to change itself daily.

“The great thing, then … is to make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy.” – Henry James

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Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset