BRAIN POWER

Unlocking the potential within BY Archana Law

If you want to have it all – meaning money, happiness and success – you must first understand the power lying dormant within your brain, and then develop it by using multiple strategies and exercises.

They will enable you to accumulate both inner and outer wealth, which includes friendship, love, health, power, assets, a meaningful career and lasting contentment.

Neuroscientist Dr. Karolien Notebaert believes that our behaviour and performance are the result of the potential we have, minus any interference caused by “emotional hijacks” in our brains that block us with feelings of anxiety or insecurity.

On busy days particularly, under intense pressure, we literally become the “worst version of ourselves,” he says.

To counter this, we need to develop and deliberately activate the prefrontal cortex of our brains, which is involved in executive functions such as planning and decision making. Tucked away behind the folds of the largest part of our brain are special neurons that arm us with profound powers of perception, enhanced self-direction and social awareness.

Brain imaging studies prove that when we stimulate these complex circuits through mindfulness and self-reflection, something remarkable happens. Negative feelings and thoughts are transformed into optimism, motivation and increased creativity, decision-making skills are enhanced and our ability to empathise with others grows rapidly.

This ‘NeuroWisdom’ is our inner teacher and spiritual compass. When fully embraced, it helps us achieve our goals and lead more fulfilling lives.

Authors Chris Manning and Mark Waldman recommend the development of four neurological activities as part of ‘Brain-based Experiential Living/BELL strategies,’ to unlock and realise our fullest potential.

PILLAR #1 Motivation is your brain’s instinctual drive to survive and acquire anything that’s new, different and potentially valuable. When this occurs, it releases dopamine, a pleasure chemical that increases your conscious ability to take action and achieve your goals.

Yawn and stretch slowly to relax – even for a few seconds several times an hour – to maintain the highest levels of productivity and performance. The brain loses concentration quickly and any form of stress disrupts its normal functioning. As stress levels reduce, neurological pleasure and motivation increase.

PILLAR #2 Decision making takes place in your frontal lobe. It involves habitual behaviour, regulates moods and helps keep you focussed on your goal. Because decision making can be disrupted by stress, worry and doubt, you need to train your brain to stay focussed, confident and optimistic.

Visualise your goal by writing your thoughts down on paper or a vision board – because the brain depends heavily on visual cues to guide you towards pleasure and away from pain. The more you develop your ability to visualise what you desire, the easier it becomes to develop strategies to reach your intended goal.

PILLAR #3 Creativity involves a unique state of consciousness that prevents mental exhaustion and burnout through daydreaming, mind wandering and the use of intuitive imagination to solve problems.

Anchor yourself with an ‘external reminder and internal cue’ – for example, with an unexpected sound like a bell. The more pleasant the sound, the more quickly you can train your brain to automatically refresh itself when you are concentrating hard at work.

The first couple of times you hear the bell ring hourly, pause for 10 seconds to yawn and slowly stretch. And from the third time onwards, take 60 seconds to visualise achieving your goal, or focus on your vision board or do something pleasurable.

Research shows that after 60-90 days, these strategies become automatic behaviour that’s deeply embedded into the memory circuits of your brain.

PILLAR #4 Awareness, mindful self-reflection and enjoyment of the present stimulate the circuits of empathy, compassion and self-love. You become more self-aware, and more socially and spiritually aware; and this in turn makes way for mutual trust and cooperation.

Create a pleasure board by listing 20 simple activities that give you immediate pleasure (rinsing your face with cool water, dancing to a favourite tune, massaging your scalp, a pleasant memory, thinking about someone or something you love and so on).

By the time you’ve completed the list, the pleasurable effect of dopamine will seep through.

Since optimism is essential for physical and emotional health, write down all the negative thoughts as they creep in. Then take a minute to deeply relax as you mindfully gaze at the negative words without reacting. Within minutes, the worrisome feelings will subside because you’ll realise that most of them aren’t real!

Be willing to take the first step, no matter how small. Absolute miracles will happen.