for decades scientists told us, and conventional wisdom believed, that our brain is fixed from shortly after our birth to our life's very end.
sharon's book collects the newest scientific results and collages them with the research history on our brain and mind:
we ourselves, our way of thinking, our thoughts, our mind changes our brain. chess players' brains differ from pianists' brains differ from scientists' brains differ from mothers' brains, etc. - every single brain is different.
the difference is based upon where and how we do live, commute and work, what we think, what we do, what we fear, love and hate. how we treat others and how we have been treated by others till today.
although the book is a fantastic journey through the last 100 years of neurology, and you should read it, i will concentrate on the learnings from neuroplasticity (the young science of brain changes) which are relevant to everybrain out there. the learnings which help to become more attached, aware, focussed, compassionate and an active part of future's society.
most dramatic and positive changes to your brain you may encounter while:
1) you feel secure, ie. you are in a situation you judge as secure (if you are insecure, you feel stressed, what keeps you from being curious, caring, humorous, playful, a treat that sometimes you may detect in your colleagues and supervisors)
insecurity keeps the brain from developing and changing, and lets you act with hostility and aggression against others.
2) you love what you do (if you are forced to do something, this will not change your brain in a positive way),
3) you work out, train your muscles and body regularly (which transports more oxygene and neuron-enhancing agents to your brain),
4) you are attentive to your environment and the people around you ("without attention, information that our senses take in - what we see hear, feel, smell, and taste - literally does not register in the mind. ... what you see is what you pay attention to."),
5) you are open to new experiences and changing environments (new experiences train the brain, routine dulls the brain and the mind).
to make it more relevant to you as a manager or to your colleagues and superiors:
if
you 1) feel insecure,
you 2) do not love what you do,
you 3) do not physically work out,
you 4) are not attentive to your personal environment and
you 5) are ignorant and intolerant to new experiences and changing environments,
you are a typical manager, no ;-) your brain will not develop, you will not become a better manager or person, you will neither excell in your profession nor in life.
it is possible to change, to develop. change your life, by training your mind. by thinking, by developing ideas, and plans, and actions. just by living the life you would like to live. being the character you would like to be. and you become that person.
but: "such willfully induced changes of the brain require focus, training and effort ..."
the least it will do for you is keep you from getting old to soon: "... the discoveries of neuroplasticity will usher in a new brain-fitness culture, reflecting an understanding that you need to exercise your brain as you exercise your body."
do not hesitate to contact me, if you have questions on the how and when and why of training your mind and changing your brain for the better. or just read the book!
