Maximize your mind

Maximize your mind

"We are all born originals --why is it so many of us die copies?"

A quarter center ago, poet Edward Young bemoaned the lack of uniqueness among human beings. If you're interested in developing your originality (and by extension, expanding your self-confidence), concentrate on maximizing your mind And, if you lead a team and want to maximize those multiple minds, share the following with colleagues.

Know that you can actually create and fulfill your own successful-meeting prophecy. You can honestly become more brain-powerful. You really can optimize your cognitive capacity. And you can truly maximize your mental operations. First, though, you have to commit to improving your cognitive processes. We recommend spending five-to-ten minutes a day, three days a week. Here are practices to help you recall those phone numbers and contract-details much more easily.

Create a mnemonic device
The mind is an amazing organ. This gelatinous mass of a hundred trillion nerve cells , when maximized, can serve the meeting-planner well. (The need to facilitate memory goes back thousands of years. From Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory, comes the word "mnemonics," which is simply the use of devices that will help us remember. Think about the mnemonic devices you already use (H-O-M-E-S for the first letter of each of the Great Lakes) and commit to using such a device for better recall of work-related data.

What work-related set of facts/numbers do you wish to remember? Consider acronyms, rhyme, alliteration, visualization, or any other method that works for you, such as noting the ending of the word "paper" in the word "stationery" meaning "paper."

Ever admire those who can rattle facts and figures off the top of their head? (Think of how much more productive you'd be if there were certain numbers, statistics, words, addresses that you didn't have to look up every time you needed them.) Ever wonder if the brains of such people are superior to your own? They're probably not, except in this regard: those with good memories have trained their brains to work for them. Get started doing the same.

Practice
Once a day, have a co-worker or family member practice with you. Your coach will give you a one-digit number, which you are not to write down until he or she says "Record." Then, you'll receive a two-digit number. When the coach says, "Record," write the number down from memory. Each time, your coach will give you a number one-digit-longer than the preceding number. Keep a log of your progress, specifying how many digits you were able to commit to short-term memory. Here are a few to get you started.

3 87 901 5201 84215 075328 40152856
104867624 6903457182

5 26 738 9320 52916 380157 6281302
392815647 2753019586

Chase stress away
Stress causes increased production of a hormone named cortisol. According to Dr. Blair Justice of the University of Texas Health Science Center, the cortex of the adrenal gland releases this hormone, which can have a negative impact on the cells of your immune system. Cortisol also reduces the number of "natural killer" (NK) cells, which travel through the body, looking for and destroying aberrant cells. If you don't have enough NK cells doing their job, the abnormal cells can eventually develop into tumors.

When cortisol is racing through your body, it can damage the neurons in your brain in the long-term and cause your to become "frozen" in the short term. Experts advise engaging in a mental challenge just prior to a stressful even such as an the opening moments of a meeting you've been planning for all year or an interview or a performance-appraisal review with your supervisor. There are any number of exercises you can engage in to develop your powers of concentration and control your stress. Here 's one.

Have a colleague or family member note how long it takes you to complete these six. Then make up others and exchange with your "coach." Time yourself on the second set and strive to beat your earlier time.

1. N-A-P-E is to P-A-N-E as 8-2-4-7 is to:
a) 4-2-8-7b) 4-7-8-2c) 7-2-8-4d) 4-8-2-7e) 2-7-8-4

2.P-O-R-E is to R-O-P-E as 3-6-9-1 is to:
a) 9-6-3-1b) 3-1-6-9c) 9-1-3-6d) 9-3-1-6e) 6-1-3-9

3.T-O-P-S is to P-O-T-S as 4-1-7-9 is to:
a) 7-4-1-9b) 7-1-4-9c) 9-4-1-7d) 7-9-1-4e) 4-9-1-7

4.L-I-P-S is to S-L-I-P as 5-8-3-0 is to:
a) 0-3-8-5b) 0-8-3-5c) 0-5-8-3d) 3-8-0-5e) 8-0-5-3

5.S-L-A-T-E is to T-A-L-E-S as 6-7-3-5-2 is to:
a) 3-7-2-5-6b) 2-6-3-7-5c) 5-7-3-6-2d) 5-7-2-3-6e) 5-3-7-2-6

6.S-A-I-D is to D-A-I-S as 2-8-4-1 is to:
a) 1-2-4-8b) 1-8-4-2c) 8-1-2-4d) 2-4-1-8e) 1-4-8-2

Develop your originality by developing your mind. Whether you're aiming for the next rung on the corporate ladder, or simply trying to remember names and numbers at work, rely on mnemonics, practice, and stress-chasers.

Adapted from Maximize Your Mind; Peak Your Potential (800-876-4636) by Robin Wilson and Marlene Caroselli. Dr. Caroselli is an author, keynoter and trainer. You can reach her at mccpd@aol.com.

Answers: 1a, 2a, 3b, 4c, 5e, 6b.