IS IT POSSIBLE TO EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN THE SAME WAY YOU EXERCISE YOUR BODY TO BUILD IT UP?

There is some genius in all of us---if we are open to it. Thinking like a genius---being a genius thinker---is in fact an innate capacity waiting to be developed.

U.S. psychologist Todd Siler has been researching and writing on the topic of building mind muscle for many years. He is the author of books such as THINK LIKE A GENIUS: USE YOUR CREATIVITY IN WAYS THAT WILL ENRICH YOUR LIFE (1999) and BREAKING THE MIND BARRIER: THE ARTSCIENCE OF NEUROCOSMOLOGY (1997). Siler says that often when we hear the word "genius", we think of a gift that is given to just a privileged few, such as great scientists, inventors, or artists. But "being a genius isn't purely a matter of knowing more than anyone else. Genius isn't a matter of intelligence either, if intelligence is weighing data and solving problems rationally. Rather, genius thinking is a free, open way of applying the mind and breaking the idea barriers of habit and convention. The genius thinker leaps from one idea to another whilst others are locked into rigid thought patterns."

The genius thinker makes connections that others can't see, explores them, and applies them to enrich their lives and those of others. Genius thinking is the development of your "mind muscle", which can stretch and strengthen with practice like any other muscle. Siler adds that, "by the time we're in high school, we've been taught to compartmentalize our thinking. We study science in one class and history in another. Instead of seeing the world though a wide-angle lens, we narrow it down to a series of pinholes constructed by others. As adults, we follow the same pattern, filing our relationships in one thinking compartment, our work in another, and our hobbies in yet another. Soon, the well-worn, collective ways in which we think about different issues become ruts."

However, genius thinkers break through the "thought walls" that keep most everyone else hemmed in. Refusing to submit to rigid patterns of thinking, genius thinkers go beyond the same---into the rare.
Here are 20 ways to be a genius thinker.

1) See things for what they could be, not just for what they are. Look around your office, house, or car and choose a common object, such as a coffee cup, paper clip, pen, or dish towel. Think of five new uses for it.
Be as inventive as you can. This process gets to the heart of genius thinking.

2) Listen and loosen. People rarely share their creative insights with those around them. People usually fail to communicate effectively with each other. The genius thinker listens to everyone. They find out how others view the world. If you loosen your conventional approach to gathering information, you'll find that the world is filled with images that can enhance your thinking skills.

3) Carry a little notepad or cassette recorder around with you so that you can record spontaneous observations, doodling, and personal reflections. Note anything that interests you---even if it seems unrelated to the work that you're doing. The goal is to let these observations stimulate your imagination.

4) Stimulate your connection-making capacity with pictures, diagrams, and concrete representations to trigger flashes of genius and generate new thoughts about old problems. The sense of sight is a magic wand that brings abstract ideas to life.

5) Thinking like a genius means becoming an expert novice---being willing to let new ideas take hold. The trick is learning to suspend what you know in order to discover what you don't know. Most of us rely on a narrow field of expertise to support our ego and self-esteem. But just as you can't add water to a cup that's already full, you can't add new ideas to a mind that already knows it all.

6) Make connections. Challenge your mind by looking for similarities and links between things that appear unrelated.

7) Make discoveries. Investigate, explore, and dig deeper into a connection you've made.

8) Invent. Create something meaningful based on your discovery.

9) Apply. Use your invention to solve a problem, fill a need, enrich your life, or improve your world.

10) "Harvest" your flashes of brilliance. Often people have moments of insight and connection, but they don't know what to do with them. Unfortunately, these moments are often lost and forgotten. The genius thinker contemplates the connection, weighs its significance, analyzes it,
and puts it to work.

11) Listen to Mozart. Listening to works of the 18th century composer, particularly his concertos, for 20 minutes a day increases IQ.

12) Walk for 20 minutes a day. Aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, or riding a bicycle increase IQ.

13) Lift weights. Moderate strength training has been shown to improve mental functioning.

14) Eat lots of protein. Protein foods like fish, meat, chicken, milk, and milk-rich cheese actually do have a positive effect upon brain activity.

15) Take ginkgo biloba. This over-the-counter herb sold in health food stores increases blood flow to the brain, thus improving memory and enhancing mental alertness.

16) Take one aspirin every day. If your physician gives the OK to this, aspirin can increase blood flow to the brain.

17) Work crossword puzzles, memory games, and knowledge tests that appear in newspapers and magazines. These give pleasure, exercise the mind, and bolster the ability to think.

18) Give up or cut down on alcohol. Alcoholic beverages can kill brain cells. Some experts believe we're better off not drinking alcohol at all.

19) Quit smoking. Smoking interferes with circulation, thereby lessening the amount of blood that can get to the brain.

20) Get a pet. People who own dogs or cats test higher on IQ tests compared with people who don't. No one understands why.

It takes a genius to figure it out.

 

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