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You can 'rewire' your mind to create positive changes.

MI Strategies

Ellen Weber is speaking about her book MI Strategies in the Classroom.

Many of us have limited notions of our mental possibilities and high school or college classes too often perpetuate these misconceptions.

How often have you been inspired by facts about the brain, yet it just seems to take too much energy to unleash your real capabilities when you need them most?

But more smarts are attainable and it doesn't take gruelling effort to increase your intelligence.

You may be surprised to discover the key to mental success is less about the amount of time you put into studying and more how you think about possibilities, potential and life goals.

Intelligent people think differently.

Instead of asking, "Can I achieve this?" they ask, "How can I make this happen?"

Instead of anticipating problems, they turn their attention to facts that bring them winning results.

Experts on the brain would say, "They generate new neuron pathways to get more of what they want."

Feeling stupid is a learned behaviour. And, in the same way, you can learn to replace this negative thought pattern with positive facts drawn from recent research in neuroscience and from observing your brain at work.

A great way to start is by replacing common misconceptions with life-changing facts about your brain.

Simply put, you can "rewire" your mind to create long lasting changes for yourself today and in the future.

Here are some myths and realities about the brain.

Myth No. 1: "I'm not as smart as others I know and that's why I succeed less."

Reality: Intelligence is not fixed, as we once believed. Biological research tells us brainpower expands with challenges.

Brains are hard wired to unscramble complex puzzles and provide answers to even unfamiliar problems.

Myth No. 2 : "In school others always outshone me and now it's too late to achieve higher goals."

Reality: Some people think their opportunities have passed by and it's too late to succeed.

They don't realize their limiting thoughts create limited results.

When we challenge each of our "intelligences," we grow new connecting brain cells called dendrites, which help us achieve in multiple ways.

This can continue well into our senior years.

Myth No. 3: "If I worked harder and longer each day, I could get further ahead."

Reality: When we work harder and longer, and sleep less, we're working against rather than with our brains. Sleep affects our mental progress because our brains rewire completely each day as we sleep.

Rewiring is based on the previous day's activity and relies on adequate amounts of deep sleep each night. Unsuccessful people often work longer and harder, but smart people benefit more from consistent sleep than long work hours.

Myth No. 4: "Others in my family are much smarter than me."

Reality: We enjoy success because of genes we are born with and also as a result of approaches and patterns we learn through life.

For instance, great questions influence achievement since questions help increase our curiosity and enable us to act more from a sense of wonder than routines.

Questions help us to prevent the passivity that leads to failure.

If you feel others in your family are smarter, try asking, "How can I approach this old problem in a new way?"

Myth No. 5: "I can't remember things anymore."

Reality: Memory is connected to how you store information and you can learn to retrieve facts when you need them. Do this by linking new ideas to something you already know or do well, in the same way you hang your hat on a familiar hook.

Then you'll find it much easier to retrieve and use the new ideas later.

Myth No. 6: "Little things bother me more than they bother others and I can't help the fact that I worry."

Reality: We are never stuck in a place of worry without help. What few people know is that our brains are miraculously flexible.

Serotonin is the hormone that increases calm, contentment and well-being. The hormone cortisol can lead to panic and anxiety.

We can influence both states as we practise ways to decrease or stimulate hormone levels, for example, through thoughts of a memory or music we have enjoyed.

Think about how these positive opportunities can begin to build new success in your day.

How many times have you thought of a new adventure only to have that little voice inside your head tell you it is absurd for you?

If you listen closely, you'll recognize that little voice is rooted in some of the above misconceptions.

These new facts about your brain can improve your inner voice and change how you respond to challenges such as discouragement, stress, failure and frustration.

Ellen Weber, who has a PhD in curriculum and instruction from University of British Columbia, is director of the MITA International Brain Based Center in Rochester, N.Y., which offers training on ways of changing the way teachers teach and business leaders lead.

SMART TIPS

What & Who: Practical tips to help you use your brainpower to improve your life, by Ellen Weber, director of MITA International Brain Based Center in Rochester, N.Y., who will speak about her new book, MI Strategies in the Classroom and Beyond: Using Roundtable Learning.

When: Thursday, April 21, 7 p.m.

Where: Chapters, Meadowlands Power Centre, Ancaster.

**This page, including images, is used with permission granted by Howard M. Helliott, Executive Editor, The Hamilton Spectator