March 12, 2012
Sandra H. Rodman, CEO, Right Brain Aerobics
Right Brain Aerobics Academy Classes & Talks
Reason #1: Your Creative-Intuitive-Imaginative Right Brain Is Waiting to Report Out Creative Insight But You Never Let It On The Calendar. How do you pick up the "download"? How do you creatively convert it into action and insight?
Stop. Pick up pen and piece of paper. Take a deep breath. Get a sip of water. Then do nothing for 5 minutes but listen. In silence. No background anything. No looking at a screen. Time it. Then sketch, draw, doodle whatever "out of the blue" powerful right brain symbol "cues" and ideas "pop up" ready for download. Information is always processing creatively but is useless uninterpreted data. Until you spend even 5 minutes in silence. Get ready. One reason amazing ideas pop up in showers, when waiting for planes (if you're not online): Time is available for more alpha "ah hah" mind state to get your attention. How do you convert it into information? You'll see: Pick the most "out of the blue" crazy symbol or idea that popped up in those 5 minutes and pretend you have an assignment to turn it into a new strategy or insight. Here's why that's important -- and an example of how you might do it:
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| Stop. Pay attention to "out of the blue" crazy symbols, cues, or ideas that "pop up" unexpectedly. These may hold the key to new ideas. Imagination is always connecting the dots--if we take time to listen. |
Get friendly with the multiple meanings and brain-stretching that are in imaginative brain states. Great artists -- and business leaders -- speak this "creative language" -- and turn these into inspired solutions no one else has thought of: Because they originate as "out of the blue" crazy symbols or ideas. DNA structure was revealed in a dream through two intertwined snakes--a symbol for the structure.
Example: you see Ivy growing on an old building. Strategic prompt: Check your mind bank for associations with any Ivy League school, opportunity, colleague -- and if something is "hot" then follow-up with that individual, school or opportunity. If someone named "Ivy" is important in your life -- call them. Ivey could also mean IV -- an IV drip at a hospital, or the roman numeral 4 -- or a company or individual with the initials I.V.
Have fun with your creative-intuitive-"ah hah" mind playfulness and rachet up your sense of humor. A Heart might remind you to say "I Love You" to someone important -- right now! A Penguin might cause you to think of Penguin books for a joint venture -- or to call a producer you know at "Happy Feet" about your project. A cheeseburger might inspire you to call McDonald's Hamburger University to see if they have interest in your start up or ebook.
Reason #2. Your Body Is Atrophying While You Forget to Stop Sitting. You can even lose weight if you stop sitting hunched over work most of the day! You can help your career: Stop an Unproductive Mood/Thought Slide Right Now -- Choose to get creative and get moving. The body was made to be healthy while moving -- and the mind is made to be more creative and happy while moving.
Sitting without stopping at the computer/phone can cause...carpal tunnel, neck and shoulder pain, obesity, higher blood pressure, joint and movement problems, poor and fewer in-person relationships, shallow breathing, eyesight strain. That's plenty of reason right there to STOP IT. Whatever you're doing at that computer, just stop. Now. Shift gears. Go walk for 10 minutes. Set up little signs or alerts on your phone calendar that say: "STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR 1 MINUTE." Your body is begging you to let it move...! People who move around more and can easily stop what they're doing on a moment's notice healthier and more attractive!
Reason #3. You May Not Need to Be Doing Whatever You're Doing -- Stop = Rethink! Ask yourself... Often my computer browser "freezes" forcing me to "stop" right now. I am amazed at how serendipitous that is. I use this time to see if this is a "hint" from the universe to assess if this is the right use of my focus at the moment. Sometimes this actually causes me not to "send" an email or communication prematurely, that needed to wait for a new development. Whew! There was one.
There is no time that you "step outside" of a moment, that you do not see that moment and that task you are doing with greater clarity.
Reason #4. Your Brain & Body Can Benefit from Oxygenating & Getting Out of Shallow Breath Mode. Chances are great that you haven't had a deep breath in hours -- if not all day. Take one. We're shallow breathers now with higher stress and CO2 levels -- and already "oxygen therapy" is becoming popular. Sending oxygen to all your cells doesn't cost anything. Deep breaths are known to lead into that "alpha" or "aha" mind state -- so it follows that shallow breaths lead you away from it. Enough said. Take a break in the garden! Breathe in air and visual sights and smells enriched by vibrant living systems -- then watch how your mind and body are rejuvenated for the next task...
"Never miss a good chance to shut up." - WIll Rogers
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear." -- Ram Das
"Be still. Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity." -- Lao Tzu
Reason #5. Non-Stop Overwork and Overload (Mental & Physical) May Be Big Contributors to Poor Judgment, High Stress, Poor Health, Temper Outbursts, Impatience, Lack of Big-Picture Perspective. Habitual, knee-jerk reactions often coincide with overwork patterns. They can sideline a career or health or relationship without your awareness. Little alerts that say: "Stop What You're Doing Right Now" -- could change your life in more ways than one. . This is a simple practice to change that. Make this a game like musical chairs! Stop what you're doing right now! Whatever it is -- just stop. Look around. See where you are in the day. What are you doing with your life? Is what you're doing creating the legacy you'd dreamed of? When you stop, put that moment into the context of the whole day and the whole week. Can you see better how to spend the rest of your day? Your year? How will this moment best serve the goals of your life?
Benefits: What can happen if you stop right now!
- If you stop right now..., you may remember someone you need to call to let know you'll be late, or to check messages that were too long waiting. Or you may remember something you have to prepare for tomorrow. Affirmation of others and attention to their needs may mean a more successful and happy career and family relationships than non-stop work. Generosity of spirit also rejuvenates, makes you get creative juices flowing!
- If you stop right now..., you might remember to check in with kids, nieces, nephews -- who get too little focused personal communication these days except to give them a "to do" lists or on special occasions. Let "Stop What You're Doing Right Now" remind you that a call to say how much you love and appreciate. Now. It will change your relationships--youth passes by all to quickly. Acknowledgement is special time for young people; we can never give them enough affirmation! Interaction with younger people also sparks new creative energies.
- If you stop right now..., there may still be time to schedule a healthy meal, meditation, playing some music, working on a creative project, going to a talk you wanted to go to -- or taking a walk before the end of the day. To schedule doing something happy! To schedule thinking time! These can stir new energies of the soul... There may even be time to sleep -- the ultimate brainpower! See Scientific American Mind: Quiet! Sleeping Brain at Work!"
Enjoy the pauses of life. Because these are when surprise comes -- when greater awareness takes hold!
“Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully.” -- Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
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