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Welcome
to the BRAINSTORM e-Bulletin. Which of the ideas below will help you the
most?… LET
THERE BE LIGHT Creative
people sometimes suffer from depression. One non-drug help is…lots of
light. Prof. Enrico Smeraldi of Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital analyzed
600 patients hospitalized with depression. "After a while," he
reports, "I realized that patients in hospital rooms facing east,
and therefore exposed to bright sunlight, were recovering from
depression much faster than those in the west wing." Typically, the
former were released at least a week earlier. IMPLICATION:
If you’re feeling depressed, spend as much time as possible in natural
light—keeping in mind, of course, sensible guidelines regarding
exposure to the sun. LET
THERE BE MUSIC Pick
a piece of music that will get your energy going, and make that your
morning theme song. You can listen at home, or on your way to work. As
it plays, visualize what you want to achieve that day, and how you’re
going to achieve it. At
the end of the day, play a relaxing piece of music and review the
days’ events. Important: don’t focus only on what went wrong. Yes,
you can learn by considering what didn’t go according to plan and how
you can get a different outcome the next time, but don’t forget to
consider as well everything that went right, and how you can replicate
these positive outcomes in the future. LET
THERE BE STORIES We
all love stories from an early age. They thrill, inspire, and instruct.
If they have such power, why stop using them when we’re older? To
motivate yourself, tell yourself a story about what you’re doing.
Make yourself the hero, and reframe your mission as a heroic
quest. You can even give
yourself a super-hero name (Bottom-Line Man, Super-Dieter, The
Unflappable Parent), and give the opposition a super-villain’s name (Xtra
Pounds, LazyBoy, Procrastinatorz) but be sure your super name sounds
better than the villain’s—after all, you’re going to win! Tell
yourself a chapter a day at bedtime, including your plans for
tomorrow’s adventures. Is
this silly? Sure. Is it powerful? Very.
It’s fun, and fun is energy, and energy is what we can always
use more of. TWO
HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE (NOW TRY 10 OR 12) Group brainstorming has been shown to be very productive. Here’s a strategy for getting even better results:
The
result: You get a "second generation" of ideas which are
usually more refined and usable than the first. DO
YOU Research shows that information associated with strong emotions or novelty passes into long-term memory more easily. If you have problems remembering people’s names, try this:
Note
this is different from trying to make pictorial images that relate to
his name in a meaningful way. This is quicker and easier—the important
thing is that what you imagine has a strong emotional context (fear,
lust, hate, or any other strong emotion) and the fact that you’re
using two senses (auditory and visual). Try not to giggle, though. *AND
A WORD ABOUT THE 2ND HALF OF LIFE Here,
courtesy of subscriber Brian Niblett, is an aphorism of Nietzsche that
might be a useful warning (or guide) for those in the second half of
life: "Just
as in the second half of a stanza bad poets seek the idea that will fit
their rhyme, so men are in the second half of life accustomed to become
more anxious to seek actions, positions, relationships suited to those
of their earlier life, so that externally it all sounds in harmony: but
their life is no longer dominated and repeatedly directed by a powerful
idea, in place of which there appears the objective of finding a
rhyme." In
other words, in the second half of life sometimes we switch to autopilot
and find ourselves still heading for destinations that meant something
to us in the past. However, there are plenty of great new destinations
to head for, and in place of the raw energy of youth we have wisdom (or
at least cunning). What’s
your direction now? ‘til next time, Jurgen A
MIXTURE FOR MENTAL SHARPNESS Recent
research from the University of Northumbria shows that a single dose of
a combination of two herbs can improve concentration and sharpen the
memory within an hour. The two are ginseng and ginko biloba, both
readily available from health-food shops. Dr
Andrew Scholey of the University of Northumbria reports: "These two
herbs added together work in a remarkable way, improving both speed and
accuracy." Furthermore,
a single dose taken in the morning can improve performance all day.
The
typical dosage for this kind of effect would be 600mg ginseng and 400 mg
ginko biloba. Please note that some makers of ginseng list the amount of
extract—typically, something like 35mg. Do not take 600mg of extract!
In this example, 35mg of extract equals 875mg of the herb. Caution:
although there are no known serious side effects from small doses of
these herbs, always consult a physician if in doubt, especially if you
are taking medication. TIME
STRATEGIES: HOW THEY DO IT From Bix Norman, Exec. VP of Herman Miller Inc., as related in Fast Company Magazine:
AND
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE A BREAK: Carisa
Bianchi, President of ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day says she never works on
airplanes. "No computer, no phone, no nothing…I read books and
magazines and listen to music—things that I usually don’t have time
to do." She points out, "When people don’t take time out,
they stop being productive." When is your time-out? PAINLESS
NETWORKING Many
of us cringe a little when faced with working a crowd. Here are a few
tips for making it less painful:
AND
A WORD ABOUT LETTING GO Here’s
a strange result of a study: people hurt in traffic accidents recover
more quickly when they cannot collect money for their pain and
suffering. A Canadian research project compared whiplash claims for 6
months before and 1 year after the province of Saskatchewan dropped its
pain and suffering awards and switched to a no-fault system under which
people instead collect more money for medical costs and lost work. The
study’s lead author, J. David Cassidy, theorizes, "When benefits
are tied to the amount of pain you have, then you tend to focus more on
your pain—and you feel more pain." As people quickly settled
their claims (under the new system) they reported less neck pain and
better functioning. What
does this have to do with creativity and self-development? Well,
doesn’t it stand to reason that if we switch to a no-fault way of
thinking and give up hanging on to blaming others or ourselves for
things that have gone wrong in the past, that also will lead to less
pain and better functioning? If
there’s something you’re hanging on to that might be better to let
go, this could be the day to "settle those claims"… ‘til next time, Jurgen
LINK BETWEEN EXERCISE & CREATIVITY Written
by Jurgen Wolff A
study at Middlesex University had one group watch videos and another
group exercise. Afterward, both groups were tested for creativity.
According to associate lecturer in psychology, Alison Dewey, "The
exercisers seemed to show a greater range of ideas and creative uses for
everyday objects [a standard creativity test]." The cause may be
that exercise releases endorphins in the brain. Implication:
Before a creative session, or when you get stuck, take 30 min. to
exercise. (This will have other benefits: another study showed that
people who exercise moderately for 30 to 60 minutes several times a week
had 50% of the number of sore throats and colds suffered by less active
people. And yet another study found that 30 min. of moderate exercise 3x
a week reduced depression as effectively as anti-depressant drugs.) CLEAR
YOUR BRAIN Sometimes
we need to make a quick transition from one creative task to another. To
clear your brain inbetween, try this quick mental exercise (I learned
this when studying with The Groundlings, an L.A. impro group): Tell
yourself a story. The first sentence has to start with "A",
the second with "B" and so on, until you come to a logical end
of the story (you’re allowed to skip X and Z). Example: Albert woke up
to find a bird sitting on his chest. "Bird," he said,
"what are you doing here?" Curiously enough, the bird spoke
back to him. ..(and so on). Bonus:
if your mind refuses to stop buzzing when you’re trying to go to
sleep, this exercise is a great way to distract it and drop off to
sleep. THE
BEST MAY BE YET TO COME Encouragement for our older readers:
Writing
in Modern Maturity magazine,
Gene Cohen points out, "New research into the capacity for learning
and creative development in the second half of life has shown that when
the mind is challenged, the brain biologically responds in positive
ways, regardless of age." If
you haven’t had your big creative breakthrough yet, relax—the best
may be yet to come! (And if you want to read more about this, see The
Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life, by
Gene D. Cohen.) AND
SOME ADVICE FROM WALT WHITMAN Here
is Walt Whitman’s prescription for an authentic life: This
is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise
riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and
crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not
concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off
your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go
freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the
mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of
every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or
church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your
very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only
in its words but in the silent line of its lips and face and between the
lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body... Worth thinking about. ‘Til next time, Jurgen
LATEST
SLEEP RESEARCH LINKS SLEEP AND LEARNING The March issue of The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience reports a new hypothesis about sleep and learning. Experiments reveal that when you learn a new skill, your performance does not improve until you have had more than six hours of sleep (eight is ideal). If you don’t get enough sleep, the new skills (and even new factual information) may not get properly encoded in the brain’s memory circuits. Implications:
If you routinely deprive yourself of sleep during the week and catch up
on the weekends, you may be hindering your memory and skills
improvement. If you have students in your family, encourage them to get a
minimum of six hours sleep after study days and to avoid
"all-nighters" before tests. What is learned in such sessions
fades after two or three days. NEW
ANTI-DEPRESSANTS PROVIDE MORE OPTIONS Creative
people tend to suffer more from depression. Prozac and similar
anti-depressants have been very helpful, but often have undesirable
side-effects. Now a new wave of anti-depressants offer more choices, according to the
medical journal, The Lancet. The four new anti-depressants are
venlafaxine (Effexor), nefazodone (Serzone), mirtazapine (Remeron) and
reboxetine (Vestra). They vary in their side effects, so they can be
prescribed according to the needs of the individual patients. For
example, for people who lose weight when depressed, a good choice might
be mirtazapine, which increases
appetite. Implications:
If you or someone close to you suffers from depression and has had
unsatisfactory results with Prozac, this would be a good time to go back
to the doctor to ask about the availability and suitability of these
four new drugs. EXPECT
THE UNEXPECTED On
the BeMe.com website, Alex Shakespeare asked ten people for their brief
tips on how to get more done. Author Debra Allcock Tyler, head of
campaigning at the Industrial Society in London, suggests: "Live in
the real world—where things go wrong, photocopiers break down and
children get sick, all of which can play havoc with your time planning.
Accept that these situations will occur
and allow yourself time to cope. Secondly, don’t rely on your memory.
Always carry a notebook around with you. Finally, DO put off
things that don’t have to be done today—whatever anyone else says,
there’s always tomorrow." Implications:
When preparing your daily schedule, allow for at least 30 minutes to an
hour for "the expected unexpected." AND
A P.S. ON GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION In
a back issue of Fast Company magazine, I ran across an interview with a
school principal named Lorraine Monroe. She says, "I remember the
first time I addressed the staff up at Taft High School. Up until the
moment I opened my mouth, I didn’t know what I was going to say.
Finally, I said, ‘I’m just going to ask you to do two things. First,
I want you to plan. And, second, I want you to be magic.’ Then I left
the room." She
adds, "I had no specific idea of what I meant by ‘magic.’ But
teachers started doing amazing things—creative, wonderful things that
they hadn’t thought they could do before. There’s a latent
productivity in people; they’re just waiting for someone to remind
them of their capacity. I had 175 staff members who were waiting to be
told exactly that: ‘Be magic.’ And those little words were powerful
enough to release people to tap into resources that they’d kept
hidden." Wow!
All it took was permission! When you think about it, it makes sense.
From the time we’re very young, most of what we hear is
negative—not permission to do things, but warnings not to do them. One
study showed that when we’re kids, the negative things our parents say
to us ("Don’t touch that!" "Be careful!"
"That’s not for children!") outnumber the positives nine to
one! In schools, it’s better, but still something like three to
one. It’s no wonder that we focus more on what we can’t or
shouldn’t do, than on what we could do. Even as adults, when we
don’t hear the voices of parents or teachers in the real world, most
of us still have those voices in our heads. When
you think about your life, are you waiting for permission to do
something great? Not necessarily great in the sense of earth-shattering,
but great like the things Lorraine Monroe’s teachers did? Things that
are creative, that make a difference in someone else’s life. Maybe
something like sending a letter to a child you know—your own, or your
niece or nephew, or a friend’s child. A letter just to them, telling
them about something you think they’ll find interesting, A letter that
they may remember someday when they’re thinking about who made a
difference in their lives. Or
are you waiting for permission to do something great for yourself? To
dare to start something new, whether it’s joining a yoga class, or
learning a new software program, or painting a painting or writing a
poem, or spending a day just walking around your city as though you were
a tourist. Well,
if you are waiting, I hereby give you permission, and in my imagination,
I hear you giving me permission. Now let’s go! Until the next issue, Jurgen
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