LIFE AREAS
PHYSICAL | EMOTIONAL | INTELLECTUAL | SPIRITUAL | SOCIAL | FAMILY |
WORK | FINANCIAL | RECREATIONAL | HOME/OFFICE ENVIRONMENT | OVERALL
Have you ever squeezed an orange such that a burst of citrusy sweetness squirted right into your face? Do you recall the squeal of glee and laughter that ensued? That is what a new surge of learning does to us. It delights and energizes us. Love of learning is a gift that has been handed to us that never tarnishes, fades or diminishes. Its luster is everlasting that we can but polish and brighten.
Yet, common talk is that we grievously underutilize the brain. We may split hairs over if it is 10% of the brain that we use or more. That is not the point. The point is there is scope to tap a whole lot more of the brain than we ever imagined. Learning for the love of learning is never experienced as a chore but a pleasurable pursuit. It makes the senses come alive and the entire being reverberates with joy.
We get caught up in our daily lives, doing routine chores that may or may not be interesting to us. Occasionally, there might be an ‘aha’ moment when we discover something new by accident: a resolution to a problem on the office project, a new recipe for spicing up dinner, a faster way to get to the tennis courts. But these don’t sustain us. We have to seek out the wins. When we intentionally step into activating our brain cells on a daily / regular basis we germinate enthusiasm. It could be learning a new language, engaging in a creative art, polishing an old skill, following global news, listening to podcasts, reading non-fiction books, solving crossword puzzles, mastering Sudoku, playing brain games (or in my case, learning how to design a website). A sharper, expanding mind boosts our satisfaction rating in the intellectual life area.
“With its up to 500 trillion synaptic connections, your brain is easily the most powerful machine in the world. This amazing machine is constantly changing through a process known as brain plasticity. And you can take advantage of this process to improve and enhance your brain’s jaw-dropping powers—at any age.” Optimizing Brain Fitness, The Great Courses, is a priceless resource for exercises to enhance memory, attention, learning, creativity, sensory acuity and fine motor skills.
Of course with automation the world questions the use of human potential in the future.“The light at the end of this tunnel may be a world in which the pursuit of enlightenment is more cherished than the pursuit of money” says Vivek Wadhwa, Distinguished Fellow, professor, Carnegie Mellon University Engineering, Silicon Valley, in Love of learning is the key to success in the jobless future, July 27, 2015, TheWashington Post. “The key is … to understand that education is a lifelong endeavor.” *
TIP: Keep an intellectual journal with daily entries of
– critical thinking
– new insights
– new learnings
~ Sushama Kirtikar, July 26, 2016
http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/optimizing-brain-fitness