May 21, 2010

You need a license to drive a car, and you need to know how to operate a computer.  But do you really need to know how to operate your brain?  You wouldn’t think so, but if you’re committed to building and growing your business, you can’t afford to be walking around without knowing how your brain works.

During the month of April, I participated in John Assaraf’s “Mastering the Inner Game” webinar series.  In this series, Assaraf personally lectured and coached business owners on operating our brains so that we can operate successful businesses.  

Over the last decade, what we’ve learned about how the brain works and how we come to our buying decisions might literally blow your mind.  The success of the books “Buyology” and “Neuromarketing” are just a couple examples of the importance of learning brain science for the small business owner. 

This is not just fluff or interesting conversation.  Understanding how brains work will save you time, money and aggravation.  Not only that, but it will help you get more loyal and profitable customers as well.  If that’s something you’re interested in, read on. 

How Your Brain is Sabotaging Your Goals and What to Do About It

It seems that our conscious and unconscious brain creates a comfortable set point where we operate.  And no matter how hard we might try to logically create a new goal (or set point) or how hard we work at tasks, our brain is on autopilot. 

Brains are pattern and predicting machines.  Old patterns yield predictable results and predictable results are safe.  It seems that our brains are still trying to protect us from being eaten by a mastodon.  While that may no longer be true; the fear or anxiety of entering a new market or presenting to the HUGE new client is the same.

The ONLY way that you can re-set your brain to think and act towards achieving a new goal (or set point) is to re-train, re-wire and re-program new information into your sub-conscious.  In other words, you have to program these new circumstances into your brain so that they become old and familiar – instead of new and scary.  And this is where meditations and the affirmations come in.

Before you go rolling your eyes about what may seem (or sound) like granola, new age thinking, understand that what I’m telling you is founded in brain science.  It has been tested and retested with fMRI technology.  It’s no longer a belief.  It’s fact. 

Your brain is the most sophisticated type of software.   To re-program this software requires consistent, persistent practice and the feeding of new information which will, over time, become familiar.  So familiar, in fact, that it will replace the old set point and Voila!  You are now ready to actually DO those tasks that will get you to your goal. 

My Brain Experiment and the Results So Far

While I intellectually knew that I had to re-train my brain with new “truths” to get the results I wanted, I had never really done it.    Here is what I’ve done and my results so far:

1.     I created a list of future accomplishments. (I like to call then new truths).  I repeat these once in the morning (as I’m waking up) and once in the evening (as I’m falling asleep).  My husband thinks I’m nuts.

2.     I am listening to the pre-recorded neuro-reconditioning tracks provided by the Mastering the Inner Game webinar series.  I listen once in the morning, once at mid-day, and once in the evening.

3.     I am allocating about 10 minutes for each session three times a day.

I’m currently at day 42 and here are my results so far:

·       I’ve taken on at three new high-profit/high-fun projects.

·       I’ve been quoted in two major publications.

·       I’ve been asked to speak at a prestigious event (and accepted).

·       I’ve gained new insights into how to more effectively structure and market a new web project I’m working on.

I’m thrilled with my results so far.  Now, when I’m presented with a challenge, I don’t default to thinking “I can never do a good job at this.”  Now I think “I’ve never done this before, who can I ask to help me?”  This new way of thinking has resulted in new business for me and my team.

Where to Get a Driver’s License for Your Brain

Hopefully, you’re now inspired to learn more and start driving your brain too

Experience More About Brains

·       Brain Rules: Author John Medina outlines 12 Brain Rules and how to use them to run a more efficient, productive and happy life and business.

·       Jeff Hawkins: How Brain Science Will Change Computing

·       Subconscious Beliefs a presentation by Dr. Faiez Kirsten

Tools for Small Business Owners:

·       John Assaraf’s OneCoach Business Momentum Club.

·       The Vision Board Kit – Use this to bring your goals out of your head and into something you can see every day.

·       Recommended Music to play while you re-program: The Eternal Om this music activates your brain’s alpha waves; the most conducive state to take on new information.

If there’s anything we’ve learned from brain sciences, it’s that our smaller, primitive brain is in much more control than we’d like to believe.  My favorite analogy comes from the book “Switch”, your primitive brain is the elephant and your logical brain is the elephant driver.  As long as the two agree on where they are going, nothing can stop them.  But if the elephant decides it’s going for a drink and the driver wants a snack – guess who will win?

I’d like to be a better elephant driver.  How about you?

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Join the conversation ( 7 )

• Tony Wanless 1 year 8 months and 14 days ago

  

  Actually, the mastodon was a vegetarian, so there was no worry there.
  
  Anyway, thanks for using a version of the name of my blog, Retrain The Brain, which is also about rethinking habits for a new life of entrepreneurship.
  Tony Wanless, @reinventionist
  www.reinventionistblog.net
  

• Jack V Gallivan 1 year 8 months and 16 days ago

  

  Hi Ivana,
  
  Great article! Spot on with an excellent book that I am reading titled, Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently. Thought I would share! http://amzn.to/b2EvdK

• Jennifer Lancaster 1 year 8 months and 10 days ago

  

  Thanks for a mindful article. It's amazing the power of the unconscious, it literally wants to match what we (with conscious thoughts and words) tell it day after day. Listen to how people phrase their words about their business activities, if it is in the positive they are more likely to be on a success track, but if the words are full of excuses and cant do this, then they are on a negative track.

• Roman Grigorjev 1 year 8 months and 14 days ago

  

  Thanks, a great article. Brain Rules - is a true masterpiece. Especially the videos. Another great book is Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind. Talking about brain training and lifelong learning for all ages, there is a good free iPhone app: BrainAgeTest http://www.revelmob.com/brain-age-test
  Let's you know if your mental age is above, below or on the par with your physical age. Anyhow, thank you for the post!

• Ivana Taylor 1 year 8 months and 15 days ago

  

  Hi Anne and Jody - Thanks for bringing in the component of training your brain for learning for PEOPLE of all ages. I think that the time for simply accepting the brain we're dealt is a thing of the past. I'm thrilled and excited about the work that you are doing to help everyone become better and stronger in all areas of life.

• Jody Jedlicka 1 year 8 months and 17 days ago

  

  Great article! I work for a national company that does brain training with children and adults. Our focus is on training the skills that you need to be good at in order for learning and reading to be easy and efficient. In the past, tutoring was your only option which in most cases doesn't solve learning issues. Using the power of brain training, we can in many cases train the brain to the point where learning and reading issues can be solved...eliminated! In all cases we can significantly improve learning ability. I've never considered the application you described as a goal for brain training but I see the power of training your brain daily and firmly believe we are only scratching the surface of what we are capable of accomplishing with brain training. The truly amazing thing is that training your brain isn't difficult! Rather, it takes a goal, persistence and practice. Thanks for your article!

• Anne Egros, Global Executive Coach 1 year 8 months and 18 days ago

  

  Hi Ivana,
  
  Thanks for the great article, indeed we can still train old monkeys new tricks ! I cannot wait to try.
  
  Have you heard about the Cogmed Program? It is improving memory for children and adults with attention deficits or learning disorders, victims of brain injury or stroke, and adults experiencing information overload or the natural effects of aging. They have many evidence based research published in peer -reviewed scientific journals, so yes, brain plasticity is a fact !