Do you think you have an "average" or perhaps an "above average" mental capacity?
Actually you have far more brainpower than you can begin to imagine. You have close to, or perhaps even beyond, *genius* potential!
You say you don't believe me?
The past ten years could well be called "the decade of the brain." Neuroscience now has the means of observing a healthy living brain in action.
Physicists have discovered parallels between the human brain, and Einstein's quantum universe.
Biological scientists are demystifying the brain's chemical and electrical mysteries. But still, trying to define our brain's ultimate capacity is like trying to place your finger on a globule of mercury.
The human mind is infinitely complex and subtle. And your amazing mind is no exception!
The Amazing Capacity of your Brain
Your brain contains a minimum 1,000,000,000,000 individual nerve cells (neurons).
But this figure is even more astounding when you consider that each nerve cell can interact with at least as many as 100,000 other nerve cells.
If we were to tabulate the potential capacity of your brain cells to make interconnections -- the resulting number would be at least 10.5 million kilometers long.
No known person has even approached using their full mental capacity. The human brain is virtually limitless.
It was once estimated we use about 10% of our mental potential. Today neuroscience has dropped that estimate to less than one percent. And even that figure seems overly optimistic!
Your "Thinking Cap"
You've likely heard the expression "thinking cap." That slang term refers to our brain's cerebral cortex -- the "cortical grey matter" neuroscientists consider the source of our thinking capacity.
Your cortex is actually split into two separate sides connected by a fantastically dense and complex highway of nerve fibers called the "corpus collosum."
In most people, the left side of the cerebral cortex deals with logical matters -- words, numbers, reasoning, and analysis. It spends a lot of time in the "beta" brainwave range.
The right side of your cerebral cortex, on the other hand, deals with imagination, images, color, day-dreaming, visualization, and pattern recognition. It tends to focus quite a bit in the "alpha" brainwave range so highly developed in meditators.
Are You Right-Brained OR Left-Brained?
There's a common assumption that most people are either right-brained OR left-brained.
If that's true, then we must assume that the great scientific genius Albert Einstein was left-brained -- and the great creative master of photography Ansel Adams would then have been right-brained.
But was this the case?
An examination of the notebooks of Albert Einstein and Ansel Adams pokes huge holes in this common theory. In fact, Einstein credited his greatest scientific insights not to left-brain logic -- but rather to his right-brain highly creative daydreaming.
And Ansel Adams credited his greatest art photographs not to his right-brain artistic "eye" -- but rather to his left-brain detailed analytical note taking.
Actually - our most powerful and expansive mental activities are those using *both sides* of our cortex.
When you describe yourself as primarily creative or intuitive (right-brained), or analytical and logical (left-brained), you are just describing the side of the cortex you have most successfully developed.
With the right nurturing, the other side of your cortex can also flourish and develop!
This has the potential to *double* your mind power!
Get Immediate Results
There's an outrageously powerful way for you to immediately refine the non-dominant side of your cortex.
Great athletes do it. So do top executives, famous artists, and people from all walks of life who seek to excel in their lives.
On first reading, the following solution may seem too simple to be effective. Just give it a try, and you'll be amazed at the expanded depth of your mental capacity.
The solution?
If you're analytical -- encourage yourself to daydream. And if you're instead predominantly creative -- encourage yourself to begin to logically analyze your creative efforts.
Notice as many details of life or a problem as possible. Activate your mind and ask yourself "what if." And begin to pay more attention to your mental wanderings.
Build Your Mental Focus
The big key to success in any area of life in mental FOCUS.
The instant you focus your amazing brain on a single thought, you fire up laser-like mental power. in that millisecond you actually physically strengthen your brain's neural networks attached to that thought or goal.
Mental focus physically builds your brainpower, and is the true key to peak performance and masters-level performance.
The author, Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler, is a doctor of psychology, pioneer brain/mind researcher, and former advisor to the Pentagon, a Presidential Commission, and numerous top executives and executive teams. The author of several books and hundreds of articles, she is also the co-founder of quantum-self.com, and the Creative Director of the Self Discovery Community. She can be reached at: drjill@quantum-self.com
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