Successful entrepreneurs leave ruts behind by building neuron pathways at two levels.
On one level
they hold onto but enliven what’s working well …
On another level
they move past old socks who stick with old … and rekindle sparks for a completely new approach …
Do ruts come with age as many tell us? While ruts likely have less to do with age, then attitudes … nevertheless 43% see older people as stuck in their ways. I do know that people who rebound from ruts when young, invigorate their brains for discoveries and inventions later on in life. Have you seen it happen?
Ruts are wired or unwired into neurons, simply by what you do in a day. How so?
Deliberately go after entrepreneurial success and watch your brain lift you out of ruts. Reboot just one routine into a novel way to tackle tasks, and your brain begins to replace ruts in the basal ganglia area. Luckily, your mental plasticity helps you out of potholes, and natural chemicals can fuel repairs whenever you lose your zip.
Mental ruts that hold some people back – create entry points for opportunity in others. How so?
1. Language holds some in ruts when they repeat stories, insist on old opinions, or criticize others.
Share a new story with a child you’ve already rewired your language intelligence, for openness, new discoveries and possible collaboration.
2. Icons and images hold people in ruts whenever they limit personal tastes, to one spatial design or fail to explore art for its amazing diversity.
Check out Marshall Sponder’s blog for one new art form to revive your spatial intelligence – with an idea that would draw art into your workweek.
3. Movement holds folks in ruts when they move, travel or build daily in the same old ways.
Walk in a different direction… build a model of something you hope to accomplish … or … take stairs rather than an elevator every chance you get … and rekindle your kinesthetic intelligence past ruts.
4. Inner thoughts can block opportunities and reshape possibilities into problems, because of the ruts stored in a person’s intrapersonal intelligence.
Take yourself on a day hop … alone … and plan the entire day for discoveries. Try new food at a different café. Talk to people you tend to ignore. Walk along a street you’ve never taken in before. Watch the sun go down over water. Write a reflection of one insight for change and list an action plan to make it happen the following day.
5. Music offers millionaire opportunities for the high performance mind and you can invigorate musical intelligence even if you don’t compose, sing or play an instrument.
Play background music you’ve never taken time to really hear … while working on a hobby or activity that you enjoy. Look for changes in what you do … based on inspiration you hear in the music.
Try any one of these alternations to your day … and rewire your brain for novelty that displaces ruts.
Change even one small activity today, and your brain conditions itself for restoration that brings unexpected melodies. Be deliberate through and look for novel solutions to stubborn problems… through a different thought, word, or approach. Then jump in and do something differently. Take tiny steps toward the revival that keeps successful entrepreneurs at cutting edges, and your brain will begin to keep you there.
Do stop back, though, and share new inventions your entrepreneur brain inspired.
See related articles:
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2006/07/what_is_cortisol_and_why_shoul.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2006/07/what_is_serotonin_and_why_shou.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2007/05/bank_any_serotonin_today.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2007/05/the_magic_dose_of_serotonin.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2006/10/seritonin_builders_for_better.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2007/07/chemicals_to_refuel_when_work.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2007/08/tone_to_the_finish_line.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2006/08/stick_a_neuron_in_your_head_an.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2006/10/i_just_needed_to_vent.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2006/07/problems_that_spark_solutions.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2006/09/10_practices_that_boost_your_b.html
http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com/2007/10/ten_distinctives_in_a_brain_ba.html
Ellen, this is a timely post.
Since circumstances haven't allowed me to be as mobile as normal, I got to thinking: "What can I do to jazz my situation?"
So I am in the midst of totally revamping, un-cluttering, and organizing the home office to fit how I work now (vs. when I started working here).
I'm genuinely amazed at how something so seemingly simple can generate some excitement.
No ruts allowed.
Posted by: Steve Roesler | December 17, 2007 4:04 PM | Permalink to Comment