ALLURE MEDICAL - all•u Magazine all·u Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 22
BRAIN FITTNESS
This Neuroscientist Shares How To
Hack Your Brain So You Can Reach Peak Success
YOU WON’T STAY SMART FOREVER BY ACCIDENT. HERE’S HOW TO CARE FOR
YOUR BRAIN SO YOU GET THE MOST FROM IT. BY KEVIN DAUM
An Inc. 500 entrepreneur with a more
than $1 billion sales and marketing
track record, Kevin Daum is the best-
selling author of Video Marketing
for Dummies and Roar! Get Heard
in the Sales and Marketing Jungle.
RECENTLY, MY editor invited me to write
an advice letter to my 17-year-old
self. It was an opportunity to reflect
on the many benefits of 50+ years life
experience. Of course, the flip side
was realizing lost benefits of youth.
The mature brain may be wiser, but
even my simple “senior moments” like
loss of thinking speed and recall can
be a bit unsettling (particularly to my
wife.) Since I am a physically fit guy,
and I’d like to make sure my brain stays
as sharp as my body in my upcoming
golden years, I did a little digging
into the subject of brain fitness.
YPO member Tej Tadi is a neuroscientist
and now the founder and CEO
of MindMaze. He has made it his life’s
work to learn about the functioning
of the brain, and his company is at
the forefront of brain technology.
Working at the intersection of
neuroscience and computing, MindMaze
is building the next generation of mind/
machine interactions designed to improve
lives through healthcare products
and beyond. Tadi thinks everyone
should know about the ownership,
maintenance, and care of their human
brain. Here is where you can start.
Every brain is wired in its
own unique way.
That means you need to find methods
that fit with how you personally
learn. Tadi explains: “Everyone learns
and communicates differently and
each learning style uses different parts of
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the brain. For example, auditory learners
use hearing to process information
while visual learners rely on seeing to
learn. If you want to get the most from
a learning experience, find a strategy
that offers more than the sum of single
stimulation. The best bet is to find
multimodal learning strategies.” The
same is true for others around you-don't
assume they can benefit from the same
modalities that are optimal for you.
It’s never too late to learn.
“Neuroplasticity lasts throughout your
life,” he insists, “so it is never too late to
begin learning new things.” In fact, new
knowledge builds on existing information
in the brain, so the more you know the
better you will be able to learn in the
future. “The important thing to remember
is that learning requires repeatable
goal directed tasks. If you have a goal
or specific target and can combine
repeatable tasks, it will consolidate
memory in your brain and improve
executive function.” Leaders can put this
to work for their own growth, and also
for those they lead. Challenge others
to take on new projects and
opportunities, and lead by example.
Physical activity benefits mental health.
According to Tadi, the brain needs
chemicals like endorphins that are
released through exercise. “Physical
activity stimulates the release of
growth factors-chemicals that affect
the health of brain cells, the growth
of new blood vessels, and even the
abundance and survival of new brain
cells. It changes the brain in ways that
protect memory and thinking skills.” The
easiest exercise regimen to stick to is
the one you like best. Consistency is
key, so find an activity you love and
can enjoy throughout your life.
The brain is the original social network.
Tadi describes the importance of mirror
neurons, “brain cells that fire both
when a person acts and that person
observes the same action performed by
another person.” The action, execution
and observation system helps in fine
tuning abilities like empathy and
understanding. “If you can’t put yourself
in another person’s shoes,” he says, “you’ll
never be an effective leader. Make an
effort to develop your self-awareness and
empathy skills through active listening,
reading, or looking at another person’s
point of view. Get a coach if you just can’t
seem to develop these on your own.”
Every brain has emotional triggers.
While every brain is capable of reason, no
brain makes every decision from a rational
place. Emotions can have a strong impact,
and can even overrule logical thought.
Emotions also feed into reward and
punishment systems. Positive feedback is
a better long-term motivator than fear or
embarrassment, but negative feedback
can create aversions or avoidance
that affect your performance (or your
employees). “In a new, difficult, or
stressful situation,” Tadi suggests, “learn to
listen and absorb questions first. Don’t be
pushed into an immediate response, but
learn to self-regulate your emotions first.
It will put you in a better position to make
decisions with a rational perspective.” If
you learn to consider the impact of
others emotions on their thought
processes, you will also become better
at convincing or motivating them.