MODERN LEADERSHIP
actually makes your brain grow
and increases cognitive power.
I meditate while jumping rope,
imagining that my body, mind, and
spirit are participating in a relay.
After 15 minutes of jumping, my
body gives the baton to my mind.
After 45 minutes, my mind hands it
over to my spirit.
Slow your mind.
Slowing the mind down creates
creativity. Of the four brain waves
– beta, alpha, theta, and delta –
alpha waves are present when
daydreaming and visualizing.
Theta waves reflect the brain state
between wakefulness and sleep. It
is in this state that we can tap into
our repository of high creativity. It’s
no surprise that theta waves are
two to four times slower than beta
waves. Meditation can be more
beneficial than medication. When
you meditate, you stop the whirlings
of your mind. Your brain will thank
you. As Robert Louis Stevenson said,
“Quiet minds cannot be perplexed
or frightened, but go on in fortune
or misfortune at their own private
pace like a clock in a thunderstorm.”
What’s more, meditation demands
that you become conscious of your
breathing. While you’re thinking
about that, remember that the
definition of inspire is “to breathe in.”
Stay connected.
Anything that connects heals.
Anything that separates
hurts. Gossip if you must, but
stay connected at all costs.
Physiologically, thinking is all about
making connections in your head.
Life is no different – when we
connect, we think and feel better.
When you hate someone, they live
rent-free in your head. When you
love someone, the property between
your ears goes up in value. Thinking
about love is healthy.
To create feelings of deep peace,
religious music helps us transcend.
A sound mind is a happy
mind.
Mozart’s music “may warm up” the
brain, suggests Gordon Shaw, a
theoretical physicist. He says that
certain complex music actually
facilitates certain complex neuronal
patterns. Scientists at the University
of Washington found that accuracy
of 90 copy editors increased 21.3
percent when they listened to light
Release your endorphins.
“It’s a biological imperative: we are
always on the hunt for meaning
… We are always looking for the
why beneath what’s happening on
the surface. Not only because our
survival might depend on it, but
because it is exhilarating. It makes
us feel something- namely, curiosity.
Having our curiosity piqued is
visceral. And it leads to something
even more potent: the anticipation of
knowledge we’re now hungry for, a
sensation caused by that pleasurable
rush of dopamine. Because being
curious is necessary for survival
(What’s that rustling in the bushes?),
nature encourages it.”
- Lisa Cron, Wired for Story: The
Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science
to Hook Readers from the Very First
Sentence; Ten Speed Press, July, 2012.
classical music. What’s more, 36
undergraduates at the University of
California listened to 10 minutes of
Mozart’s “Sonata for Two Pianos in
D Major” and scored eight to nine
points higher on their spatial IQ
tests. Should you come to my house
or office, you’ll hear classical music
playing most of the time. It’s music
to my gears. In a recent article, Don
Campbell, who is a trained classical
musician, composer and author of
groundbreaking books on music and
healing, also recommends Gregorian
chants for meditating and reducing
stress. Schubert, Schumann,
Tchaikovsky, Chopin, and Liszt can
enhance compassion. To uplift your
spirits, turn on jazz, the blues, soul,
calypso and reggae; and to stimulate
movement and release tension,
nothing beats the King – Elvis.
Joey Reiman, CEO & Founder of
BrightHouse, a global consultancy firm,
was named one of the 100 people who will
change the way the world thinks by Fast
Company. A professor at the Goizueta
Business School at Emory University, his
mission is to bring more purpose to the
world of business. A well-known speaker
and the author of The Story of Purpose:
The Path to Creating a Brighter Brand, a
Greater Company, and a Lasting Legacy
(Wiley & Sons), his breakthrough work is
impacting the future of business today.
July 2016
ModernBusiness
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