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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Our Changing Brains

by Rick Baker
On Jul 19, 2011
Here’s what I think...
  • When we behave [take action], our behaviour alters our brain…maybe only a little, maybe much more than a little…depending on the situation...and the nature of our behaviour [our action].
  • When we think, our thoughts alter our brain… maybe only a little, maybe much more than a little…depending on the situation around and the nature of our thoughts…probably, also depending on the strength of the emotions/feelings we are experiencing at the time we are thinking.
  • When we are not consciously behaving or thinking [for example, when we are asleep] things happen inside us that alter our brain… maybe only a little, maybe more than a little…likely, these changes are minor but they build over time. For example, brain-things likely happen during our sleep to place experiences of the day into our ‘memory bank’.
Considering the fact we are thinking and behaving 100% of the time we are conscious and we are not conscious the rest of our living hours…
 
I am saying our brain is constantly changing…physically…maybe a little, maybe much more than a little…but always at least a little.
 
I recognize this has not been verified empirically…i.e., it is not proven.
 
It seems to me this is just common sense.
 
While many people have said our brains are like computers I do not agree with that. Our brains have wiring, connections, and on-off switches like computers. Maybe once they are established most or maybe all of the connections are unchangeable. Maybe some of the brain wires are unchangeable. Regardless, the brain wires are replacing themselves, and growing, and moving around and the connections are multiplying/popping up in new places and dying/ceasing activity in some places. And, the switches are doing that too.
 
On a macro scale the brain is changing slowly unless there is a catastrophe like a stroke.
 
On a micro scale the little pieces of stuff in the brain are in a constant state of flux…ebbing and flowing with our thoughts, our behaviour, and all the mysterious workings of our subconscious.
 
Certain behaviours and thoughts align with Good Work Habits. The more of these behaviours and thoughts we do/have the more we will self-inflict brain changes aligned with Good Work Habits…as described in the Napoleon Hill classic ‘Think and Grow Rich’. [Note: I do not recall Napoleon Hill ever indicating the brain itself changed. Rather, he said our thoughts resonated and connected with “Universal Intelligence”.]
 
Certain behaviours and thoughts align with Bad Work Habits. The less of these behaviours and thoughts we do/have the less we will self-inflict brain changes aligned with Bad Work Habits. As in – Don’t Think and Don’t Grow Poor’.
 
The truly great news is recent scientific developments have provided much new evidence to illustrate/suggest the above is more than just directionally correct.
 
While many have said Think and Grow Rich is a nice little motivational book, recent scientific developments are illustrating/suggesting the book contains ‘the secret’ – as in the book, ‘The Secret’ - to successful business [and life].
 
Recent scientific developments are beginning to validate the fact business people who desire riches can get them using a Think and Grow Rich process. This validation will help business people understand how simple actions [New Work Things] can generate material people changes and those people changes can generate profitable business.

Don’t push Elephants…

by Rick Baker
On Jun 15, 2011
Sure, you can try to push Elephants.
 
However, do not expect to accomplish much when you do it.
 
Why?
 
Why am I being so negative about pushing Elephants?
 
Well, they are big.
 
And, we are not-so-big.
 
While I am sure it will be difficult to obtain scientific proof, I believe it is safe to say every minute of time we spend pushing Elephants will be a wasted minute of time.
 
So…Don’t push Elephants!
 
***
 
That’s what I was thinking a year ago as I read Dr. Jonathan Haidt’s book, ‘The Happiness Hypothesis’…specifically, I am talking about the part of the book where Dr. Haidt provides a metaphor describing people’s behaviour as ‘Riders on Elephants on Paths’.
 
In summary:
 
Rider – our logical side
Elephant – our emotional side
Paths – the situations we face
 
Compared to Elephants, Riders are small…about 1/40th the size.
 
Similarly, our Emotions outweigh our Logic. As one example, consider the maxim:
 
People base their purchase decisions on their emotions and, later, use logic to justify those decisions.
 
The way I look at it, as a General Rule, that is true. When I say General Rule I mean it will be true almost all of the time. For almost every purchase decision, emotions rule. Then, later, if required, people spend the time to create the logic to justify the decision. Consider, for example, the phenomenon known as post-purchase dissonance.
 
Purchasing action is just one example where Elephants [emotions] play the lead role and Riders [logic] play a supporting role.
 
Most human behaviour is triggered by our emotional Elephants and our Riders face the ongoing task of trying to control our Elephants. Probably, for every 40 pieces of behaviour only 1 is governed by logic. That means, for every 40 pieces of behaviour 39 are governed by emotions.
 
That 39/40 ratio is as good an estimate as is required to explain much of the behaviour we exhibit and we observe other people exhibiting.
 
Put another way, our emotional Elephants play the major role in our behaviour.
 
Recognizing that…Don’t push Elephants!
 
Recognizing that…do far better things like:
  • Learn how help your Rider understand your Elephant
  • Learn how to help other Riders understand their Elephants
  • Take care to structure Paths so your Elephant is comfortable
  • Take care to structure Paths so other people’s Elephants are comfortable
  • Think about other ways to gain value from the Riders on Elephants on Paths metaphor
And…of course…
 
Don’t push Elephants!
 
Footnotes:

Tags:

Emotions & Feelings @ Work

ACRES of SUCCESS

by Rick Baker
On May 20, 2011
You want business success.
 
And you can define what success means to you.
 
S.M.A.R.T. Goals are a good place to start.
 
And more is required.
 
***
 
In an effort to capture 'more than S.M.A.R.T. Goals' we created the ACRES of SUCCESS metaphor.
 
What's that all about?
 
In summary:
 
We view S.M.A.R.T. as a filter for testing Goals. Are Goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bounded? If they are then they survive the S.M.A.R.T. filter.
 
And more is required.
 
For our business Goals to succeed we need at least an ACRE more of testing:
 
We need to anticipate and test:
 
A - Action
C - Conversion
R - Repercussion
E - Emotion
 
Picture 'Your Dream Property’.
 
Let your mind wander…imagine 'Your Dream Property’.
 
Like a post-card picture…'Your Dream Property’.
 
What needs to be done to make that dream a reality?
 
To create and maintain Your Dream Property you will need to take ACTION, specific planned action: preparing soil, considering sunlight, planning water and drainage, purchasing seeds, purchasing shrubs, and purchasing trees…arranging tools and equipment, etc.
 
You will design all that action with CONVERSION in mind. You will add things to your property and apply your energy to your property with the intent of converting your property from what it is to something much better...Your Dream Property.
 
You will do the work. There will be REPERCUSSIONS. To the extent you plan your work well, inject the right things, and 'Mother Nature' assists your work will result in Your Dream Property.
 
While you are doing the work and when it is done, you will experience EMOTIONS. It would be normal to feel fatigue as you toil. If the result of your work…stated another way…if the tangible repercussion of your work is Your Dream Property then when you are done all your work your emotions will be very positive. You will feel joy, justified pride, and a sense of accomplishment. Perhaps, you will feel the special bond that happens when people are in synch with Mother Nature.
 
If this happens, if you succeed at building Your Dream Property, then you will have created ACRES of SUCCESS.
 
You will feel ACRES of SUCCESS.
 
Similarly, you can create and feel ACRES of SUCCESS at work.
 
To experience ACRES of SUCCESSat work:
  1. Create Business Goals that pass the S.M.A.R.T.requirements
    • Specific
    • Measurable
    • Attainable
    • Relevant
    • Time-Bounded
  2. Put those S.M.A.R.T. Goals through your ACRESfilter
    • ACTION…consider the Top 3 actions you expect people to take
    • CONVERSION…consider the way you will measure what follows the actions
    • REPERCUSSIONS…consider the Top 3 most-likely tangible results
    • EMOTIONS…consider how people will feel before, during, and after the actions
  3. When your Goals pass both the S.M.A.R.T. test and the ACRES test you know you have SMARTACRES Goals.
  4. When you know you have SMARTACRES Goals you know you have set the stage for ACRES of SUCCESS at work.
  5. When you teach all your people how to create SMARTACRES Goals you know you have set the stage for ACRES and ACRES and ACRES of SUCCESS at work.

Tags:

Emotions & Feelings @ Work | Goals - SMARTACRE Goals | Spirited Leaders

Sales Tweet #212

by Rick Baker
On May 10, 2011
Sales Tweet #212 When you design change you must do it in a way that helps people get over their fears.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Dr. Jonathan Haidt described people’s behaviour using the following metaphor. People behave as if they are Riders on Elephants on Paths. Riders are our logical side. Elephants are our emotional side. And, Paths are the situations we face. Elephants are tough to control and they get worried or frightened easily. Also, Elephant cannot jump…over hurdles. So, when we design Change we must do it in a way that helps Elephants get over their fears.

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change | Emotions & Feelings @ Work | Thought Tweets

Stop And Think

by Rick Baker
On May 3, 2011
I notice ‘Stop And Think’ is a common thread in self-help literature.
 
On the other hand, maybe I notice it because I am predisposed to finding it?
 
I notice an array of Stop And Think recommendations:
  • Stop And Think before you act…an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
  • Stop And Think before you react…social skills and conflict resolution education
  • Stop And Think and Grow Rich1…“what Man can conceive and believe Man can achieve
One piece of Stop And Think advice really catches my attention:
 
Stop And Think about how you feel
 
 That is the most powerful piece of Stop And Think advice.
 
It is most powerful because, with practice, it can be done very quickly, it can yield immediate rewards, and it can solidify long-term success.
 
Stop And Think about how you feel can be done quickly…
 
It is as easy as taking a few seconds to make a mental note as you face situations and activities.
 
Stop And Think about how you feel can yield immediate rewards, with practice

You can learn to adjust your feelings and behaviour.
You can replace Bad Habits with Good Habits.
You can be more comfortable in situations.
You can do better at many tasks.
 
Stop And Think about how you feel can solidify long-term success…
 
You can uncover the nuances of your unique Strengths. That’s a major key to success.
You can develop a more pleasing personality. That’s another major key.
You can hone your decision-making skills. That’s another major key.
You can find it easier to set life goals. That’s another major key.
You can enjoy your work. That’s another major key.
Stop And Think About How You Feel
Success Simplified
 
Footnote:
  1. Napoleon Hill, ‘Think and Grow Rich’ www.naphill.org

Sales Tweet #194

by Rick Baker
On Apr 14, 2011
Sales Tweet #194 Dr J. Haidt says people behave like - Riders [logic], on Elephants [emotions], on Paths [situations].
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Elephants are huge – they weigh 3 or 4 tonnes. Riders are about 1/40th the size of an elephants. 40-to-1. Elephants-to-Riders. Emotions-to-Logic. Yes – that is a good way to look at thre causes of behaviour. http://www.happinesshypothesis.com ‘The Happiness Hypothesis’, Dr Jonathan Haidt.

Tags:

Emotions & Feelings @ Work | Thought Tweets

Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.