My daughter has developed a passion for skate boarding. Not your regular kind of skate board; this is called a Ripstik. It has two narrow platforms joined by a torsion bar that allow it to tilt and manoeuvre according to feet position and weight distribution.
For the first several weeks I watched as my daughter kept rising to the challenge of learning how get on, keep her balance and move a few feet in distance.
After weeks of dedicated practise, she can travel a several hundred meters on her own, turn corners and is working on going uphill. This is another tricky task as you can’t push with one foot like you can on a regular skateboard; you must keep two feet on the board at all times and twist your upper body and core to create momentum and speed.
While she makes it look easy now, the initial learning curve was steep and tenacious. Anyone who has gone through the process of learning to skate board or something similar would understand.
Those who don’t have any background assume from my daughter’s current level of expertise, that it must be pretty easy to do. Little do they know!
Isn’t this the case for most skills and abilities? Those who can do them well, make it look so effortless, that we are bound to think that it can’t be all that hard to do. Until we try it ourselves…
Once we give it a shot, and see how difficult or challenging it is, we may feel that there is something wrong with us. Why can they do it so easily and we can’t?
The short answer: practise.
The long answer: dedication, research, coaching, training, persistence, perseverance and experience acquired over time.
Of course there are those who are naturally good at skills without much effort and nail it on the first attempt, but those are exceptions to the rule.
For most of us, becoming really great at something is a process and takes time and dedicated effort.
The act of showing up on a regular basis to learn and master something is honourable and yields genuine results.
In our fast paced society where time is limited, people may not feel they can carve out the few minutes a day or hours per week to pursue a skill or develop a talent.
The overuse of technology also consumes our time and has us believing with simple clicks of our fingers, that everything is supposed to happen immediately.
On social media, when we see other people’s accomplishments, we may feel inferior or not able to keep up, but we are only getting a glimpse of their end result, not the lengthy process involved in getting them to what they are sharing.
Growth is a process, life is a journey. When we rush, we miss crucial steps, opportunities to apply ourselves and accomplishments we never knew possible that can only happen with dedicated effort, sweat and maybe even a few tears.
When we embrace the journey and the learning process, we become a more patient, responsible, focused, grounded and mature person who is tapping into their human potential!
Thanks to the gift of neuroplasticity, we are all able to grow, change, learn new skills, develop new habits, and make new connections, over the course of our lives, at every age.
The trick is accessing your sculptable brain power!
Typical road blocks include; fear of trying something new, being stuck in a current belief system or approach, busyness, procrastination, lack of energy resources.
Thankfully there are quick and effective tools that can help you stay on course, physically, mentally and emotionally, so you can progress in the areas you want to and achieve new results, at your own pace.
Brain Fitness Activities:
- Remove triggers that cause unproductive behaviour patterns
- Strategically activate the learning & growth centers of your brain
- Unleash your ability to change and acquire new skills and abilities
In less than a few minutes, anywhere, anytime, you can shift from a limited, stress-based survival state to a relaxed and balanced place where optimal performance is possible.
When you are feeling anxious or blocked, here is a Brain Gym® activity you can do to reactivate your brain and get you in an action ready state!
The Thinking Cap:
Gently massage and unroll your ears, 3-4 times from top to bottom, going around the lobe and around ear rings if you are wearing any.
Why it works:
During periods of increased stress, as adrenalin levels rise, a lowering of electrical potential across the nerve membrane occurs, preparing the body for flight or fight. In this state, the body reacts in order to survive, shifting us from our higher order thinking centers of the neocortex and to the sympathetic nervous system. The Thinking Cap reactivates your wholebrain connection and reasoning centers of the brain.
Experience improvements in areas such as;
- Memory
- Equilibrium
- Confidence
- Concentration
- Comprehension
- Energy levels
- Sense of humor
- Public speaking
- Range of hearing
- Math and accounting skills
- Spelling with accuracy
- Listening actively and attentively
- Organizing and completing tasks
For more Brain Fitness concepts, resources and tools – join me at an upcoming presentation or training. Would love to have you!
Warmly,
Jill