Mortimer Adler once said, “The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as long as we live.” I fully believe that the day I stop learning will be the day I start to die, so I embrace every opportunity that has the potential to add to my knowledge. Like so many others, one of my favourite topics to delve into is self-development.
As an avid reader I definitely favor getting my knowledge from books. I have read tons of books designed to help the reader with personal issues ranging from creating a healthy relationship to developing a millionaire mindset. Some books were inspiring and some were absolutely awful. Most of them consisted primarily of a recitation of criteria that the author felt was crucial to developing the desired outcome. Some of the books contained references to various studies that supported the author’s opinions, but many didn’t really contain any evidence to back up the author’s claims.
The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success by Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske offers exactly what most self-help books do not. This unique book identifies and explains the eight “win factors” of achievement and which parts of the brain are responsible for controlling these factors. Using neuroscience to prove the importance of each brain function and interviews with winners from all walks of life to illustrate a winning brain in action, The Winner’s Brain is described as “part business book, part popular-science treatise and part self-help guide.” To me, it sounded fully fascinating and I couldn’t wait to learn more.
The Winner’s Brain is divided into two sections. Part One is devoted to understanding the brain. A piece-by-piece breakdown of the different parts of the brain and the functions they control helped me to properly understand why the human brain performs as it does. A brief history of neuroscience broke this complicated field down into understandable terms so that the scientific studies explained further on were easier for me to understand. Finally, an outline of the five BrainPower Tools that winners use to achieve their success helped me to understand exactly what skills my brain would be developing when I put the eight “win factors” of achievement to work for me.
With a proper understanding of how the brain works, I was ready to get into the real substance of The Winner’s Brain, the explanation and breakdown of the eight success strategies utilized in a winner’s brain. Self awareness, motivation, focus, emotional balance, memory, resilience, adaptability and brain care were each broken down into understandable language, proven as an essential winning trait with amazing neurological studies, and described in action thanks to inspiring interviews from winners in various areas. I was happy to see that each strategy featured quick tips that could be used to better develop the winning skills in myself, and I loved the surprising information throughout the book that helped to show just how powerful the human mind truly is.
I was intrigued to learn that most people have such a deep seeded avoidance and fear of the color red that seeing just a flash of that color causes a substantial drop in performance on IQ tests and major exams. When I thought about all of the situations in which the color red is used to warn people of impending danger, I found the concept actually made a great deal of sense.
I also found it interesting that the parts of the brain involved with proficiency are often the same parts that handle proficiency awareness. I have always wondered why some of the contestants on talent shows and singing competitions aren’t aware of how awful their performances are. Ironically, these poor people are falling into one of the brain’s little traps since their skill level and their judgement are linked together!
Overall, I found The Winner’s Brain to be a fascinating and inspiring read. I finished the book with an overwhelming desire to take some of the recommended small steps towards developing my own brain’s maximum potential. For example, the authors’ investigations led to the knowledge that just three 30-minute sessions of meditation each week improves the development of all eight of the success strategies outlined in the book. When such a small step can reap such a significant reward, how can I not try it for myself?
The basic principle of the book is one of promise; with a little effort, anyone can improve their minds and move towards a winner’s brain. To learn about the wonders of the human brain and develop your mind to its peak potential, check out The Winner’s Brain for yourself. This absorbing book will have you looking at your mind in a whole new way!
Buy It: To purchase The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success, check your local bookstore or shop online now
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To Enter (mandatory): Tell me which of the eight success strategies you find the most intruiging
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