We can create our own potential. The brain is adaptable, and training can create skills. DELIBERATE PRACTICE remains the gold standard for anyone in any field who wishes to take advantage of the gift of adaptability in order to build new skills and abilities. We have far more power than we ever realized to take control of our own lives, through this dedicated training that drives changes in the brain. These advances are all accomplished through trial and error and immediate feedback. You need feedback to identify exactly where and how you are falling short. The principles of DELIBERATE PRACTICE are the best way to design practice methods in any discipline. With DELIBERATE PRACTICE it is required for one getting out of their comfort zone. With MRI studies we can see the brain changing shape with the advancement of one’s studies. The brain rewires, strengthens, weakens the various connections between neurons and by also adding new connections. There can be an increase in myelin, the insulation of the nerve cells, which can increase the speed of nerve impulses by as much as ten times. The greater the challenge the greater the change in the brain. The brain changes most quickly when it is pushed a bit outside its comfort zone. The cognitive and physical changes caused by training require upkeep. Stop training and they start to go away. This is true for all the mental activities we engage in. We learn enough in our day-to-day lives, but once we reach that point, we seldom push to go beyond good enough. We do very little that challenges our brains to develop new gray matter or to rewire entire sections. The option exists, if you wish to become significantly better at something, you can. With DELIBERATE PRACTICE the goal is not just to reach your potential but to build it, to make things possible that were not possible before. This requires challenging and getting out of your comfort zone—and forcing your brain to adapt. It becomes a way of taking control of your destiny and shaping your potential in ways that you choose.

PART TWO will follow in next installment.

Categories: Book Summary Philosophical Perspective

ron winnegrad

Ron Winnegrad has been a Perfumer and teacher for 46 years. As a perfumer, Ron has been able to express the world he sees through a rainbow of olfactive and emotive visions. As a teacher, Ron has helped others to see fragrance through his own multi sensorial lens.