Being a child of the Enlightenment, a historical period in Europe when people believed rationalism was the king, I have been accustomed to thinking logically and analytically. My life circumstances over the last few years, however, have made me feel like I am hitting a brick wall everywhere whenever I try to solve my life challenges logically and analytically.

I have to admit I don’t know the answers. Yet at the same time, I also know I KNOW more than I know. When I exhausted the value of my left-brain thinking, I quit relying solely on logical and analytical brain activity. I began to tap into my right-brain to try to find answers there. And believe me, it has been amazing how I frequently wake up, after a good night’s rest, with great solutions to the life challenges I have been facing.

The right-brain is the storehouse for creative energy. You may think of it as a laboratory for experiments and discoveries of all kinds. In his instructive book The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle describes how the myelin sheath wraps around the nerve fibers like the rubber coating on electrical wires. As one practices a new skill, those neural fibers get myelinated. Coyle talks about “deep practice”, a way of acquiring new skills by first visualizing the new activity and then trying to replicate the behavior. With each repetition of these two steps, the nerve fibers become more myelinated and the learner continues to improve in his mastery.

This means that my little brain has enormous capabilities I have not tapped into. The sky is the limit. Just because something is new does not mean it is off-limits to me. I can develop so many more skills and create my own success if I get in the right mind!

Yes indeed, you can coach yourself to succeed by doing this!

Since most of us are so used to left-brain thinking, it takes a little practice to learn a new habit of unlocking the power of the right-brain. Here are a few exercises to try.

1.Create new moves. Learn new dance steps; if you are a woman, try to lead a Tango or Waltz as if you are a man. March like the Marines, except with your right arm swing forward with your right foot simultaneously.

2.Reverse your hands. If you are right-handed, try holding your utensils with the left hand; practice holding a fork or a pair of chopsticks with the non-dominant hand. If you are left-handed, try to do the opposite.

3.Sign your name in multiple directions. Sign your name from left to right (as in English writing), then from right to left (as in Hebrew and Chinese), then from top to bottom, and from bottom to top. Continue to practice until you can sign in all directions.

4.Dance with your problems. Mull over your problems. Rest for a bit. Take a nap. Jot down a few notes. Reflect on the problems a bit more. Go paint a picture or listen to some music. Get a good night’s sleep. Sooner or later, you’ll wake up in the morning with “Voila!” The light bulb has been turned on!

5.Take a new route to work or home. Familiarity gives us comfort, mastery and a sense of security. But every time you experiment with a new route, your right-brain gets stimulated and you are adding that myelin to your nerve fibers.

What are your feelings about getting into the right mind? What experiences do you have with coming up against the brick wall for problem solving? How might you tap into your right brain to help you?

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