Challenge Your Brain to Learn Spanish

"Does it matter when, during the day my Spanish lessons get the greatest benefit from brain plasticity at night?" Lisa Haneberg asked on Twitter. I answered, "the brain is more likely to work on last things in your mind just before bed. Give it problems regarding your Spanish and it works on solutions overnight."

Since you and many business leaders learn Spanish and other languages, you'd be interested in additional brain based tips to enhance the process and your retention.

Think of words as belonging to clusters of meaning Daniel Tammett, a savant, offers savvy tips about learning a language in Scientific American Mind (April, 2009).

For languages, I think of words as belonging to clusters of meaning so that each piece of vocabulary makes sense according to its place in my mental architecture for that language. In this way, I can easily discern relations between words, which helps me to remember them.

Sleep strengthens memory and learning

"Sleep consolidated learning by restoring what was lost over the course of a day following training and by protecting what was learned against subsequent loss," said Howard Nusbaum, Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago...The results demonstrate that this consolidation may help in learning language processes such as reading and writing.

Sleep boosts ability to learn a language. In an earlier study University of Chicago of Chicago professors found that...

Ability of students to retain knowledge about words is improved by sleep, even when the students seemed to forget some of what they learned during the day before the next night's sleep.

Teach Others As you Learn for Higher Rentention Dr. Ellen Weber shares a learning pyramid which shows that when you teach others Spanish as you learn it, you will retain more. What about volunteering to help teach an English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learner (ELL) in a local school or local Chamber of Commerce? It would help you and help a Spanish speaker learn English as you gain the kind of proficiency you desire.

Stretch past what you think you can do and brain rewires The more you work with the Spanish language and use it in many contexts, the more your brain will rewire for using it. Lisa had mentioned this in her initial Twitter message. The brain has great plasticity, as Dr. Ellen Weber points out, enabling you to push forward and achieve new goals such as learning a new language.

Invite a Spanish speaker to your home for a meal. By extending hospitality to someone who might live in your vicinity, you may develop a relationship so that you are invited into that person's home. You will then get a good grasp of the culture, which may include music, art, and learning about the things they value. This enhances your language learning.

And here's an added benefit to you for pushing yourself to learn Spanish, Lisa...

Learning and using a second language can slow the aging process in your brain Senior citizens who speak more languages test for better cognitive functioning.

A person who speaks more languages is likely to be more clear-minded at an older age, Dr. Gitit Kavé, a clinical neuro-psychologist says, in effect “exercising” his or her brain more than those who are monolingual. Languages may create new links in the brain, contributing to this strengthening effect.

Lisa, you can see that your answer deserved a bit more depth. Added to your studies through Rosetta Stone, these activities should boost your brainpower to learn and retain Spanish.

Folks, if you know other strategies that work well to learn Spanish or any new language, please do share.

"Can-Do" Default to Kickstart Brainpower

Is "can do" your default when it comes to tackling a challenge that takes ingenuity, risk, and learning through mistakes? "Thinking "can do" as a default should be a no-brainer," Valeria Maltoni explains, as it relates to achieving A-Player status in social media. Her savvy tips work career-wise, too...

Paradoxically, to achieve A-player status is also a "brainer." You'll kickstart brainpower into high gear to accomplish what eludes many...

1. Keep a target in the forefront of your thoughts The more you focus on a goal, the more your brain picks up on that and brings insights to accomplish it... even while you "sleep on it."

2. Remember it's in your mind, it's not in the mind of others You're the one to follow through on ideas. Others won't do it for you. We learn through trial and error, especially when we make mistakes. "Results? Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results," Thomas Edison said concerning his quest to create the light bulb. "I know several thousand things that won't work." He had to keep at it when others scoffed.

3. Maintain a "can do" outlook When you think you "can do," you can deal with whatever comes your way. Remaining positive can be challenging in the face of cynics, naysayers and hitting a stone wall. But, you "can do."

4. Be situational in your approach Your brain leaps to the creativity of transferring a strategy from one context to another. Though solutions often elude you initially, you may experience moments of clarity when the answer to a vexing problem appears with a sudden insight as you see the connections fall into place.

An A-player perhaps needs even more of a "can do" default to kickstart brainpower to accomplish what others envy.

Ready to fire your brainpower?

Coffee Delivers Surprising Paybacks!

Coffee aroma gives your brain a soothing wake-up call. Does a drink of coffee help your day start well? Just the scent can soothe frayed nerves and one whiff's often enough to reverse the woolly feeling in your brain if you didn't get enough sleep. And this is just a prelude to coffee's symphony of benefits.

Just the pleasing aroma's enough to prompt your brain to release serotonin, a chemical of well-being.

Drinking coffee delivers more advantage to body and brain than once thought. Here're surprising ways your daily java makes a difference:

Protects against breast cancer

Lowers death rate from heart disease when you drink 4 - 6 cups a day

Can decrease the risk of dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) later in life

Reduces risk of liver cancer when coffee consumption is high [4 - 6 cups a day]

Drinking Decaffeinated Coffee Regularly Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk

Helps prevent cavities

Who would have guessed that a simple beverage like coffee and even it's aroma would bring so much benefit?

Here's a way you can benefit workers and growers at the same time you benefit: buy fair trade coffee.

And you can be good to the earth as you add coffee grounds to a compost pile. The grounds, relatively rich in nitrogen, provide bacteria needed energy to turn organic matter into compost.

In fact, waste coffee grounds can deliver an inexpensive, abundant, and environmentally friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering cars and trucks.

What are you waiting for... can't you smell that cuppa now?

Honesty and Altrusim - Receipe for Heroics

If you found a camera at a local park what would you do with it... Take it to lost and found, or pocket it and consider it a lucky find? The Surnams, a Scottish couple, found an Olympus camera when hiking around Bronze age ruins. They turned it over to police. Since no one claimed it in eight weeks, police returned it to the couple. Interestingly, the Surnams didn't stop there because they thought they saw over 600 honeymoon photos on the camera. So they put some photos on Flickr to see if they could locate the owner. As I read the article, I was curious about people's honesty and altruism. I wondered how many people would go to so much trouble to return a camera. What do you think?

Intriguingly, if you think others' eyes are on you, you would be most likely to "do the right thing. "The brain naturally reacts to images of faces and eyes. "People behave differently when they believe they are being watched, according to UK researchers, "because they are worried what others will think of them."

In business today, owners sense a few people are honest and not prone to stealing, USA Today reporter found in a poll she conducted, but a majority of the owners Gladys Edmunds asked "believed that all employees at some point remove items from work for their personal use."

In light of this, the Scottish couple, acted extraordinarily, since they not only chose what was right, but also went the extra mile. When they left the Bronze ruins, they had to drive to a police station and fill out a report in order to turn in the camera. Pure altruism? Since they thought these might be honeymoon pictures, they thought of how they'd feel if they had lost their camera. This sense helped propel their actions according to the story. Would you go so far as to say they are heroes?

People who don't cheat and who are honest are more like heroes, Sara Staats, of Ohio State University contends...

Students who don’t cheat seem to be in the minority, and have plenty of opportunities to see their peers cheat and receive the rewards with little risk of punishment,” Staats said. “We see avoiding cheating as a form of everyday heroism in an academic setting.”

The Surman's went the extra mile to be kind to someone else. Do you see this very often at work? Who would you name as a "hero" where you work and why? I will do a follow-up on your workplace heroes the first week in May to include your stories.

Peanuts cartoon obtained from australaisianbioethics

Adversity and Me

Though I feel good about coming through to the end of an adverse experience, if you're like me, you do not desire to linger long on these times and places. Adversity is life's schooling. Adversity shaped me.

Seven adverse experiences:

1. Failed the Plane Geometry Regents, a New York State high stakes exam. I was a fairly good student and could hold my own in school, but math concepts were hard to grasp. My teacher spoke with the most monotonous voice I've ever listened to. My attention span was zilch. No doubt I zoned out. Though I read the text carefully, I just didn't get the logical proofs for the theorems. My teacher was very patient. She tutored me after school at least two nights a week for the whole spring semester. In addition, my mom sent me to a neighbor for assistance. He had been a Station Master for the Erie Railroad. Odd credentials to teach me geometry. One day, as I sat in his dining room and he gave explanation, I had an "aha" moment. I cannot put my finger on why his help did the trick, but it did. Lesson: Keep at a problem until you figure it out. Take advantage of help offered by others. Don't give up on yourself.

2. Early teaching experiences - difficult. At 22, I did not catch on to why students did not love literature and ideas as I did. After all, these literary treasures provided life lessons. But I soon came to realize that students thought of much of the classics as musty and stuffy. Just because you read something and understand a concept in college courses, does not mean you can translate that to the everyday world in effective ways. Then one evening, when chaperoning a group of students on a bus trip, I had an "aha" as I heard one student playfully converting his ideas to the rhythms of the poem "'Twas the night before Christmas." I wondered how he might be convinced to convert Julius Caesar to a modern inner city landscape. Don't tell anybody this, but I bargained with him to write that play in the place of his term paper. I told him it would be fun for our 11th grade classes to present his play to the whole school. Farfetched? Not at all. Lesson: I built on my learners' strengths and abilities. A focus on students' gifts and talents changed the learning experience for me and them. This paved the way for me to be open to MITA work with Dr. Ellen Weber. Assisting learners to build on their gifts and talents... to move concepts to real life is a brain-based approach.

3. In my 20's a horrible flu hit my body and landed right in my heart lining . Every fourth beat thumped and lifted my chest in a scary way. Devoid of strength, I could hardly get up from bed. The doctor sent me straight to hospital where I was put on complete bedrest with a monitor on my heart. I was there for a whole month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Times when we are set aside, give us pause to reflect on what life's truly about. I thanked God often for life and the people, who brought blessing to my life. Scared, yes... but, a realization began to capture my thoughts... I really wanted to have a child. During days in that bed, not able to move, I asked God if He would be willing to bring a child to my life. If not, I would accept that, too. Strange that I focused on having a child more than asking for healing, but that was my focus. I was released from hospital, day before Christmas, though weak. Amazingly, a couple of months following this I learned I was pregnant. A blessing of the Lord. Lesson: Take time to meditate on God and what is important to your whole life.

4. My husband and I were turned down on a home purchase offer after waiting 30 days for owners to sign. After scouring our area for a home when Carl completed college, we settled on an older cobblestone house which opened a wonderful view of Silver Lake since it was on a slight rise. The refusal delayed our quest to find a country home. So it was almost the end of summer before Carl began his teaching career. We had no home. We lived with his parents. Then I said, "Remember that old inn that needs work? I think we could fix it up because the purchase price is low. He agreed and we bought it. We gutted it. We ran new water pipes, had two bathrooms, a new furnace installed. By October we moved in. First choices aren't always the best overall. Lesson: Fashion what you have at hand into what you want. Later, we purchased the rest of the acreage that went with this century farm. Owning this land was our dream.

5. Shyness and lack of confidence held me back. I can remember mother saying my father was a shy person. Just hearing her say that, plus my genetic make-up, helped contribute to a pattern of painful shyness and lack of confidence. Here's one incident... In second grade I was too shy to ask the teacher what I had to make up after a week sick with strep throat. So I turned around and asked the girl behind me. The teacher caught me talking. She came, grabbed my arm, went to her closet, took out a paddle and whacked me in front of the whole class. I was so scared and mortified that I wet my pants.

Even more recently, when I had my interview to enter the PhD program, I lacked confidence. The interviewer did not recommend me. However, another professor in the department interviewed me and saw a raw gem in a rough stone. She approved my acceptance. I had passion for the goal I strived to accomplish. Nothing could hold me back... not even lack of confidence.

When forced to take a required course from the first interviewer, I balked. Ellen Weber gave me a plan to turn this around. She said I should smile, greet him cordially, and strike up a conversation every time I saw him. She also gave me strategies to ask good questions based on readings, which I could apply to seminar discussions. She advised me to take the risk to share my ideas boldly or I would not make it in the program. A great desire filled my heart to finish the program so I could be an asset to the MITA work. The more I acted opposite to feelings, changes evolved. Lesson: Step out and take risks. Act opposite to feelings. By doing so, you build confidence step-by-step.

6. "You need an extra course", my advisor said... just before the end of my PhD program. You learn to "eat rocks." One more course meant I had to pay out-of-pocket tuition with no work-study to defray expenses. To make the best of the setback, I elected to take a course in technology. I still reap the benefits. Without the course I'd lack technological savvy needed in many work settings. Lesson: Change setbacks to advantages. Avoid dwelling on what goes wrong, but take advantage in ways that benefit.

7. Hit black ice and totaled car when it hit a tree. As I waited in a an ice cold car, crippled on its side, windows smashed and branches poking through, I wondered if help would ever arrive. My first reaction... I am alive... God spared me for something important. I waited and waited and yelled, "help." No one heard. I prayed that someone would see the car and phone the rescue squad. This crash helped me see what I most valued.

Joining MITA was a way to help others use their gifts and talents. So I took a risky financial leap to quit my job and help launch a vision Ellen Weber began to develop 15 years prior. The Lord helped open my eyes. Soon after my mother died. Her inheritance helped tide me over to keep my feet on the ground for a bit. Lesson: Life is more than money - it is fulfilling a purpose to help others develop their unique gifts. Incidentally, no black ice had formed there in previous years I drove this road to work. "God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform."

Challenges: Puzzles, challenges and problems activate the human brain, which leaps to solve them. Writing this blog was major because I am a private person and don't like to reveal what was hard. Wasn't sure I could do it, but kept seven in mind as I listened to Mozart. The stretch to complete it flowed as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Optimal Experience. Joanna Young contends that your mind keeps flowing until you meet the number challenge. Try either Robert's or Janice's writing challenge listed just below and see what happens. One benefit - the writing sharpens creativity and problem solving skills for work.

Robert Hruzek's What I Learned from... Adversity topic is his April group writing challenge. If you want to participate the deadline is tomorrow, April 12. The rules are listed on his site.

You'll note I've included seven things listed that you probably did not know about me. Janice, author of Sharing the Journey, just launched this new blog. I'd like to tag the following friends to join the meme and give Janice a link, too. Best part is you can use your creativity to shape your writing in unique and creative way. You're at the helm.

Alina Popescue at Words of a Broken Mirror

Brad Shorr at Word Sell

Jeanne Dininni at Writers Notes

Joanna Young at Confident Writing

Karen Swim at Words for Hire

Lisa Gates at Craving Balance

Paul, Cam and John at Chaos Scenario

Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings

Up to the challenge?

Your Brand - Person or Product?

Do you see yourself as a brand or product? Interestingly, some people brand themselves and others see their brand as product, service or new idea. Recently I saw a Twitter post which read, "Me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me," I did a double take. What's your reaction? "Few welcome Me 2.0, as in Ego 2.0," Valeria Maltoni contends. "I'd think about it more in terms of Us 2.0," she adds.

Dan Schawbel summarizes it in, Guest Post: Me 2.0

The same rules that apply to corporate brands apply to personal brands. The successful brand YOU marketing model has the proper mix of confidence, passion, likeability, determination, and focus. When you look at successful business leaders, such as Warren Buffet or Rupert Murdoch, you realize that each has a self-purpose, a call to action, and a desire to win. They all shared this marketing model, and you should too.

While others have focused on branding in general, Dan's target audience is the millenials generation, but I think it's chock full of goodies all of us can learn from.

If you read Dan's story about how he got his book deal, you'll see the perseverance and unwavering belief in himself and his work that lead to his book, which was officially released yesterday.

Choosing to brand ourselves, product or service in the marketplace links to our intrapersonal intelligence. Here's how...

Intrapersonal intelligence stems from our genes and from exposure to many environments over a lifetime. Individuals who have high intrapersonal intelligence have

an effective working model of ourselves, and to be able to use such information to regulate our lives.

an accurate self-understanding, and can use this to their advantage in problem-solving

high introspective and self-reflective capabilities, highly self-aware and capable of understanding their own emotions, goals and motivations

an ability to use their own experience to guide others such as novelists, counselors, psychologists

Ellen Weber, who built her work on brain based research and Multiple Intelligences shows practical ways to gain more savvy in this area...

Want more intrapersonal intelligence? Need intuition for better decisions, common sense for keen insights, contentment in your own company, simple ability to laugh more on a busy day? Thanks to neurogenesis, we now know this intelligence too will grow with use. Simply put, whenever you do tasks related to introspection or personal intelligence, your brain begins to rewire brainpower for a more clever you.

Put your unique smarts to work in your personal branding. Looking at ways people create brands helps us evaluate what works best, whether it be our own name or service or product or something entirely unique. Here are some examples of

Personal Brands:

Angela Maiers
David Airey
Jackie Cameron
Seth Godin
Charlie Fern
Troy Worman

Service or Product:

Conversation Agent
The Marketing Spot
Making Mediation Your Day Job
Branding and Marketing
Logic + Emotion
Marketing Profs

Combination of Name and Service or Product:

Drew's Marketing Minute
Eide Neurolearning Blog
Laura 4 Literacy
My Name Is Kate
Fryer's Blog in the Mountains
Meryl's Notes

As you make color, logo and branding choices you bring in more of your personal style stemming from your intrapersonal intelligence!

Like it or not, "the reality is, many of us may not have the option of staying in a company, unbranded, according to Alina Tugend in "Putting Yourself Out There on a Shelf to Buy" in New York Times. "We have to create our own job security, and branding is part of that." Ms. Tugend offers seven savvy tips as you think more about how to go about establishing a brand...

1. Start small so you won't be overwhelmed. Choose either LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, the sites most often recommended by branding and job search specialists.

These sites can help in other ways. Twitter alone offers jobshouts.com (job openings are tweeted to users.

2. Join a few sites that are oriented toward your field, but don't go crazy and throw your profile up on dozens of sites.

3. "Finding your niche is the key," said Dan Schawbel, author of Me:2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success

He espouses a four-step process -- discover, create, communicate, maintain.

4. "It's about building a community," said Veronica Fielding, president of Digital Brand Expressions. "You want to find groups -- alumni, former employees of your last jobs, trade groups."

Start branding yourself as someone insightful in that particular area, Ms. Fielding said, so "When people are thinking about filling a job, they think of you."

5. "Develop Brand Me by thinking about three things I am good at, three things I am passionate about (eating ice cream doesn't count) and three things other people think I'm good at," Sherri Beck Paprocki, co-author of the forthcoming book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Branding Yourself (May, 2009).

6. Blogs and personal Web sites. "They're certainly another way to promote Brand You. But don't create them with no purpose in mind or with no intention of keeping them updated. A boring blog or an unprofessional Web site is worse than none at all, Ms. Paprocki said.

7. Branding should continue in the offline world too, she said. It's also known as presenting yourself well.

Lots of tips to chew over and if you see gaps in your personal branding, you now have opportunity to see how to polish Brand Me more.

I'm going to find out even more by picking up a copy of Dan Schawbel's Me.2.0. You?

Picture Cynicism and Creativity in Brain

"What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon." --Denis Waitley

Negatives, cynicism, lack of progress

Positives, creativity, invention, progress

Thoughts?