If I Only Had a (Whole) Brain

It pays to remind myself daily that being fascinated with people is more productive than being frustrated by them. That’s one reason why studying personality types, learning styles and brain dominance has always held great interest for me.

I’ve been reflecting for the past few days on a communication problem/personality conflict I’ve been experiencing with a business associate. She has left brain dominance and I have right brain dominance. How this translates is she is very logical and relies on data and facts in making decisions. Everything has to be according to the “rules” and all probabilities must be understood before action can be taken.

As for me and my right-brain thinking, I’m not constrained by logic and facts if there’s a vision and a dream that’s powerful enough to press through the obstacles that inevitably lie ahead. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, is what I’m thinking.

The exciting thing is when you put the left brain together with the right brain, you get a whole brain perspective; the ideal scenario.

I saw this powerful example of the brain’s ability to process information the other day:

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Cna yuo raed tihs? I cdn’uolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonemnel pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rsereeachr at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteers be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig, huh? Yaeh, and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Isn’t it astounding how easily we can decipher words with information that is ambiguous, garbled, or less than complete? We are wired to see underlying patterns, fill in the gaps, straighten out the miscues, and discover the hidden meanings. The same is true of our innate ability to make decisions.

Excerpt from Lee J. Colan, Winner's Always Quit

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Our brain has astonishing capabilities. Here's hoping for a week working with a whole brain.

Cash Cow

I've got a really good eBay story. I’ve bought plenty at the popular auction site, but like many, for a long time I had never taken the time to figure out the selling procedure. I didn’t know how easy it would be to go through the process, but decided it was worth learning about.

What could I sell? Surely, I’m not the only one that has a stash of Christmas
gifts that just don’t quite make it out of the box. I had a figurine that I knew I’d never appreciate… it was a cow. I did some quick research and figured out where to list it and away I went. I put it up for sale in a 5 day auction for $12.95, since the other cows I saw ranged from $9.95 to $14.95. Can you imagine my surprise when the next morning I checked the auction and bidding was up to $81.00?? And then as the first day moved along, to see the bidding climb to $400. ?? I got worried at that point - thought I had misrepresented this cow and people must think it had real diamonds in it or something. I inquired of one of the bidders and she informed me that I had a discontinued collectible that was quite sought after. To summarize a very entertaining (and profitable) week, this sweet little cow sold for $810. Amazing.

So, what’s in YOUR closet?? I’m always looking for the deeper meaning in things, so bear with me for a minute. How many of us have gifts that we haven’t done anything with? Now I’m talking on a personal level. I’ve always thought one of the saddest quotes I’ve heard is , “What is the cost of dying with the music still in you?” Granted, it’s human nature to stick close within the comfort zone. But every hero in history got out of of their comfort zone! There’s a cost to getting better, but there’s a bigger cost in staying the same. So…. maybe it’s time to look in the back of your closet and see what valuables are stashed there.