Thank you. I’m a fan of results. I like knowing how things work because I think it improves effectiveness. I find myself paying more attention to what I focus on, now that I know I’m always reshaping my brain.

This was an excellent post. I am a student of how the brain works and love posts like this. I knew focus was important, but being able to explain it the way you did – based on actual chemical changes and synapses forming – is an entirely different level of understanding.

Thanks for this. I’m subscribed and looking forward to your future posts!

It sounds like you’ve got a few things working for you. You’re spending time in your strengths and you’re not just practicing, it sounds like you’re actually doing “deliberate practices” (http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/21/magazines/fortune/talent_colvin.fortune/index2.htm .)

Could it be my hours of intentioned work are sharpening me in general?

I think so!

Good point. I’ve learned to trust my gut when it’s either from experience or something feels funny that I haven’t yet put my finger on. I test it against some critical thinking though to help balance it out. I also try to find a sounding board for more perspective.

For some things, aboslutely, a better decision that takes longer is great. In a lot of scenarios (i.e. work) we don’t get to determine how long it takes and it’s often a game of survival of the fittest (er, fastest).

@ Giovanna

Thank you. I haven’t heard of Dr. Dispenza, but I’ll check him out.

@ Alik

I agree – our hunches usually mean something. The trick is to find out what they mean. Sometimes a hunch means there’s a problem or scenario I’ve overlooked. sometimes it just means I’m hungry.

Yeah, sometimes it pays to be slow. It’s good that you have more than one-speed.

@ Akshay

There is but it’s different perspectives. Now Discover Your Strengths is about leveraging your existing synapses / pathways that are already strong. Rock and Schwartz are pointing out that these can change over time depending on your focus.

@ Barbara

It sure is. I think the internal “software” makes a huge difference. It’s why two people with the same external experience can have completely different outcomes. Now that I know how focus shapes the brain, it really got me thinking how my engineer mind sees the world, and how I might add a marketing mind to it, to round things out.

@ Rob

I like your firmware metaphor. Muds a good way to put it. Some days are more muddy than others

It reminds me of Deepak’s point that thoughts are things and that the thought is the molecule.

@ Karl

Well put. I’m a fan of playing to strengths and limiting liabilities.

The best we can do is know our strengths and weaknesses and try to maximize and minimize both.

I think this goes further though to your cells as well. Some of the courses I’ve taken attempt to explain how certain proteins and DNA actually change depending on what you are thinking about. Certainly the link between Type A personality and heart disease points to this fact. I’ve certainly had this experience personally in the negative where my body chemistry and experience changed as a result of my focus.

@Giovanna
I did like the video from dr joe dispenza showing brain cells joining and separating. It’s easy to forget that this is actually happening vs just some concept. Can you sum up his findings and point of view in a paragraph? Looks like he is specializing on how this rewiring process works.

Rob