Boosting Your Right Brain 🧠 Can Help You Personally and Professionally. Here’s How.

So, not too long ago (and just recently I’m getting over it), I was going through a bit of a funk. Not having as much fun at work as I used to. Not feeling excited about getting up and diving into my day as usual… and not fulfilled as I normally am… and I didn’t have a clue why.

Great businesses. Great lifestyle. Great family. Great life.

But, I knew something was off and just wasn’t the same as normal but just couldn’t peg it. You may be experiencing something similar right now. If so, read on… I’ll tell you my prescription for blasting through it.

Use it or lose it

You’ve heard the saying… “use it or lose it,” right? Usually, people are talking about physical fitness when they say it. Use your body (i.e. – get up and exercise a bit every day… that’s what our bodies are made for, not sitting 10 hours a day)… or your health, energy, and lifespan will go down the tubes. 

Makes sense right?

But, it also goes for your mind.

I read a study a while back that showed how simple mind games like crossword puzzles, sudoku and other games that challenge the mind, etc. help prevent Alzheimer’s and memory loss as you get older.

People who sat and watched TV most of the day at age 70… tend to get Alzheimer’s more often and lose their memory versus people who challenged their brains throughout the day with simple activities like knitting, puzzles, word games, and things like that. 

Use it or lose it.

But, before you say… “Yeah, but I’m not 70… I don’t have to worry about that… plus, I’m challenging my mind all day at work…” keep reading.

So, like I said above… I’m blessed with the life I live, but up until recently, I went through a phase where I just wasn’t as fulfilled and constantly energized and happy as usual.

Then I read a book called The Charge by an author from here in Oregon. It’s basically about what he calls the “10 human drives and activators” in life that help us live a fully charged, energetic, and fulfilled life. (Great book.) 

One thing in the book really hit me and made me realize what I’ve been missing in life the past few years. That one thing is…

I “forgot” how to use my right brain

Yep. Half of my brain was going to waste. And it was my choice to let it go or save it.

We all learn in grade school about “right brain, left brain.” The left half of our brain is where we do most of our non-creative stuff. Adding and subtracting, science… Jeopardy kind of stuff. The right half of our brains is the emotional, creative, day-dreamer side.

We all have a dominant side of our brains. Mine has always been my left side. I’ve always been great at math, science, great grades, not too excitable, and pretty straightforward. But I’ve also always loved music, drawing, and being creative (but didn’t show it overtly).

So, over the past few years while I was focused on growing my companies, I fell into a trap a lot of us go into. Lots of learning, lots of thinking about business systems, numbers, strategy, etc. Not a whole lot of creativity, mental challenge, learning new skills (other than ones directly related to growing my company). 

The Charge pointed out that: 

“When we don’t challenge ourselves with creative acts, challenge ourselves with learning ‘new’ and exciting things, do interesting new things, the right side of our brains really stops working fully.”

Use it or lose it.

My normal day would be get up, hang with the family, go to work, maybe get a workout in occasionally, come home, dinner, hang out with the family, work before bed. Then I’d do it all over again. No real challenge, nothing on a consistent basis that was “new,” nothing really creative. 

My right brain was giving up… and it left me unfulfilled. Unexcited.

Are you in the same boat?

So, what am I doing about it? (and you can too)

As humans, we crave newness. We crave challenge. We crave creativity. Without it, we feel unfulfilled. But most of us rarely build this into our daily lives on purpose.

One thing I’m doing is learning to play the guitar. I love music. Our fearless AREI leader, Patrick Riddle, is a great piano player, and every time I’m with him, we stumble on a piano somewhere, and he starts jamming. I friggin’ love it… and not so secretly have always wished I could do the same thing. 

The thing is… I can. You can. Patrick just chose to build “newness” (learning the piano) into his everyday life.

In The Charge, Brendon says to build in challenges every 60 days to ramp up the newness in life. I’m hitting the guitar hard… and just the thought of the challenge and being able to jam on the guitar with friends makes me smile and happy right now. 

Next, who knows… maybe I’ll finally learn to dance so I don’t embarrass my wife on the dance floor. 😉

Whatever it is for you, take 5 minutes right now and pull out a calendar. For the next 6 months… write out something new you want to learn every 60 days. Then do it. 

You’ll be amazed at what opening up the right brain again can do for you.