You know that one of my driving beliefs, which really stands as a cornerstone within the Mountain Moving Mindset platform, is that our brain is absolutely fascinating, and that by harnessing the power of our mind, the M3 Power, we can learn how to make the most of our brain, thus supporting us in our success.

 

So, what if I was telling you that your brain, how fascinating as it is, has quirks of its own? You would want to know about it, right? And, you would want to know what to do about it to turn that quirk to your advantage, right? So, I want to share with you one of my favourite brain quirks, and go through what it is, why you should pay attention to it and leverage it, and how you can turn it to your advantage.

Here is one of your brain quirks…

Did you know that your brain does not know the difference between real and imaginary?
It is true.

Your brain cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is imaginary.

In one of my previous articles, we’ve talked about paying attention to our language, since your brain believes everything you say, explaining why your words either ignite or extinguish your next action.

In this case, it is about paying attention to your sight, since your brain believes everything you see, whether you see it for real or see it in your mind.

There have been many studies undertaken by neuroscientists to prove this point, and if you want to read more about it, I recommend you read the excellent and ‘brain-blowing’ book, Make Your Brain Work by Amy Brann.

For now, think about this: have you ever woken up in the middle of a dream or nightmare, and it was so real, you could have sworn, it just happened? Your body might even have responded physically to that realness by sweating, breathing heavily, shaking, shouting… all of these physical reactions because you thought something was really happening, and yet, you had dreamt it. Quirky, right?

And, here is why you can leverage it…

All of your quirks make you who you are.

There are unique to you, and can be leveraged in your life, career, business to support your success.

You can learn how to embrace your individuality by embracing your quirkiness. You know, how people talk about finding and having a competitive edge? What about seeing your quirks as being it. Your quirks give you a natural edge. Your quirks make you naturally edgy. 

 

So, now that we’ve agreed on that, I’m sure you are wondering, but my brain quirk is not unique to me, since you said that everybody has the same quirk? You are right, we all have it, but here is the difference that will make the difference: not all of us use that quirk to our advantage by leveraging it.

So, here is how you can turn it to your advantage…

The same way that you, and only you, can leverage your own quirks, you and only you can leverage your own brain quirk to your advantage. Here are 2 amazing situations, where leveraging this brain quirk can boost your success.

Facing something new, stretching you out of your comfort zone…

When we are about to do something that is new, we can often get a surge of stress, as our mind cannot connect to having been in that situation before; it is like we are missing a bookmark, a reference.

So, use this brain quirk to your advantage by imagining doing what it is that you are about to do, and imagine it again, again and again. I’ve implemented this strategy many times before, and something really amazing happen as when the time comes, and you are doing that something new, then, suddenly, it is actually not that new anymore, as your brain believes you’ve done it before, and eases you to it.

At a recent event, I found out that instead of a “traditional” stage, I’d be delivering the opening keynote on a catwalk, yes, you read that right, a catwalk! I had never been on a catwalk before, nor talked to an audience from one! I used this exact strategy, so that when I stepped on stage, or should I say, on the catwalk, it felt like I had done it before (and, here I am…!). 

Facing an obstacle, challenging you on your way towards your goals…

When we go towards our aspirations and goals, we can often face fears, challenges and obstacles along the way that can potentially stop us in our tracks, as it can be too much, and our mind gets tired and we lose momentum.

So, use this brain quirk to your advantage by imagining having already reached your goal. This strategy is one of my daily success routines; I’ve seen how powerful it is, and I want you to start implementing it today as I know, personally and with my clients, how beneficial it is to your goals, so that you too can experience these “déjà-vu”, again, again, and again, as you reach your goals again, again, and again.

For both of these situations, as you prepare to imagine it, you first want to read about doing that new thing or having achieved that goal, or talk to someone who has done that new thing before or achieved that particular goal before, or go online and check videos of people who have done that new thing before, or achieved that particular goal before. This preparation step is critical as it will help your brain create a series of bookmarks and references. 

Then, it is your turn, eyes close or open, whatever is best for you, and imagine you are now the one doing it or the one who has achieved it. Thanks to your preparation, you will be able to imagine it vividly, as you’ll have read about it, or talk to someone who has shared their experience with you, or even seen it on videos. That way, you are able to imagine it in great details: see what you see, hear what you hear, sense what you sense, feel what you feel, touch what you touch, smell what you smell, and taste what you taste. This is important, the more vivid your imagination is, the greater the result will be.

By leveraging that brain quirk for these two types of situations that you encounter all the time in your life, career, business, whether you are about to do something new or on your way to achieving one of your goals, you take further control of your mind and, decrease your stress and anxiety levels (when implementing this strategy towards new activities), and/or boost your drive (when implementing this strategy towards your goals).

Imagine how amazing it is going to be from now on as you now have this strategy in mind, and will use it in advance of all of your new things, and for all of your goals. Can you imagine how amazing this is going to make you feel, and how much daily progress you’re going to make?

This strategy will enable you to step up your game, by boosting your motivation, inspiring you to push through, sustaining your momentum, increasing your confidence, improving your focus, and enhancing your performance. In a nutshell, making it happen!!!

What do you think? I’d love to hear from you! Have you ever used this strategy before? If so, how was it? If not yet, what new thing or goal, are you going to implement it for?

Please leave a comment and join the below conversation!

Until next time 

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To your Mountain Moving Mindset,
Frederique

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Some of the comments received via Twitter:

Super article @IrishSmiley: http://t.co/gSB3BVLrR5 good recommendations.

— HRBusinessStrategies (@HRBusinessStrat) March 27, 2014

 

Turn Your Brain Quirks to Your Advantage! http://t.co/yzFEGLUD6k via @IrishSmiley #vision I need to try to do this more often. Awesome!

Great article, recommend reading – Turning One of Your Brain Quirks to Your Advantage! http://t.co/HfwddP21hH via @IrishSmiley

— mfbrodie (@mfbrodie) March 27, 2014