Wednesday, 21 March 2018

SUPERB WAYS YOU CAN USE TO BOOST YOUR IQ AND UNLEASH THE POTENTIALS OF YOUR BRAIN

I only recently discovered there is a secret society for people with high IQs. It’s called Mensa—aka The Nerd Herd. It’s actually not a secret, but I consider anything no one has told me about in the 39 years I’ve been on planet Earth to be a conspiracy. So it’s a secret as far as I’m concerned.
To get in, you have to take a test and score in the top 2 percent of all IQs in the universe, aliens included. (I’m assuming these people know about the aliens and aren’t telling us.) After that, your nerdship is official. You no longer have to wonder.           
That is the stupidest thing I could ever possibly even imagine imagining, was the first thought that came to me when I learned about this. I want in, was the second.
So I set a goal to get into Mensa within 90 days, and I posted this highly questionable aspiration on Facebook so I could add “suffer public humiliation” to my list of motivators for making it happen. Then I went to work on boosting my nerdability. I wasn’t even sure if that was possible since some scientists say IQ is genetic, but I’ve never listened to science before. Why start now?
Image result for iq nerd

I downloaded the Mensa app to my iPhone, took a practice test—and failed miserably. They were all trick questions apparently. The words “You’re average” started flashing on the screen as my first urge to smash a $700 phone on the ground came over me.
Then I did some things (that I’ll tell you in a second) and started scoring at a genius level. I’ll be taking the official test later this month and will soon be able to put an end to all future arguments with my wife by simply pulling out my Mensa card. I can’t wait.
Here’s why I’m telling you this…
There’s this unspoken but subtly implied belief in the personal development world that intelligence doesn’t really matter. We delight in hearing the story about how Henry Ford was so stupid that he had to call people into his office to answer questions for him. Having a high IQ is almost something we scoff at. I know I used to before I became a genius [insert my smirking emoji  face here].
But IQ is in large part a measure of your ability to recognize patterns. And as Ray Kurzweil famously says, “Pattern recognition is the essence of all human thought.” Intelligence is not the same as being book or trivia smart (although those are helpful, too). It’s your ability to manage and manipulate life with your mind. It’s the closest thing to a superhero power you’re going to get in this world.
Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between high levels of intelligence and success in life. It’s actually one of the biggest predictors of success—I call it the Nerd Effect. Read about Terman’s Study—they tracked genius-IQ level kids for their entire lives. They ended up richer, healthier, taller, stronger and even more able to dunk a basketball than kids with lower IQs. I made the basketball thing up, but the rest are true.
Now the really interesting thing about Terman’s Study is that not all the high-IQ kids were successful. Some turned out average and had higher rates of alcoholism and divorce. What made the difference? The difference was the successful kids had cultivated desire, prudence, willpower, goal-orientation, self-confidence and perseverance—all the stuff you’re probably doing right now.
So it’s true that intelligence alone won’t get you the success you’re after. But neither will your typical self-help strategies, unless accompanied by a reasonably high level of intelligence (the higher the better). So why not add, “increase my IQ” to your list of goals?
If I had to guess, intelligence accounts for about 50 percent of your success, and all the other typical self-improvement stuff—positive thinking, goal-setting, time management, character development, etc.—gets the other 50 percent. And my reasoning for that is simple. Intelligence is your ability to think at a high level. Think of your favorite billionaire; I guarantee you they are thinking at an extremely high level.
You know what… I just realized you may be reading this assuming you’re already really intelligent. You may be right. But take this test real quick to be sure: Mensa Workout
So how can you increase your IQ? Here are five ways, but it really all boils down to stretching your brain by learning new things:

1. Become a renaissance man. Or woman.

Be a student of life—not just wealth, health and happiness. Study history, science, psychology, art, languages, math, music, etc. Learn how this world works. Add depth to your mind and character. Read at least one book a week. Start to notice the patterns. Intelligence all boils down to pattern recognition.
One of my mentors said something interesting last week. He said, “I’ve noticed something. All my super rich friends are good at math.” And I realized that’s true of mine as well. Are you good at math? When you watch Shark Tank, can you calculate the valuations of the businesses in your head like the sharks do? If not, why not get good? Add it to your arsenal. You need a big arsenal to succeed in life. Mindset and success techniques are just a small fraction of what’s required.

2. Play the brain game Dual N-Back.

Do this 20 minutes a day. It will improve your working memory, and one study showed it increased IQ drastically. Other studies showed it didn’t. Screw those studies. I’ve been doing this for a while, and it is definitely doing something amazing to my brain.

3. Do regular high cardio exercise.

The version of Dual N-Back I use tracks my progress. Well one day I went to the gym and played the game right when I got home (I use the word “game” lightly—it’s mild torture). My scores went through the friggin roof. There is something about the release of endorphins that sends your brain into overdrive. Get as many of those endorphins as possible.

4. Learn an instrument.

Learning to play music is the equivalent of giving your brain a full body workout. This has been proven in studies using FMRI scans. Simply put, playing an instrument lights your entire brain on intellectual fire and has lasting impact on math and spatial reasoning skills. It’s not for no reason the wealthy almost universally require their children to learn a classical instrument whether they like it or not. Carve out 30 minutes a week to take a lesson and release your inner rock star.

5. Buy the book Boost Your IQ by Carolyn Skitt, and play all the games.

This book was written by Mensa nerds, so you can be guaranteed they know what they’re talking about.
Bottom line: your intelligence is not set in genetic stone. You can increase it. And as you do, all the other things you’re trying to succeed at will become amazingly easier. I did it. You can do it.
“You have to be smart. The easy days are over.” –Robert Kiyosaki

Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge (or skills). It is the common denominator to everything we do in life; and improving your intellect is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. So while these 30 tips won't turn you into Albert Einstein or Steve Jobs, they will help to polish your current intelligence and make your mind work better. If you're just looking for something to bump you up on the IQ scale (I personally feel the IQ test is complete rubbish, Intelligence is too vast of a concept to standardize and bring down to mere numbers) these tips according to research will have a positive effect your intelligence quotient.
But keep in mind that there are some psychologists who believe IQ does NOT change over ones lifetime and then there are some who do. So I recommend you take everything "intelligence" with a grain of salt and do what feels good for you. 
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking its stupid. - Einstein
I personally find the following tips very valuable in keeping my mind sharp and I strongly feel that just like a muscle, with practice you can make your mind do amazing and powerful things. So, I hope you find the following tips beneficial and that overtime you grow your intelligence and unlock the true potential of your mind. Best of luck!

Here are 30 ways you can increase your intelligence:

  1. Read More – Intelligence begins with reading. The more you will read, the more you will absorb and therefore the more intelligent you will get. 
  2. Set Goals – Goals create structure in life and only through proper structure can you increase intelligence.
  3. Meditate – When you meditate you calm your brain. This peace and tranquility is crucial in building intellect.
  4. Make Notes – The body remembers by doing. So by making notes on everything you do, you will increase memory and intellect.
  5. Play Sudoku – Playing Sudoku challenges your brain and helps you think logically. It is a brain game and according to the American Alzheimer’s Association and it might help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
  6. Stay Hydrated – Our brains depend on proper hydration to function properly. Brain cells require a delicate balance between water and other elements to operate at max efficiency.So try to keep you brain replenished and drink the medically recommended amount of water every day.
  7. Minimize "Bad" Television – Watching TV nowadays with all of its reality shows or just simply watching re-runs is one of the worst things you can do for your intelligence. While it can be relaxing you don`t stimulate your thinking. Try tuning into a documentary or the news every now and then.    
  8. Exercise – Exercise keeps your body fine-tuned and energetic; it is a great way to increase your productivity and intelligence.
  9. Mentally Simplify - Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge or skill. So try unclutter your thoughts and process information one piece at a time. You will find that you will not just be more productive but your mental capacity will increase. 
  10. Have a Good Breakfast – You can’t drive a car without fuel. Once you wake up and your tank is empty, eat a hearty breakfast to get yourself going again. Eating a healthy breakfast is directly linked to higher mental performance.  
  11. Eat Yogurt and other “bacteria” – Certain bacteria have been scientifically linked to brain power. So it’s possible that by simply eating yogurt you can promote the growth of neurons.
  12. Get Enough Rest – Imagine your brain like a smartphone. No matter how efficient and wonderful it is, it eventually needs to recharge and shut down. A good night’s rest will do wonders in making you smarter.  
  13. Do Math Questions – The only reason people don’t like math is because it requires them to use their brains. By doing math you exercise your brain and just like a muscle, through exercise it gets stronger and quicker.
  14. Make Connections – Don’t wait for ideas to become clear. Always be on the edge and make connections between things.
  15. Breathe – Oxygen is crucial to the brain and it can’t survive very long deprived of it. You should practice good breathing techniques and give your brain as much as oxygen as it needs. "You don't need to know all the answers. No one is smart enough to ask you all the questions". - Unknown
  16. Do Crosswords – Crosswords are very effective in making your brain work and exercise.
  17. Take Breaks – Your brain is just a muscle and overworking it will only cause problems. Take periodic breaks to keep your brain fresh and productive. And never forget to sleep. 
  18. Refine Your Thinking - Don’t just think but think about how you are thinking when you think. It’s a quite a handful of words, but it works. If you plan out your thinking process you will think more productively.
  19. Eat Brain Food – There are many foods which have been associated with brain health, including dark green vegetables, fish oil and nuts. Try to incorporate as much as brain food into your diet.
  20. Draw Diagrams and Charts –Try to organize your thoughts using diagrams and charts whenever possible. This reorganization is very helpful in increasing intellect.
  21. Quiz Yourself – To become more intelligent try to always challenge yourself and push your brain to the limits. So if this simply means that by using your opposite hand you are challenging yourself; do it.  
  22. Keep Your Brain Working – Your brain should never stop working unless you are sleeping or taking periodic breaks as mentioned above. Keep your brain active, and clicking on all cylinders.
  23. Get a Rubik’s Cube - A Rubik’s cube is a great way to exercise your brain and build intelligence.
  24. Don’t take in too much Sugar – Too much sugar gives your brain short term jolt, but after the sugar rush is over the sugar crash is just not worth it.
  25. Learn to Play an Instrument – Playing an instrument is a great way to increase your intellect. The reasoning behind it is that you’re triple tasking: listening, reading and playing the instrument.
  26. Work on Vocabulary – If you know more words you will be able to not just acquire more information but will be able to apply it more effectively as well.
  27. Eat throughout the Day – Your brain needs fuel to function. Try to avoid being hungry and keep yourself well fed.
  28. Focus – Intelligence is largely based on how much you can focus at one time. Practice focusing on tasks and avoid distractions.
  29. Listen to Classical Music – According to the “Mozart Effect” by listening to classical music an improvement in productivity is induced.
  30. Don’t Give Up – Anybody can become smarter and improve their intellect so never give up and keep trying.

Saturday, 17 March 2018

THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE


The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People explores a number of paradigms,
principles and habits that can help you become more productive, whether that be
as an individual, as part of an organisation or a business.

This was an excerpt from -STEPHEN R. COVEY
PARADIGMS AND PRINCIPLES
On order to change a situation, you first have to change yourself. And to change
yourself effectively, you first have to change your perception.
A Paradigm is the way we “see” the world – not in terms of our visual sense of sight,
but in terms of perceiving, understanding, and interpreting. Paradigms are the
source of our attitudes and behaviours. We cannot act with integrity outside of
them. We simply cannot maintain wholeness if we talk and walk differently than we
see.
The Power of a Paradigm Shift
Whether they shift us in positive or negative directions, whether they are
instantaneous or developmental, Paradigm Shifts move us from one way of seeing
the world to another. And those shifts create powerful change. Our paradigms,
correct or incorrect, are the sources of our attitudes and behaviours, and ultimately
our relationships with others.
A Paradigm Shift is the “a-ha” experience associated with finally perceiving or
understanding some aspect of the world (or a circumstance) in a different way.
The Principle-centred Paradigm
Principles are natural laws that cannot be broken. While individuals may look at
their own lives and interactions in terms of paradigms or maps emerging out of
their experience and conditioning, these maps are not the territory. They are a
“subjective reality,” only an attempt to describe the territory. The “objective
reality,” or the territory itself, is composed of “lighthouse” principles that govern
human growth and happiness – natural laws that are woven into the fabric of every
civilized society throughout history and comprise the roots of every family and
institution that has endured and prospered.
Principles of Growth and Change
2
In all of life, there are sequential stages of growth and development. Each step is
important and each one takes time. No step can be skipped. Consequently, we
sometimes look for a shortcut, expecting to be able to skip some of these vital
steps in order to save time and effort and still reap the desired result. It is simply
impossible to violate, ignore, or shortcut this development process. It is contrary to
nature, and attempting to seek such a shortcut only results in disappointment and
frustration.
The Way We See the Problem is the Problem
As we look around us and within us and recognize the problems created as we live
and interact within the personality ethic, we begin to realize that these are deep,
fundamental problems that cannot be solved on the superficial level on which they
were created. We need a new level, a deeper level of thinking – a paradigm based
on the principles that accurately describe the territory of effective human being and
interacting – to solve these deep concerns.
THE SEVEN HABITS
Habits Defined
A habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire. Knowledge is the
theoretical paradigm, the what to do and the why. Skill is the how to do. And desire
is the motivation, the want to do. In order to make something a habit in our lives,
we have to have all three.
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Proactivity - means more than merely taking initiative. It means that as human
beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behaviour is a function of our
decisions, not our conditions. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make
things happen.
“Response-ability” – the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people
recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or
conditioning for their behaviour. Their behaviour is a product of their own conscious
choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.
Because we are, by nature, proactive, if our lives are a function of conditioning and
conditions, it is because we have, by conscious decision or by default, chosen to
empower those things to control us. In making such a choice, we become reactive.
Reactive people are often affected by their physical environment. If the weather is
good, they feel good. If it isn’t, it affects their attitude and their performance.
3
Proactive people can carry their own weather with them. Whether it rains or shines
makes no difference to them. They are value driven; and if their value is to produce
good quality work, it isn’t a function of whether the weather is conducive to it or
not.
Proactive people are driven by values – carefully thought about, selected and
internalized values. Proactive people are still influenced by external stimuli,
whether physical, social, or psychological. But their response to the stimuli,
conscious or unconscious, is a value-based choice or response.
Initiative - Our basic nature is to act, and not be acted upon. Taking initiative does
not mean being pushy, obnoxious, or aggressive. It does mean recognizing our
responsibility to make things happen.
Businesses, community groups, organizations of every kind can be proactive. They
can combine the creativity and resourcefulness of proactive individuals to create a
proactive culture within the organization.
Another excellent way to become more self-aware regarding our own degree of
proactivity is to look at where we focus our time and energy. We each have a “Circle
of Concerns”– our health, our children, problems at work, the national debt,
nuclear war. These things over which we have no real control. Proactive people
focus their efforts in what we call the Circle of Influence. They work on the things
they can do something about.
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
To Begin with the End in Mind means to start with a clear understanding of your
destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand
where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.
It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity trap - it is possible to be busy –
very busy – without being very effective.
“Begin with the End in Mind" is based on the principle that all things are created
twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all
things. The extent to which you Begin with the End in Mind often determines
whether or not you are able to create a successful enterprise. Most business
failures begin in the first creation, with problems such as undercapitalization,
misunderstanding of the market, or lack of a business plan.
4
The unique human capacities of self-awareness, imagination, and conscience
enable us to examine first creations and make it possible for us to take charge of
our own first creation, to write our own script.
Habit 2 is based on principles of personal leadership, which means that leadership
is the first creation. Leadership is not management. Management is the second
creation. But leadership has to come first. Management is a bottom-line focus:
How can I best accomplish certain things? Leadership deals with the top line: What
are the things I want to accomplish?
Through imagination, we can visualize the uncreated worlds of potential that lie
within us. Through conscience, we can come in contact with universal laws or
principles with our own singular talents and avenues of contribution, and with the
personal guidelines within which we can most effectively develop them. Combined
with self-awareness, these two endowments empower us to write our own script.
Develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed. It focuses on what
you want to be (character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the
values or principles upon which being and doing are based. Once you have that
sense of mission, you have the essence of your own proactivity. You have the vision
and the values which direct your life.
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 3, is the second creation – the physical creation. It’s the fulfilment, the
actualization, the natural emergence of Habits 1 and 2.
The ability to manage well determines the quality and even the existence of the
second creation. Management is the breaking down, the analysis, the sequencing,
the specific application, the time-bound left-brain aspect of effective selfgovernment.
In addition to self-awareness, imagination, and conscience, it is the fourth human
endowment – independent will – that really makes effective self-management
possible. It is the ability to make decisions and choices and to act in accordance
with them. It is the ability to act rather than to be acted upon, to proactively carry
out the program we have developed through the other three endowments.
Time Management has 4 ‘generations’. The first generation is characterized by
notes and checklists, an effort to give recognition to the many demands placed on
our time and energy. The second generations is characterized by calendars and
appointment books, reflecting an attempt to look ahead and schedule events in the
5
future. The third generation reflects the current time-management field. It adds the
important idea of prioritization, of clarifying values, and of comparing the relative
worth of activities based on their relationship to those values. In addition, it
focuses on setting goals – specific long-, intermediate-, and short-term targets
toward which time and energy would be directed in harmony with values. It also
includes the concept of daily planning, of making a specific plan to accomplish
those goals and activities determined to be of greatest worth.
While the third generation has made a significant contribution, people have begun
to realize that “efficient” scheduling and control of time are often
counterproductive. There is an emerging fourth generation that is different in kind.
It recognizes that “time management” is really a misnomer – the challenge is not to
manage time, but to manage ourselves. Satisfaction is a function of expectation as
well as realization. And expectation (and satisfaction) lie in our Circle of Influence.
Rather than focusing on things and time, fourth-generation expectations focus on
preserving and enhancing relationships and accomplishing results.
The fourth-generation tool recognizes that the first person you need to consider in
terms of effectiveness rather than efficiency is yourself. It encourages you to spend
time to understand and centre your life on principles, to give clear expression to the
purposes and values you want to direct your daily decisions.
We accomplish all that we do through delegation – either to time or to other people.
If we delegate to time, we think efficiency. If we delegate to other people, we think
effectiveness. Many people refuse to delegate to other people because they feel it
takes too much time and effort and they could do the job better themselves. But
effectively delegating to others is perhaps the single most powerful high-leverage
activity there is.
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Win-win is not a technique; it’s a total philosophy of human interaction. In fact, it is
one of six paradigms of interaction. The alternative paradigms are win-lose, losewin,
lose-lose, win, and Win-Win or No Deal TM.
Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all
human interactions. Win-win means that agreements or solutions are mutually
beneficial, mutually satisfying. With a win-win solution, all parties feel good about
the decision and feel committed to the action plan. Win-win sees life as a
cooperative, not a competitive arena.
6
Think Win-Win is the habit of interpersonal leadership. It involves the exercise of
each of the unique human endowments – self-awareness, imagination,
conscience, and independent will – in our relationships with others. It involves
mutual learning, mutual influence, and mutual benefits. It takes great courage as
well as consideration to create these mutual benefits, particularly if we’re
interacting with others who are deeply scripted in win-loss.
Win-win is not a personality technique. It’s a total paradigm of human interaction.
It comes from a character of integrity, maturity, and the Abundance Mentality. It
grows out of high-trust relationships. It is embodied in agreements that effectively
clarify and manage expectations as well as accomplishments. It thrives in
supportive systems. And it is achieved through the process of Habits 5 and 6.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be understood
We have such a tendency to rush in, to fix things up with good advice. But we often
fail to take the time to diagnose, to really, deeply understand the problem first. This
principle is the key to effective interpersonal communication.
Communication is the most important skill in life. We spend most of our waking
hours communicating. But consider this: You’ve spent years learning how to read
and write, years learning how to speak. But what about listening?
If you want to interact effectively with someone, to influence them, you first need
to understand them. If you want to be really effective in the habit of interpersonal
communication, you have to build the skills of empathic listening on a base of
character that inspires openness and trust.
“Seek first to understand” involves a very deep shift in paradigm. We typically seek
first to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they
listen with the intent to reply. They’re either speaking or preparing to speak. They’re
filtering everything through their own paradigms, reading their autobiography into
other people’s lives.
Empathetic Listening - gets inside another person’s frame of reference. You look
out
through it, you see the world the way they see the world, you understand their
paradigm, you understand how they feel. The essence of empathic listening is not
that you agree with someone; it’s that you fully, deeply, understand that person,
emotionally as well as intellectually.
7
Empathic listening is also risky. It takes a great deal of security to go into a deep
listening experience because you open yourself up to be influenced. You become
vulnerable. It’s a paradox, in a sense, because in order to have influence, you have
to be influenced. That means you have to really understand.
As you learn to listen deeply to other people, you will discover tremendous
differences in perception. You will also begin to appreciate the impact that these
differences can have as people try to work together in interdependent situations.
When we really, deeply understand each other, we open the door to creative
solutions and Third Alternatives. Our differences are no longer stumbling blocks to
communication and progress. Instead, they become the stepping stones to
synergy.
Habit 6: Synergize
When properly understood, synergy is the highest activity in all life – the true test
and manifestation of all the other habits put together. Synergy is the essence of
Principle-Centered Leadership. It is the essence of principle-centered parenting. It
catalyzes, unifies, and unleashes the greatest powers within people.
What is synergy? Simply defined, it means that the whole is greater than the sum of
its parts. It means that the relationship which the parts have to each other is a part
in and of itself. It is not only a part, but the most catalytic, the most empowering,
the most unifying, and the most exciting part.
When you communicate synergistically, you are simply opening your mind and
heart and expressions to new possibilities, new alternatives, new options. It may
seem as if you are casting aside Habit 2 (to Begin with the End in Mind); but, in fact,
you’re doing the opposite – you’re fulfilling it. You’re not sure when you engage in
synergistic communication how things will work out or what the end will look like,
but you do have an inward sense of excitement and security and adventure,
believing that it will be significantly better than it was before. And that is the end
that you have in mind.
Once people have experienced real synergy, they are never quite the same again.
They know the possibility of having other such mind-expanding adventures in the
future. Synergy is exciting. Creativity is exciting. It’s phenomenal what openness
and communication can produce. The possibilities of truly significant gain, of
significant improvement are so real that it’s worth the risk such openness entails.
8
There are some circumstances in which synergy may not be achievable and no deal
isn’t viable. But even in these circumstances, the spirit of sincere trying will usually
result in a more effective compromise.
Synergy works; it’s a correct principle. It is the crowning achievement of all the
previous habits. It is effectiveness in an interdependent reality – it is teamwork,
team building, the development of unity and creativity with other human beings.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
“Sharpen the Saw” means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have –
you. It’s renewing the four dimensions of your nature – physical, spiritual, mental,
and social/emotional. To do this, we must be proactive.
This is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life – investment
in ourselves, in the only instrument we have with which to deal with life and to
contribute. We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we
need to recognize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw in all
four ways.
The Physical Dimension: The physical dimension involves caring effectively for our
physical body – eating the right kinds of foods, getting sufficient rest and
relaxation, and exercising on a regular basis.
The Spiritual Dimension: The spiritual dimension is your core, your centre, your
commitment to your value system. It’s a very private area of life and a supremely
important one. It draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift you and tie you to
the timeless truths of all humanity. And people do it very, very differently whether
that be meditation, experiencing nature or yoga.
The Mental Dimension: Most of our mental development and study discipline
comes through formal education. But as soon as we leave the external discipline of
school, many of us let our minds atrophy. Education – continuing education,
continually honing and expanding the mind – is vital mental renewal. Sometimes
that involves the external discipline of the classroom or systematized study
programs; more often it does not. Proactive people can figure out many, many ways
to educate themselves. It is extremely valuable to train the mind to stand apart and
examine its own program.
The Social/Emotional Dimension: These dimensions of our lives are tied together
because our emotional life is primarily, but not exclusively, developed out of and
manifested in our relationships with others. Renewing our social/emotional
9
dimension does not take time in the same sense that renewing the other
dimensions does. We can do it in our normal everyday interactions with other
people. But it definitely requires exercise.
Most people are a function of the social mirror, scripted by the opinions, the
perceptions, the paradigms of the people around them. As interdependent people,
you realise that we are a part of that social mirror. Choose to reflect back to others
a clear, undistorted vision of themselves.
The self-renewal process must include balanced renewal in all four dimensions of
our nature: the physical, the spiritual, the mental, and the social/emotional.
Although renewal in each dimension is important, it only becomes optimally
effective as we deal with all four dimensions in a wise and balanced way. To neglect
any one area negatively impacts the rest.

The most humble president in the world

...