Thumbs Up!

Many celebrate graduates in June. Celebration's deserved for peak in performance. That often occurs as we learn new skills from others.

Initiate something different on the job and your brain rewires new dendrite brain cells for that skill. Each time you do the skill seems easier... And, you build savvy, too. Here's a thumbs-up to bloggers who raise the bar by using more of their gifts and talents aka multiple intelligences in novel ways.

Bodliy-kinesthetic Intelligence: Carol Kinsey Gorman, shares how we can we can improve on our body-language to engage others in ways that benefit us at work. She's just published, Non-Verbal Advantage.

To get some fresh insights about your body language, check out Anna Farmery's interview of Carol in The Importance of Body Language, a podcast. They discuss...

* How you raise the engagement of employees in meetings through body language.
* How to use your body language in meetings
* Whether you can change the body language of others
* What are the secrets to charisma and how to be a charismatic leader?
* Why do people struggle to trust and engage with politicians
* Insights into the body language of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain

Musical Intelligence: If you have need of music for a production you are creating, Erikiso offers offers excellent sites where you can locate and download great music free.

Intrapersonal Intelligence: Grace goes hand in hand with kindness and thankfulness in my mind and it was a joy to read Terry Starbucker's definition of grace this morning...

When one lives with grace, it means that in one’s manner, talk and action, there flows an elegance and warmth that respects and honors all individuals with kindness, compassion, understanding, and tolerance. This warmth is capable of spreading to everyone this person encounters, so that the person is described as adding “grace” to an occasion or to any other gathering (or a blog, for that matter). When one lives with grace, they also possess grace, in that they draw moral and spiritual strength from it, and ultimately, true happiness and fulfillment.

Terry had been surprised by Rosa Say's grace in republishing his contribution on grace at Joyful Jubilant Learning. Thanks Terry and Rosa! This is Intrapersonal Intelligence shining brightly through you both.

Interpersonal Intelligence More and more social networking is imperative to build your brand. Gavin Heaton provides several reasons why...

We are effectively seeing the 20th Century modes of business (command and control) being subverted by the activities of individuals. The strict hierarchies and mechanisms of control are being called into question by active (consumer) participants and employee evangelists determined to achieve outcomes (often in spite of the barriers placed in their way).

Spatial Intelligence Ever ride the wave of your imagination? Karen Swim reminds me to just sit and let my imagination take me away and let me see new mental images of things I was aware of previously and which are not yet realities. Einstein did this all the time...

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.

Linguistic Intelligence - Can you remember the last word you wrote in your last exam answer sheet before you graduated from college? My bet would be no. AxeCity, a fairly new blogger, decided to concentrate on one word in his final exam: "Future." What would happen if you concentrated on "Future" as you carry out your work next week? Check to see what happened...

Naturalistic Intelligence Brad Shorr tells a story of a Mother Robin who decided to build a nest in a maple tree near his childhood home. Bullies want Brad to help them smash the eggs. You'll have to read Brad's powerful story to see how this touch his life...

Let's give Robert Hruzek a high five for this month's focus on animals in his latest What I Learned From … group project. Check his site next week for fascinating stories I see in the queue. For instance, I noticed Joanna Young learned about the writing life from her cat. There'll be many fascinating entries...

Logical-Mathematical How do you market your business with little money? Drew McLellan offers five strategies to get your brand visible without breaking the bank... Now that takes real savvy, Drew and thanks for the great tips. Here's just one and check his site for more.

Hang out where your potential customers hang out and be helpful.

What would happen if you looked through the lens of a new intelligence as you approach a problem at work? Try stretching what you usually do and see what happens!

The Brain Behind "March's Child Is..."

How do you describe your personality? C.B. Whittemore challenged me to describe mine by using a list of traits connected to my birth month. Hmmm... wonder how a person's traits connect to the brain? It's fascinating!

C.B. inspired me by finesse she used to circumvent words that are "difficult" parts of a person's personality.

So here's...

March's Child is... from the brain's perspective.

Attractive personality. The great part is that we can hone our brains to become more the person we'd like others see in us. For instance, if I awaken cranky, I can turn that around by encouraging others rather than grousing. Ever tried that? The result... people react in positive ways. Choices help shape personality. And, there's more...

Sexy. Yes, the brain is very sexy to study and understand just a wee bit more... It also frames sexy in more energizing and exciting ways than the world or tabloids do.

Affectionate. Yes. Over time, I built many dendrite brain cells for affection and that quality's affirmed by those I love.

Shy and reserved. We each have hidden areas in our brain we'd like to probe more deeply and understand. Since I was shy as a child, I have been learning more from cognitive research about how shyness develops. Thankfully, the human brain has great plasticity, and by stretching to take "risks" I have wired a schema for more confidence in my brain's basal ganglia. Now, I'm able to interact easily with others during a conference.

Secretive. The human brain holds many mysteries, of which I am beginning to plummet the surface. As the brain yields some it's more enticing secrets, we can learn more of how the brain influences our choices. I'll keep you posted as I keep learning...

Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. The medial section of the brain's prefrontal cortex has been associated with empathy and regulation of negative emotion. Researchers are learning more... Over years I've learned that as I give away, I receive much pleasure. Hopefully I will rewire my brain in this direction over the next few years.

Loves peace and serenity. When I am in an environment with chaos or strife, it shoots Cortisol to my brain and disturbs mental peace. In the last few years as I've learned so much more about the brain's serenity, I use tactics to turn it around negative barbs, into positive high points.

Sensitive to others... Loves to serve others... As I help others, or extend hospitality around a meal, it brings a sense of calm and serenity to me. That's because it primes the pump of Serotonin, a chemical of well-being, to begin flowing through my brain.

Easily angered. When I miss a golf shot, I admit I used to get a little feisty. My first reactions to anger were emotional and the right side of my brain spun into a tailspin, preventing my logical left side to take over as quickly as I would want. Over time, I've learned how to combat the Cortisol that flows when I'm aroused by anger by tricking my brain as I focus it to a new area. This helps me step back and look into my logical left brain for a sensible response.

Trustworthy.Since I was raised in a loving family, in whom I built a deep sense of trust. By living what was modeled in my life, the schema for this is deeply embedded in my brain's basal ganglia.

Appreciative and returns kindness... Observant and assesses others.By practicing these qualities in our actions, we build a routine for that in the brain's hippocampus. Since these qualities are those I want to possess even more, I focus more on the way I react to others - to be sure that this happens. Because I do this, I am "using" this part of my brain and I am not apt to "lose" my sensitivity to others as I grow older.

Revengeful. Moody. Loves attention. Everybody's nature has two sides and there's much hope to guard against a proclivity for choices that go against the nature and personality we most want to develop. Fact is the less we use it, the more likely that brain cells we've built in this area will begin to die off. When you don't use it, you can actually "lose it" in part through death of brain cells. So personality traits you wish to diminish will take extra focus so that you do not react quickly through emotive responses.

Loves to dream and fantasize. We need to turn things around so dreams and fantasizing help people put together new possibilities. And, to insure I'm thinking logically, I take one extra step to "keep my feet on the ground."

Loves traveling. Seeing the world and working with people of many cultures stimulates my brain. At the same time it provides needed down time to be "good to me."

Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Often at first sight we are blind to another person's likes and dislikes. My marriage weathered differences because it is built on love trust, commitment, intimacy and attachment.

Loves home decors. Ambiance affects well-being.

Musically talented. Music is actually a mirror of the mind. Just to give you a snapshot of where I stand, in high school I played the trombone in Select Band, Dance Band, and Marching Band. I loved the unpredictability of the instrument.

Loves special things. The things I love don't cost money, since the best things in life "Come Cheap -- Even for Millionaires." I love a great talk with one of my grandsons or just spending time in nature, or working with leaders around the globe.

What about your personality traits? Here are the rules to step up and meet the challenge to describing you in relations to traits listed below for your birth month:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back.
2. Pick your month of birth.
3. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you and if you would like write some wit or not.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

I'm tagging folks in the list below along with readers and friends who're up to the challenge:

Al at 7P Productions

Ann at Manage to Change

Dan at Idea Sellers

Darlene at Interview Chatter

Galba at Tune Up Your EQ

Hsien Lei at Cotton-Pickin' Days

Jeanne at Writer's Notes

Laura at Writing Thoughts

Maria at Beauty Is Within

Rosa at Managing with Aloha Coaching

Scott at McArthur's Rant

Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace

List of traits used for each month...

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas.Difficult to fathom.Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Give a Lift to EduBloggers in the F-meme!

Learning makes a difference - whether we're in business, health and medicine, education or anywhere. Angela Meyers decided to begin an F-list to highlight education bloggers. Angela noticed that few educators link out, extending the conversation. So by linking to EduBloggers, bloggers can bolster good ideas educators share in blogs. "The intent is to recognize the unsung blogger and model the power that linking to one another can bring," Angela says.

By giving to others, we actually build more dendrite brain cells in two of our own multiple intelligences. You see, our brain has great plasticity and the more we actively do something, like giving, the more dendrites we build for that activity.

Here's more about the two intelligences you'll strengthen:

Interpersonal Intelligence - This is our social intelligence and researchers have located a specific area in your brain which activates and can be observed using MRI's. In fact, the New York State Standards for Education, list the social standard as one of the most highly important indicators of learning. When you process an idea and can discuss it, relate it to your experience, and ask and answer questions on it with a group, shows that you have learned a concept well. Interpersonal intelligence works well for students who may have difficulty in reading but are more highly gifted in processing ideas as they communicate with others. When we as bloggers, exchange ideas and information with others in many different fields, we build more dendrite brain cells.

Intrapersonal Intelligence - Deep emotional, spiritual and mental well-being resides in this intelligence. In fact, when we give more of ourselves rather than grasping more for ourselves we build many dendrite brain cells for intrapersonal intelligence. In addition, every time you do something positive for others, you release serotonin in your brain, a brain chemical of well-being. I'm hoping to rewire for more dendrites in this intelligence than ever this year... Want to target that along with me?

Incidently, Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University, originator of multiple intelligences, names Dr. Ellen Weber's work with the MITA learning and assessment model in his book, Intelligence Reframed.

Angela has listed the following bloggers on the F-list for educators:

Are We Doing Anything Today?
Timely Teacher Talk
Three Standard Deviations to the Left
Eide Neurolearning Blog
Speaking of History

I'm naming:

Mindset Matters: Leading and Teaching with Smart and Heart
The Principal's Office
Curious Cat: Science and Engineering Blog

Here are instructions to add to Angela Meirs' F-List:

"What YOU can do is simply create a new post on your blog, but CUT AND PASTE the list above, and then ADD any blogs you feel aren't getting their due either. It can be one blog, or a hundred (or none if you simply want to repost the same list), but the idea is, find those great blogs that, for whatever reason, you feel aren't getting their due, link-wise.

Then after you leave your post, the next blogger will do the same thing, cut and paste YOUR list, and add THEIR blogs to the list, then repost it. Add the same instructions in your post that the next blogger should cut and paste YOUR list, and add any blogs they feel should be on it to THEIR list. The list will get increasingly long, and all the blogs will get a sort of reverse 'pyramid-affect' of link-love."

Join me and step up to Angela's challenge... Who would you like to add?

Overcome Stereotypes and Fear of Math!

Actress Danica McKellar's probably not the person who comes to mind when you picture a mathematician. Danica's displayed high mental acumen in the field by proving her own theorem. And, she graduated summa cum laude in math though she first intended to study writing and directing in college.

And because of her influence as an actress, McKellar's changing a stereotype that prevented many girls from success in math. Interestingly, young men are more likely to have higher opinions of their abilities in math and science than women. Added to that, men hold four times the number of full-time university faculty positions in math, science, and engineering. To illustrate this, "As McKellar sat in a sea of male classmates in her advanced classes," according to a recent article in Good Magazine, "she realized she was living the direct repercussions of these early gender inequalities."

What's the difference then? Educational researcher Patricia Campbell, who evaluates math and science programs for the National Science Foundation says, "We've gotten girls to take math. We've gotten girls to use math. But, we haven't gotten them to love it."

Myths about intelligence The problem's multifacted... On one hand it's related to myths gals may hold about their brains... If gals believe guys are smarter at math, they set up self fulfilling prophecies, since the brain picks up that message. The more you feed your brain that perception the less you'll calculate math with ease. To overcome this, if women understand their brains have equal potential and that the more they think they can do math, as Danica McKellar models, the more success they'll experience as they build new confidence.

Fear Danica goes so far as to say that, "Girls fear math." For some, fear leads to lower test outcomes. Recent research at Michigan State University reveals that "while under pressure those most likely to succeed will most likely fail." That's because "individuals higher in working memory capacity are more likely to be negatively impacted by performance pressure on math tests than those lower in working memory capacity." We've all experienced testing pressure and know of some friends who failed because worry incapacitated them. But anybody can bust the fear barrier and turn it around.

Plasticity of the Brain If girls knew more about their brain and how it works, it might help overcome these past stereotypes and fears. According to Barry Conners of Brown University, the plasticity of the human brain impacts its ability to change. So as young women begin with the premise "I think I can..." more positive outcomes they'll see. With positive outcomes, they'll build more dendrite brain cells for calculating math. And as they do, the more confident they'll become. Do you sense that gals may find a love for math as Danica has?

Taking Stats after 40 years When I was recently attending university, I was required to take statistics. Quite frankly I was scared because I had not taken a math course in 40 years. There were many things that influenced my "A" outcome at graduate level. The teacher used new approaches that drew from spatial intelligence. Don't forget that Einstein developed the theory of relativity because he visualized the curve of the arc. I began to understand stats because of the teacher's methodologies. And the more I began to use statistics in my research, the more confident I became. Women and men can grow new smarts, when they open their mind to learn... even when they're older!

Test taking tactics By practicing on sample tests, women and men learn strategies that help build confidence and more dendrite brain cells are built so that test tactics can be summoned when needed. In this way, people can overcome "fear" that could lead to failure at test time.

I'm glad Danica's a "Math Wonder." I anticipate we'll soon see more women engineers and mathematicians as they overcome former stereotypes and fear.

If stereotypes or fear have prevented your success in any area, good news is that you can bust the barriers.

Thoughts?

The Art of Seeing You

Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?" I dream of things that never were and say, "Why not?" George Bernard Shaw

Do you ask Why? more than Why Not? Perspective makes a difference. Your brain actually rewires for the things you focus on in a given day. So what you concentrate on at work, for instance, builds more dendrite brain cells for that thing. Consider examples of people who ask, Why?, related to others at work during the course of a typical day...

The manager, who thinks he knows it all... Why can't he see I'm smarter than he is and use different specifications for our project?

The CEO just gave herself another huge raise... Why can't she see I deserve a bonus, for my hard work over the last year?

Team mates didn't meet the deadline... Why can't I be on Mary and Joe's team? They don't argue all the time like jerks on my team who never listen to me and don't get things in when I ask...

What's your daily focus? You actually build dendrite brain cells that'll play back messages such as, they put the wrong person in as manager... others get the breaks...they always recognize John....

To bust barriers... start seeing you in a new light... It's more about changing me than changing others... Here's the way to launch...

Ask Why not? The art of seeing yourself as you want to be takes you beyond problems. That's why some folks get ahead when others go nowhere. When a crisis comes, people who still envision the person they want to be find solutions to bust barriers. They keep heart...

Last week I rented a movie that renewed inspiration - Invincible...

The Philadelphia Eagles had been the losingest team in the NFL. Coach Dick Vermeil decided to let some locals try out for the team...something unheard of... He might add one player to the roster. Critics and nay-sayers had a heyday with such a hairbrained scheme...

Here's the deal...30 year-old, Vince Papale, lost his job, couldn't pay rent and came home to find his house emptied and a note from his wife saying, "You're a loser." And, he thought he was...

However, football buddies, who played at night with car lights on in an inner city parking lot, encouraged Vince to try out for the Eagles. And, because of Vince's speed, moves and acumen on the field, Vermeil took a chance...gave Papale the nod to try... to prove he had the stuff to take the losing Eagles out of the cellar.

Here's what Papale faced...

• jealous players who didn't what him there
• people that told him he was too old
• digs and jibes
• second thoughts in his self-talk
• his wife's note telling him he was a loser

But, Vince leapt beyond this because he kept seeing himself playing in a major game wearing a Philadelphia Eagle jersey...

Not only did Vince Papale help the team win, but he eventually helped the team go to the Superbowl. He never went on to college, he was 30, people told him he was a loser, but, he kept seeing the person he wanted to be.

See a new you?...Why Not?

Find more quotes on wisdom such as Shaw's