Train Your Brain For Success

1. Harness Your Brain's Visual Language for Powerful Memory

The language of your memory (and every other function of your brain) is images.

Visualize to memorize. Your brain naturally thinks in pictures, making visual associations a powerful tool for memory enhancement. The Mental File Folder System, comprising File, Image, and Glue (F.I.G.), provides a structured approach to memory improvement. Files serve as mental storage locations, while images represent the information to be remembered. Glue, consisting of action and emotion, helps cement these images to their files.

Create vivid mental images. To maximize retention:

• Use familiar locations as mental "files" (e.g., parts of your body)
• Transform information into clear, vivid mental pictures
• Add action and emotion to make images more memorable
• Review information using spaced repetition (one hour, one day, one week)

This system can be applied to various scenarios, from remembering shopping lists to mastering complex subject matter, significantly boosting recall abilities.

2. Amplify Reading Speed and Comprehension Through Smart Techniques

Comprehension increases with speed.

Break limiting habits. Most adults read at a sixth-grade level due to three restrictive habits: mind wandering, regression (re-reading), and subvocalization (mental whispering). By addressing these issues, you can dramatically improve both speed and comprehension.

Implement smart reading strategies:

• Use eye exercises to improve focus and reduce fatigue
• Employ hand or card techniques to guide your eyes and maintain pace
• Practice "Smart Reading" by previewing material (first/last paragraphs, first sentences)
• Ask yourself key questions before reading: Why am I reading this? What do I need from it? How much time do I have?
• Use active reading techniques like highlighting and note-taking to boost retention

By consistently applying these methods, you can significantly increase your reading speed while maintaining or even improving comprehension.

3. Craft Energizing Goals to Fuel Your Success Journey

If your why is big enough, then the how will tend to take care of itself.

Define compelling goals. Effective goals provide focus, direction, and a sense of urgency. They should be meaningful, specific, measurable, appropriately sized, written down, and regularly reviewed. The process of setting and pursuing goals activates your reticular activating system (RAS), priming your brain to notice opportunities and resources aligned with your objectives.

Create a keystone goal:

1. Identify 5-6 important goals for the next 90 days
2. Choose one goal that, if achieved, supports the majority of others
3. Clarify why this goal is important to you
4. Visualize the goal's achievement
5. Establish supporting rituals and habits

By focusing intensely on your keystone goal, you create momentum that propels you toward your other objectives, maximizing your overall progress and success.

4. Master Time Management with the Two-Hour Solution

All things are created twice—first in our minds and then in our external reality.

Plan proactively. The Two-Hour Solution is a powerful weekly planning method that helps you transition from reacting to life to proactively creating it. By investing two hours each week in thoughtful planning, you can reclaim 10 or more productive hours.

Implement the Two-Hour Solution:

1. Reconnect with your goals
2. Review and block off commitments
3. Schedule excellence (Quadrant 2) time
4. Plan your "green" (money-making) time
5. Allocate "red" (support) time
6. Identify flex time
7. Include re-creation time

This structured approach ensures you prioritize important activities, maintain balance, and create space for unexpected opportunities or challenges. Consistently applying this method leads to increased productivity, reduced stress, and greater alignment with your long-term objectives.

5. Discover Your Core Values and Life Purpose for Meaningful Direction

Your personal core values are simply the handful of principles, ideas, or concepts that you want your life to be about.

Define your foundations. Identifying your core values and life purpose provides a compass for decision-making and a source of motivation. This self-discovery process helps you align your actions with your deepest beliefs and aspirations, leading to greater fulfillment and success.

Uncover your core values and purpose:

1. Review a list of value words, selecting those that resonate most
2. Group similar values and narrow down to 4-7 core values
3. Define each value in your own words
4. Rank your values in order of importance
5. Create a purpose statement: "I exist to serve by [verb]ing [noun]"
6. Develop a vision statement describing your ideal life in 5-7 years

Regularly revisiting and refining these foundational elements ensures your goals and actions remain aligned with your authentic self, fostering greater motivation and satisfaction in all areas of life.

6. Boost Energy and Mindset Through Aggressive Mental Care

Your attitude—how you choose to view your world—is literally a matter of life and death.

Cultivate positive energy. Your mind is a central flow point for energy in your life, influencing your body, environment, and overall well-being. By practicing aggressive mental care, you can override your brain's natural negative bias and cultivate a more positive, energizing mindset.

Leverage your mental tools:

1. Laughter: Find humor in yourself, others, and situations
2. Gratitude: Regularly focus on what you're thankful for
3. Input management: Consciously choose positive influences in reading, watching, listening, and personal associations
4. Focus control: Deliberately direct your attention to empowering thoughts and goals
5. Action: Take steps that reinforce positive thinking and energy

Consistently applying these tools helps rewire your brain for positivity, resilience, and higher energy levels, enabling you to tackle challenges more effectively and maintain enthusiasm in pursuit of your goals.

7. Implement Daily Practices to Sustain Peak Performance

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.

Establish empowering routines. Consistent daily practices are crucial for maintaining high energy, focus, and productivity. By implementing a structured approach to your day, you create a foundation for sustained success and continuous improvement.

Create a power hour:

1. Start your day with positive affirmations and goal visualization
2. Engage in physical exercise to energize your body and mind
3. Read or listen to inspirational content
4. Practice gratitude and mindfulness
5. Review your goals and plan your day

Additionally, end your day with a brief review and preparation for tomorrow. These bookend practices ensure you begin and end each day with intention and positive energy, reinforcing your goals and maintaining momentum toward your desired outcomes.

By consistently applying these key takeaways – from memory enhancement and smart reading techniques to goal-setting, time management, self-discovery, mental care, and daily routines – you create a powerful framework for personal and professional growth, setting the stage for record-breaking success in all areas of life.

Last updated: November 11, 2024