CT scan of brain

Post Title: Change your thoughts; change your life

Post Date: September 5, 2014

Attitude and behaviors are two things that can determine success or failure, both are influenced by memories.    

According to Dr. Norman Doidge, “The discovery of neuroplasticity, that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains, even into old age, is the most important breakthrough in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years.”

Research done by neuroscientists has yielded some very interesting findings. According to a recent article in the New Yorker magazine, attitude and behaviors are two things that make you successful in whatever you set out to do. It turns out attitude and behaviors are formed by your memories, both good and bad.

A similar article on the INC.com website claims that your memory is not like video playback, which is most commonly presumed, but more like a video editing process. We have the ability to diminish bad memories by changing details [so that] we remember them to be small and insignificant. For good memories, we do the same thing in reverse: exaggerate good memories by focusing on the good outcomes from that incident.

Harvard University researchers conducted studies at Massachusetts General Hospital to see what effect meditation had on the brain. Results from using magnetic imaging have shown individuals who mediated for an eight-week period dramatically strengthen the brain structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection. This supports the theory that you can modify your brain.

Negative and positive thoughts and memories directly affect how we perceive our world and how we react to situations but they are not equal. Unfortunately, the negative is three times stronger than the positive. This is called the negative bias. As a result of a survival instinct left over from our hunter-gatherer days, we are wired to focus more on the negative. But in our modern-day world, the negative can hold us back and limit us from achieving real success and potential.

Just recalling good memories is not going to help remedy the situation by itself. It is also important to modify the bad memories so they will have less impact. When you recall these bad memories, change the details of the incident so the memory no longer gives you bad feelings. If you learned or gained something from a bad experience, focus on what you took away and not how bad the incident was. When you recall good memories, relive them attentively by paying attention to every detail. Recall the great feelings you felt during that time. This is going to involve some effort to change your thinking so don’t get discouraged and keep trying.

Post Title: Employers fear “Gray hair” even though we’re living longer and more active lives

Post Date: January 23, 2013

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published the latest statistics about how long we live. Their findings yielded some really good news: “The life expectancy of Americans is higher than ever, at almost 78.” This presents a new challenge for the medical community; that is, to improve the quality of extended lives. Yet, it’s a well-known fact that most employers are very reluctant to hire a qualified individual with years of experience, for fear that they do not have that many “good years” left to be productive in the workforce.

It is very easy for corporations and employees to ignore the ADEA and federal laws that prohibit age discrimination. According to statistics from the EEOC website, age discrimination charges increased from 15,785 in 1997 to 23,465 in 2011.

The average age of retirement is 64.6 for men and 62.3 for women. Chances are, that’s about to change, with little choice in the matter. Many individuals who are members of the Baby Boomer generation are now reaching the age to become eligible for Social Security benefits. This is going to place even more of a burden on an already struggling Social Security system. In the years to come, we may have no choice but to extend the retirement age.

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Title: Contemplate | Address: riccampbell.com

Author: Richard Campbell | From: Downtown | Blogging since: March 2010