Intellectual Health

 

 

 

Intellect…. now this is something I thought evaded me my whole school going life, or did I just do a really good job avoiding it?…..Hmmmm, I was more of a social butterfly you see, but lucky for me not all is lost because it turns out you can be both!

It’s a good thing because planning my social life from Monday to Friday and recovering from it from Sunday to Tuesday may have made me a fun friend to be around at school, but it sure wouldn’t pay the bills now that I work!

I would like to think I now have a fine but workable balance between the two 🙂

 

I’ve come to realise I was never “stupid” I was just never pushed or motivated.

This didn’t hamper me though thankfully, yes it may have taken me longer than some, but I got there!

I developed the need to be & do better and that turned into the need to be the best (Status of Mission: currently still striving for!), now sure, this unfortunately only occurred to me once I was firmly out of school and coincidently working for the company I’m currently working for….

Is that really coincidental? I think not!

 

Answer yourself this question, have you ever enjoyed learning anything whereby the person teaching you was someone you really didn’t like??? The answer is NEVER!!!

 

So would I be wrong in saying that in order to improve your intellectual health you need to find yourself in an environment whereby you are motivated, encouraged and ultimately rewarded?

So whether it be at school, college, your work place or even in your day to day life, FIND THIS!!!

Take my word for this, It will make a world of difference in your life :).

 

The wonderful thing about humans, is that we never stop learning or teaching, I mean, just last week I was at work, in our canteen and was disturbed by the smell of burning toast, turns out it wasn’t the toast burning but rather the crumbs within the toaster, so, I simply pulled out the bottom tray of the toaster and emptied out all the crumbs… needless to say this left some of my colleagues speechless!!

Seriously! Are there people out there that didn’t know about this tray????

 

Well, before I get carried away, I had my own little “learning” experience around the same time….

First let me ask, there has to, has to be other people out there that didn’t know this? Please!

I have to believe I’m not the only one!

So…. I have NEVER used the word “utmost” in my life, I always thought the phrase was “up most” (which I secretly still think makes more sense), but anyhoo, who am I to judge the Oxford Dictionary!

 

Now I suppose you are waiting for me to bestow upon you some practical ways in which you can improve your intellectual health, so here it goes!

 

• First and for most, place yourself in a place that inspires you to learn.

 

• Physical Exercise – Get the blood pumping, this is not only for your muscles but for your brain.
• Minimizing Stress – take “you time”, put your phones, tablets, friends and family on silent for a bit, breath, relax and when you do sleep make sure it is uninterrupted.
• Healthy Eating – Include in your diet Essential fatty acids, these build the insulation of the neurons in the brain – FACT!
• Cut out foods with a high glycaemic index like sweets, most breads and a whole list of other stuff. http://www.theingredientstore.com/amescompany/GIindex.html
• Mental Exercise: The brain is a muscle so exercise it, do a puzzle, download one of many brain games available for computers and for smart devices, do a crossword, Sudoku, discuss topics of real substance – not the latest celebrity pregnancy.

I also thought before I go, I would like to touch on another health issue that I think is equally as important and that’s emotional health, because lets face it, if your head is not in a good place, nothing else matters, your ability to see past your emotional problems mess with your ability to learn and ultimately puts a hold on your personal growth.

I recently found myself having to reassess what is important to hold on to and what I need to let go of, and which of these cloud judgement and stunt “awesomeness”!
My findings – well lets just say that anger, resentment, judgement, grudges and gossip have to go!

Its a process, but some people find it easier than others not to hold on to these things, and I’m fortunate to be one of these people. 🙂

So, go do some unpacking and reshuffling of the soul and see how revitalised you feel, this will unclutter your brain and you will think clearer, then once that has happened, CHALLENGE your brain, and CHALLENGE it some more!!

 

Albert Einstein wrote, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
So find your place and find your purpose;)