Now let me ask you a question. What was Henry Fords IQ? Who cares! The man was one of the most innovative people of the last century, and he did what he did by surrounding himself with intelligent people. That practice alone has to be worth more than 20 IQ points in terms of real life results.
Real life results are what you want, right? So if you want to be more creative, learn to use creative problem solving techniques. If you want to concentrate better, there are techniques for that. Learn to speed-read and you'll have double the knowledge in the same time. After you paint your first Mona Lisa, build your first skyscraper or make your first million, what will your IQ score be? Who cares!?
Okay, an imperfect test is better than no test at all, and it is entertaining. I just took an IQ
test, and although I don't think my IQ is really the 138 it showed, it was fun. If you really want to, you can try a free IQ test on my website http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com. Of course you'll score higher on a good day than a bad day, so try these tips to make it a good IQ test day:
40 Ways to Power Up Your Brain
1. Breath deep. More air in means more oxygen in the blood and therefore in the brain.
Breath through your nose and you'll notice that you use your diaphragm more, drawing air deeper into your lungs. Several deep breaths can also help to relax you, which is conducive to clearer thinking.
2. Meditate. A simple meditation you can do right now is just closing your eyes and paying attention to your breath. Tensing up your muscles and then relaxing them to start may help. When your mind wanders, just bring your attention back to your breath. Five or ten minutes of this will usually relax you, clear your mind, and leave you more ready for any mental task.
3. Sit up straight. Posture affects your thinking process. Prove it to yourself by doing math in your head while slouching, looking at the floor and letting your mouth hang open. Then do the mental math while sitting up straight, keeping your mouth closed and looking forward or slightly upwards. You'll notice that it's easier to think with the latter posture.
4. Gingko Biloba. The leaves of this tree have been proven to increase blood flow to the brain. The trees are often planted in parks. My friends and I used to eat a few leaves when we wanted a brain boost. It is also inexpensive, if you buy the capsules or tea at any health food store.
5. Saint John's Wort. This is a common weed that may be growing in your yard. Although it's brain enhancing qualities are less documented (studies do show it's usefulness for treating long-term depression), many people swear by it's temporary mood-elevating effect, and our brains tend to function better when we are happy. It is inexpensive, but I used to just collect it in the yard and make tea of it. (Hyperacum Perforatum, if you want to look it up by it's botanical name.)
6. Good thinking habits. Just use a problem solving technique for several weeks and it will become a habit. Redesign everything you see for a while, and that will become a habit. You can develop many good thinking habits with some effort, and then be more resourceful effortlessly from that point on. Use the power of habit.
7. Use dead time. This is time that is otherwise wasted or just under-utilized. Driving time, time spent in waiting rooms, or even time spent raking your yard can be included in this.
With a tape player and a trip to a public library, you can start to use this time to listen to books-on-tape. You may spend 200 hours a year in your car. What could you learn in that time?
8. Learn a language. Learning a new language has been shown to halt the age-related decline in brain function. It also introduces your mind to new concepts and new ways of looking at things (in English we are afraid, whereas in Spanish we have fear). It is one of the best brain exercises.
9. Mindfulness exercises. Concentration and clear thinking are more or less automatic once you remove distractions. Learn to stop and watch your busy mind. As you notice things that are subtly bothering you, deal with them. This might mean making a phone call you need to make, or putting things on a list so you can forget them for now. With practice, this becomes easier, and your thinking becomes more powerful.
10. Write. Writing is good for your mind in a number of ways. It is a way to tell your memory what is important, so you'll recall things more easily in the future. It is a way to clarify your thinking. It is a way to exercise your creativity and analytical ability. Diaries, idea-journals, poetry, note-taking and story-writing are all ways to use writing to boost your brain power.
11. Listen to Mozart. In a study at the University of California, researchers found that children who studied piano and sang daily in chorus, were much better at solving puzzles, and when tested, scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the non-musical group. In another study, 36 students were given three spatial reasoning tests on a standard IQ test.
Just before the first test, they listened to Mozart's sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448
for ten minutes. Before the second test, they listened to a relaxation tape. Before the third, they sat in silence. The average scores for all 36 students: 1st test: 119. 2nd test: 111. 3rd test: 110. A nine-point boost from Mozart!
12. Develop your intuition. Intuition can be an important part of brainpower. Einstein and others have relied heavily on their intuitive hunches. See Chapter 25for tips on how to develop your intuition.
13. Sleep better. As long as you get a certain amount of sleep - probably a minimum of five hours - the quality seems to be more important than the quantity. Also, short naps in the afternoon seem to work well to recharge the brain for some people.
14. Caffeine. The research shows higher test scores for students who drink coffee before major exams. My chess game gets better. In other studies, it has been shown that too much caffeine leads to poorer quality decisions. Caffeine affects individuals differently, and has some nasty long-term side effects for some of us, but short-term - it works!
15. Avoid sugar. Any simple carbohydrates can give you "brain fog." Sometimes called the
"sugar blues" as well, this sluggish feeling makes it hard to think clearly. It results from the insulin rushing into the bloodstream to counteract the sugar rush. Avoid pasta, sugars, white bread and potato chips before any important mental tasks.
16. Hypnosis audios. The power of suggestion is real, and one way to use it is with hypnosis CDs or MP3s. This type of brain "programing" has more evidence for it than subliminals.
17. Speed reading. Contrary to what many believe, your comprehension of material often goes up when you learn to speed-read. You get to learn a lot more in less time, and it is definitely a good brain exercise.
18. Exercise. Long term exercise can boost brainpower, which isn't surprising. Anything that affects physical health in a positive way probably helps the brain too. Recent research, though, shows that cognitive function is improved immediately after just ten minutes of aerobic exercise. If you need a brain recharge, you might want to walk up and down the stairs a few times.
19. Imaginary friends. Talking to and getting advice from characters in your mind can be a great way to access the information in your subconscious mind. Imagine a conversation with a person who has a lot of knowledge in the area you want advice in.
20. Learn more efficiently. When you decide to learn something, take notes from the start. Leave each "learning session" with a question or two in mind, to create anticipation and curiosity. Take short breaks, so there will be more beginnings and endings to your studies (Things learned at the beginning or ending of a session are remembered better).
21. Brain wave entrainment. The newest brain wave entrainment products are powerful tools for altering your brain function. Some will almost immediately relax you, while others will put your brain waves in a pattern that is most conducive to analytical thinking.
22. Do something you enjoy. This is a way to both lower stress and rev up your brain. The key is to do something active. Watching TV doesn't count. Whether it is playing Scrabble or building birdhouses, when you are actively engaged in an activity that you enjoy, you worry less about things and you start to think better.
23. Adjust your beliefs. Believe you are smarter, and you'll become smarter. For this, affirmations may work, but even better is evidence. Make a note of your successes. Tell yourself, "Hey, that was really creative," when you do something creative. When you have a good idea, make a note of it. Gather the evidence for your own intelligence and you'll start to experience more of it.
24. Brain exercises. Do math in your mind while driving. Think of a new use for everything you see. Regular use of the brain has been shown to generate new neuronal growth, and even halt the decline of mental function that often comes with age.
25. Learn new things. This is another way to exercise the brain. It can also be done with little time investment if you use books-on-tapes while driving.
26. Walk. Exercise has been shown to benefit the brain, and walking is one of the best exercises for many. It is low impact, and the rhythmic nature of it seems to put you in a state that is very conducive to clear thinking. In fact, carry a tape recorder with you to take notes, and a twenty minute walk can be a great way to solve problems.
27. Model others. Find others that are creative, intelligent, or very productive. Do what they do, and think what they think. This is a key principle of neuro-linguistic programming.
Be careful about taking their advice, though. Successful people often don't really understand why they are successful. Do what they do, not what they say.
28. Laugh. The release of endorphins caused by laughter lowers stress levels, which is good for long term brain health. Laughter also leaves you more open to new ideas and thoughts.
29. Play. Stimulating the brain causes measurable changes in the structure of the brain.
New connections are made and new brain cells are grown. Intellectual play, as well as any playing that involves hand-eye coordination stimulates the brain.
30. Do puzzles. Crossword puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, and even good riddles are a great way to get brain exercise. You can work on them while waiting for a dentist appointment, or on the bus, if you are short on time.
31. Sing. When you are alone in your car, try singing about something you are working on.
This taps into and exercises your right brain. Have you ever noticed how it is easier to rhyme when you sing than when you just speak or write? This is because the right brain is better at pattern recognition. By doing this brain exercise regularly you can train yourself to tap into the power of the right brain. This will make you a more effective problem-solver. If you doubt the distinction between the hemispheres of the brain, look at how stutterers can stop stuttering as soon as they start singing. Try it.
32. Self awareness. This may not seem important to brain power, but it is. When you know yourself better, you can avoid the usual effects of ego and emotion in your seemingly
"rational" thinking. Or you can at least take it into account. Watch yourself, especially as you explain things or argue.
33. Avoid too much stress. Neuropsychiastrist Richard Restak, M.D., form the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services, sums up the research thus:
"Stress causes brain damage." Long term stress has repeated been shown to hurt the brain, not to mention the rest of the body. Learn a few stress reduction techniques if you get stressed out often.
34. Eat less. Overeating has the immediate effect of redirecting more blood to the digestive process, leaving less for the brain. Long term, it can cause arterial obstructions that reduce blood flow to the brain permanently. In at least one study, rats on a restricted-calorie diet had more brainpower.
35. Eat breakfast. When kids who didn't eat breakfast started to eat it, researchers found that their math scores went up a whole grade on average.
36. Drink wine. In moderation, red wine can be good for the brain, it seems. It is rich in antioxidants, which protect brain cells. One glass per day for women and two for men is usually considered a safe and moderate amount.
37. Use alcohol in moderation. In a study at the University of Indiana School of Medicine, elderly light drinkers (fewer than 4 drinks per week) scored higher on tests of thinking abilities than non-drinkers. Those who drank 10 or more drinks per week scored lower. It is known that alcohol can kill brain cells, so moderation seems to be the key.
38. Eat brain foods. Foods that may be good for your brain include: Avocados, bananas, lean beef, brewer's yeast. broccoli, brown rice, brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, cheese, chicken, collard greens, eggs, flaxseed oil, legumes, oatmeal, oranges, peanut butter, peas,
potatoes, romaine lettuce, salmon, soybeans, spinach, tuna, turkey, and yogurt.
39. Ask questions. This is a great way to keep your brain in shape. Just get in the habit of asking questions often, even if it is only in your own mind. Why are taller buildings better?
what is the purpose of curbs? Ask anything that comes to mind, and ponder the possible answers.
40. Make a brainpower plan. It takes about twenty to thirty days of repetition to establish new habits. This means that when you create your plan for better brainpower, be sure you plan to use that new problem solving technique, or eat those new brain foods for at least three weeks. You can use many of the brain boosters here and get immediate results, but it is creating new habits that will give you the most brainpower.
By Steve Gillman, author of A Book of Secrets: How To Read Minds, Save Money,
Boost Brainpower, Get Lucky, See The Real News, Find Treasure, Persuade
People, Buy Real Estate With No Money Down - And That's Just The Beginning!
How to Become a Money Magnet
By Valerie Dawson, Creator of The Hidden Secret Guided Visualizations
Like most people, you have probably been taught to see money as a tangible resource that resides in your wallet and bank account until you need to spend it. You use it to pay bills, buy products and services, and support worthwhile causes.
When you need more money, you probably do what most people would do: take physical action that will bring in more money, such as working extra hours, asking your boss for a raise, or even selling a few of your material possessions.
What you may not realize is that you can attract money into your life in much easier ways; simply by changing the way you think about money and abundance. It’s called the Law of Attraction, and getting it to work effectively for you can make the difference between a lifetime of lack and struggle, or abundance and ease.
This report is going to share 7 of the biggest mistakes that people make when attempting to use the Law of Attraction to attract more money into their lives; and offer helpful suggestions on how to turn them around if you find that you may be doing the same.
Mistake #1 - Holding a Mind-Set of Lack and Struggle
Based on your own life experiences, would you say that obtaining money on a regular basis is easy or difficult? In other words, do you have to work very hard to receive enough money to cover your monthly expenses, or does money seem to come to you effortlessly?
Take some time to think carefully about these questions because they reveal something very important: your overall mind-set regarding money and wealth. You can tell immediately whether you have a wealth mind-set or lack mind-set by looking at your life experiences.
Lesson #1 - Your Mind-Set Creates Your Experiences
The Law of Attraction is activated by your mind-set – in other words, the things you think, believe and feel on a regular basis. Here’s how it works: Your thoughts trigger your emotions. Your emotional state emits a specific frequency of energy to the universe, and the universe returns events and experiences into your life, that correspond with your emotional frequency.
When you think and feel positively on a regular basis, everything in your life seems to flow more easily, including money. When your thoughts and emotions lean more toward the negative side on a regular basis, you experience more problems, setbacks and financial lack in your life. Also important are your beliefs. Your beliefs form the structure of what is possible for you. If you believe you have to work hard to have a lot of money, you’ll create exactly that experience for yourself. If you don’t believe you deserve more than a certain amount of money, you’ll block more from arriving. Whatever your beliefs are, they are your TRUTH, and you will subconsciously create evidence that supports that truth over and over again until you learn to do things differently.
Mistake #2 - Focusing on What You Don’t Have
Have you ever agonized over a shortage of money? Have you worried obsessively about not being able to pay your bills or buy something you wanted? Believe it or not, you were probably making the situation worse by doing so.
We know that lack is the condition of not having something you want – in other words, the absence of something. But the absence of exactly what may surprise you. Lack is not the absence of money, or health, or love. Those are just the symptoms of lack. At its core, lack is simply the blockage of ENERGY. When it comes right down to it, everything is energy.
When you experience lack of any kind, it’s a sure sign that you are cutting off the natural flow of energy through your life.
Every time you worry about your financial situation, agonize over a shortage of money, or feel stressed about your bills, you attract more of the experience of lack into your life.
Lesson #2 - Focus on What You DO Have and DO Want
It may sound incredibly difficult to focus on the positive when your life doesn’t look so rosy, but it is vital to find a way to do it. When you focus on the good things you already have and think about the things you want from an optimistic and hopeful state of mind, you cannot help but attract more of them into your life.
There are endless ways to begin focusing your thoughts on the things you do have and do want. Start a gratitude journal and jot down a few things each day that you are grateful for. (Hint: even if these things are not related to money, they can still get that positive energy flowing and attract more good things into your life; including more money.) You can also visualize having more money and imagine being able to pay your bills easily. The more you focus on things like this, the more they will begin to show up in your physical reality.
Mistake #3 - Attracting Lack with Negative Emotions
Focusing on lack and struggle is destructive enough, but it’s possible to make it even worse by infusing this focus with strong, negative emotions. Think of your emotions as the fuel that lends power to everything that manifests in your life. When it comes to money, do you often find yourself locked into negative emotions like these? Fear Anxiety Helplessness Hopelessness Pessimism Doubt Frustration Worry Jealousy Resentment Every time you experience emotions like these, you are creating more lack. In order to turn lack into abundance, you have to avoid investing in these negative emotions.
Lesson #3 - How to Prevent Negative Emotions from Creating More Lack There are two things you can do to prevent these emotions from creating more lack in your life:
1) First, avoiding sinking into feelings like those described above is crucial. As soon as you notice yourself starting to feel stressed or worried about money, immediately shift your focus to something else. You can engage in a bit of self-talk if it helps; say something like,
"There’s no point worrying about something I can’t control, so I’m going to focus on something that makes me feel good." Then spend time on unrelated activities, or find a way to feel better about your financial situation.
2) Secondly, begin directing more positive emotions toward your financial situation.
Even if you have to engage in a bit of fantasizing in order to do so, you need to get some positive emotions flowing to attract more abundance. There are many ways to do this, but one that works well is to keep affirming, "I always have more than enough money for everything I need." Just keep saying it over and over again, allowing yourself to feel confident and happy that your financial needs are being met.
This is also a good thing to do when you notice you’re starting to feel worried or frightened
about not having enough money. Immediately turn the focus around and say, "I ALWAYS have more than enough money for EVERYTHING I need." (Say it with power and conviction in your voice, and really believe that it is so.) As you begin shifting your focus from negative emotions to positive emotions every day, you should start to notice your financial situation shifting to a better place also.
You might receive an unexpected check in the mail, you might get a bonus or pay raise at work, or you may even notice you’re starting to receive unexpected gifts or discounts.
These are great signs that it’s working! Keep replacing negative emotions with positive as often as possible and you’ll keep the good energy flowing – which will keep inspiring greater and greater change in your life.
Valerie Dawson is a board certified counsellor and hypnotherapist with over 18
years experience. Click here to grab the full report with all 7 lessons to turn
your mind into a money magnet!
How to See Yourself 10 Years in the Future
By Christopher Westra, Creator of I Create Reality
Objective: See in your mind's eye where you really want to be in ten years time. Choose your own values, activities, and relationships rather than copying others.
Complete this exercise that I’ve done with thousands of people to learn what you really want in life. This is your chance to dream and create in your imagination anything you want to do or be!
My Own Experience with the Ten Years Exercise
While working with troubled teens, I used to have them do a Ten Years in the Future exercise. I asked them to write a letter to a friend as if it was ten years in the future. Most of these boys and girls didn't think about the next week, much less ten years to come. Like the Cheshire cat says in Alice in Wonderland, "If you don't know where you want to go, then it doesn't really matter what road you take!"
Of course, this lack of "foresight" was a major reason their lives were pretty messed up. We had some great conversations as they really thought about what they wanted. For most of them, this was the first time they had ever thought this way!
But the real story is what happened to me. I did the exercise right along with them on many occasions, writing my dreams and visions in detail. In my letter to a friend, I had moved to the country, built my own home, become a black belt in the martial arts, authored a book, and started my own business working from home.
Over the next ten years, something magic happened. All my dreams and visions became a reality, almost as if orchestrated by an unseen hand. I realized that something very powerful was happening, more powerful than I realized initially. I did write books and start my business. We did move to the country and I did build my own home.