We are adults, right? No children read this, right? When we were children we spent time thinking about what things would be like when we grew up. We thought about what career path we would choose, if we would get married, places we would travel to, people we wanted to meet and the list goes on and on. We were always looking forward to that next birthday when we would have more freedom to make our own decisions. As children we spent time thinking about this and we believed, partially because those around us told us so, that we could be what we dreamed about. We were told that our actions would lead to our results. We believed that there was a straight line from the type of thoughts we repeatedly had about what the future would look like to what it would be. Do we still have that belief? That belief that our thoughts control the outcomes we have? Do we even take time to think? Are we responsible adults with the freedom to "think and do?" I'll bet most of you are. I'll bet most of you have little to no stress about the level of control you have and haven't had the stress of having other people tell you what and when you can do things for a lot of years. But I'll also bet that some of you still don't believe that Buddha's words, "If you change your thinking, you will change your life." really applies to you. You gave up on those childlike thoughts, partially because you probably don't think of it that much. You just do stuff.

I've been reading a lot lately about how much study is going into the human brain. Neurologists are busy - busy partially because our population is aging and no one wants to accept it, and partially because the science is simply leading in that direction. "Brain Gyms" may be the next big thing and I'm not talking about the Brain Gym association dedicated to educational kinesiology and enhancing living and learning through the science of movement; although there's probably something to learn there. I'm talking about companies like MindGamer and Lumosity. Lumosity, which was founded just a few short years ago in 2007 started as a company to help with Alzheimer's and other cognitive problems and has had 25% quarter over quarter growth since its launch. The neuroscience research coming out of universities over the past couple of decades has confirmed that cognitive abilities are not fixed. And while the scientific community and particularly Neuroscientists are still exploring this realm, and I don't profess to have any answers, I've played with some of this stuff and I must say it makes sense for me.

I'm going to weigh in on the side of believing that just like you can beef up your body by lifting weights, the types of games that Lumosity and its competitors offer can make your brain stronger and work faster and better. Taking time to think about and try new things, not just "do" stuff because we know how to do it. It's like spending time at the gym. Oh, and that old adage that says we only use 10% of our brain. Throw that out. I've learned that when we are at rest we may only use 10% of our brain and also that only 10% of our brain cells are neurons, which is possibly where the adage came from. Either way, don't perpetuate the myth. Over the course of a day we use 100% of our brain and we can use it better if we give it some effort.

So back to why you want to focus, really focus on thinking. Repeatedly thinking about something creates neurological pathways, "groves" in our brains and eventually these grooves become habitual and instinctual. And scientists have pictures to prove it. They can even measure how long it takes for some new grooves to form and for some to be altered, and the average or typical timeframe is 21 days. So no matter how high your enthusiasm may be after taking a training class or reading a new book, there will be no change unless you focus on what you've learned for at least 21 days. That's what defines the "action plan" that you get at the end of many workshops.

So what do you think? Are you excited to know that there is growing proof that you can affect core cognitive functioning throughout your life? That even as adults you can grow your brain muscle and there are big benefits to doing it? Can you tap your inner Buddha and work on that muscle that determines so much? I hope you're as encouraged by the ongoing research as I am and take time to think!