Going Seamless:
Dissolving the Brain Divide
by: Maya Talisman Frost
Are you a right-brainer or a
left-brainer?
The greatest thinkers are at a
loss when it comes to answering that question.
Just as we admire athletes who
are able to hit a tennis ball or throw a javelin with either arm, we should
emulate thinkers who engage fully in all kinds of activities without regard to
whether or not it suits their specified brain orientation.
Labeling yourself as a certain
kind of thinker is extremely limiting. Once we've established an idea about our
preferences, we tend to veer in that direction every chance we get. We
strengthen the image of ourselves as creative or analytical by repeatedly
choosing activities that reinforce our concept of who we are. We forget about
our infinite possibilities.
Perhaps you've had this very
common dream: You're roaming around your house and suddenly discover a whole
room you never knew existed. The thrill of learning about this brand new space
to explore, decorate, and enjoy is palpable--especially if you live in a
smallish house with four teenagers, as I do! It's disappointing to wake up and
realize we don't really have that extra room. We become resigned to staying
within the known walls of our home.
We experience something similar
when it comes to the "rooms" in our mind. We close off the math,
computer, science, investing and research rooms. We seal the doorways to the
painting, drawing, poetry, design and music rooms. We lock up entire wings,
believing that we can't really "go there", and before we know it, we
forget the spaces were there at all.
We all know people who amaze us
with their seemingly disparate skills--an accountant who paints beautiful
landscapes, a chemical engineer who writes daring poetry, a surgeon with a passion
for songwriting. We find it surprising only because we've put people in boxes
based on their work. It's tempting to label ourselves and others according to
our jobs, but one facet of our lives can never tell the whole story.
Be glad. Be very glad.
We love to see people making
dramatic career changes in order to explore a newly discovered talent. It helps
us believe that we have the potential to do something that will astound us.
Well, believe it. You are the
one locking yourself into that mental image of yourself as a left-brain or
right-brain person. The rest of us believe in your limitless talents, so why
don't you?
My hero, Leonardo Da Vinci, was
fortunate that nobody pegged him early on as an accountant (he planned to
become one, but alas, as an illegitimate child, he was not considered suitable
for that career). It's lucky for all of us that he ended up dabbling--in art,
engineering, music, geology, and everything else he encountered. He was free to
dive into many subjects because he never labeled himself as a certain type.
Keep in mind that thoughts
become things. Whatever you tell yourself you can't do, you won't be able to
do--either because you have convinced yourself you have no skill or because you
never give yourself the opportunity to try. You’ve put deadbolts on your own
doors!
Go seamless. Erase that line
between left and right. Visualize wholeness and all that it implies. Stop with
the labels, and start with the lessons, the rekindled interests, the tentative
new directions.
Explore those rooms in your
mind, and you'll be on your way to becoming the fully integrated human you were
born to be.
Now if only I could find that
extra room in my house.
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About The Author
Maya Talisman Frost is a mind
masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 70 countries around the
world. She serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief
in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.
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