Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?

[Elspeth]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/business/04unbox.html?em&ex=1210910400&en=322198a3861445c2&ei=5087%0A

...But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.

Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try — the more we step outside our comfort zone — the more inherently creative we become, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.

But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.

“The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,” says Dawna Markova, author of “The Open Mind” and an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide,’ just as our president calls himself ‘the Decider.’ ” She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”

(More at the link)

[electron_blue]

1. Cool article. I am very interested in this topic. Thanks for the heads up!

[Elspeth]

2. You're welcome. Notice what the implications are for standardized testing in schools

I think teachers will find this interesting.

[Imagine My Surprise]

3. Thank you for posting this! n/t

[Balderdash]

4. k&b

.

[CK_John]

5. Resistance to change (good or bad) is one of the strongest and fearful human emotions and always

amazes people after a change that it was so easy. They usually feel silly for fighting the change.