Back when I was in Business School, the buzzword of the day was Synergy. It was the goal for everything. To that end, I have started an accountability group with a few friends. I know I want to develop and prioritize healthy habits, like drinking enough water and getting regular movement during the work day, and having a few trusted friends on the journey with me makes it a lot more fun, as well as a lot more likely to happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n STEP ONE….<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a life-long learner, and someone who is curious to learn new things, doesn\u2019t mean you necessarily have to learn something specific. It\u2019s the curiosity itself that is the game changer. And as James Clear<\/a> points out, the key here is really to find out what it is you are interested in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe first step \u2013 perhaps the most enormous step \u2013 is to find what you are genuinely interested in. If you are genuinely interested, you will discover endless opportunities for improvement. But if you are disinterested, even obvious improvements will feel like a chore. And if you can maintain your genuine interest and curiosity as the years accumulate, you will become hard to compete with because you will have skill to go with your passion. If you\u2019re interested, you\u2019re dangerous.\u201d What a cool perspective! Being interested and skilled is a dynamite combination!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE SCIENCE…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason learning is such a fundamental skill is that it increases the brain\u2019s neuroplasticity<\/a>. Basically, by learning, you are keeping your brain fresh and mobile \u2013 able to serve you for longer. As we age, the brain\u2019s neuroplasticity decreases. The learning of childhood creates new pathways in the brain, but as we get older, we need to create fewer new pathways because what we need is already there. If we continue to use the learning and knowledge we already have, but are not learning new things, we literally get in a (brain) rut! Learning new things, at any age, is like taking your brain to the gym: you are working the muscle in new ways and building new strength and neuro-resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNeuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to reorganise and adapt its structure and function in response to new experiences and learnings. This means that, even as we age, our brains have the ability to create new neural connections and pathways. This allows us to continue learning new skills and acquiring knowledge.\u201d [Source<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a virtuous circle! Learning helps your neuroplasticity, and having good neuroplasticity enables you to learn! Win-win!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n WHY LEARNING MAKES SENSE…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In case we need any further encouragement or proof of why learning something new is beneficial, there are even more reasons! As we become more experienced in our fields, it can be easy to become complacent, and to rest on your existing expertise. But the benefits of continued learning are significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the top arguments<\/a> for learning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Develop brain resources for long-lasting brain health and unexpected uses<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Self-discovery, happiness, and boredom are taken care of<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Skills transfer to other areas with unexpected benefits<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. You\u2019ll have social and emotional advantages<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. You\u2019ll develop a richer identity and reduce the chances of an identity crisis<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Others will find more use for your offerings<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Your professional fallback options and job security will increase<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. You\u2019ll get a sense of achievement and reward when other areas don\u2019t give it<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. You\u2019ll get a way to make procrastination itself productive<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HELPS TOO…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to really double up on your neuroplasticity, it turns out that doing physical activity helps your brain and<\/strong> doing physical activity before or after learning can facilitate the learning as well! Great 2-for-1 deal!! \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exercise has \u201can immediate, positive benefit for your brain including your mood and focus. [\u2026] and protects your brain from different conditions like depression, Alzheimer\u2019s disease or dementia.\u201d [Source<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n And studies have shown that exercise can help you learn a new language<\/a> as well! Maybe speaking German with my triathlon friends while training was more effective than I realized!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly being a life-long learner is a huge plus in our fast-paced and continually changing world. It benefits us, and we benefit from it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n WHAT I’M READING…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Is there anything nicer than cuddling up on a rainy day with a good book?! Bliss. Even better when that book reunites you with old friends, and makes you laugh out loud!<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was the case with The Last Devil to Die<\/a>, the latest installment of the Thursday Murder Club<\/a> series. We are reunited with the gang: Elizabeth, Joyce, Rob & Ibrahim, and this time the murder happens almost on page 1. An old friend of the gang is murdered and naturally they jump into action to solve the case. The dialogue between the characters is so funny, I just couldn\u2019t help but laugh out loud while reading it! Clever, witty, amusing, and so realistic, the book just flew by! I read it while away over the weekend with friends, and afterwards my friend said she was clearly going to have to read this book since it was obviously so funny!! Light-hearted and sweet, it\u2019s the perfect rainy day cheer-up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n WHAT I’M LISTENING TO…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you haven\u2019t listened to Robert Glenister reading Robert Galbraith\u2019s Cormoran Strike series, RUN don\u2019t walk to your audiobook app and download the next book ASAP!!! Honestly, this series and this narrator are listening perfection. <\/strong>They are to audiobooks what Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony is to classical music. I am completely head over heels for this series and this narrator!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collaboration may be the buzzword of today, but it \u2013 like synergy \u2013 is actually something that we do genuinely want to encourage, support, and achieve. Collaborating \u2013 which really just means working well together as a team \u2013 means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
There are a lot of positives to come out of creating collaborative teams (as this article on the 10 Reasons why Collaboration is Important<\/a> in the Workplace points out), but unfortunately, the main drawback is that we\u2019ve been so focused on those positives that we\u2019ve created Collaboration Overload!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/NN65-MHN-831x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
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