What an interesting question. Are you wanting to be successful or famous or both? Bottom line: fame does not equate with success. Aside from the fact that I don’t know whether public speaking is something that aligns with your brain bent or you know the area of interest you’d like to speak about, I wonder about your definition of famous.

Typically, that word simply means “known about” or “widely known” or even “well-known.” But for what? You may achieve fame or you may get notoriety. You can become famous and known nationally and internationally for positive achievements, for world-class ability in sports, arts, literature, or music; or you can gain notoriety and become known for negative behaviors and derided for your actions.

Goals are important, however, and I’m glad to see you are thinking about them. Goals help to create a map for your brain to help it understand where you want to go in life.

You might want to select something about which you are passionate, something that aligns with your brain’s energy advantage, and then bend every effort to hone your skills and increase your level of competence. You might choose to join Toast Masters or take Dale Carnegie’s public-speaking class to hone your skills. Perhaps you will do something for which others accord you fame, which at best is usually fleeting. Today’s “darling” is often tomorrow’s “pariah.” My brain’s opinion is that doing something in an attempt to become famous can be a frustrating and dead-end goal….

No two brains on this planet are believed to be identical in structure, function, or perception. Not only do you start life with a brain that is slightly different from all other brains, every thought you think, every behavior you exhibit, every new bit of information you learn, everything you ingest, and so on, can alter the very structure of your brain. Because you never consistently think the same thoughts, exhibit the same behavior, learn the identical information in the same way, hears information in personal style, and so on, your brain actually become more different from others as you age. Since every brain is unique and only has its own opinion, there may be as many different answers to the same “why” question as there are brain’s involved.

Of course there are “why” questions and “why” questions. Some “why” questions are designed to elicit information that you have learned from others and are expected to be able to regurgitate (a typical style in mainstream education). Others are designed to elicit reasons for behaviors that you did or did not exhibit. PET Scans have shown that “why” questions may trigger anxiety, especially if the implication is that you should have or should not have done a specific something and are expected to justify your behavior with an answer that the questioner will accept. The resulting anxiety can actually direct the brain’s energy and attention toward subconscious layers of the brain—a natural phenomenon that can be unhelpful if you really need to engage in conscious thought.

“Why did you drink and drive?” presumes you messed up. What can your brain answer? “Because I thought a few beers wouldn’t matter?” The reason you made that choice was likely impacted by a whole host of factors, some of which you may not even be aware of. Typically, your response is not accepted by the questioner, who may come back with, “What kind of answer is that? That’s not an answer.” It’s tempting to argue in such situations, which usually just perpetuates the bad feelings.

“Why did you forget your homework?” implies you should have remembered it. Your response may be, “Because I was busy taking out the garbage,” but that simply reflects your brain’s opinion. There is no magical, empirical, double-blinded study response to offer.

I try to avoid asking “why” questions. I typically respond to questions by saying, “In my brain’s opinion…” I usually know my brain’s opinion and am willing to state it, at least on most topics. (There are some I steer clear of, including politics and religion.) If time is available, I’m also willing to listen to the opinions of others. Through it all I’m clear that all I have is my brain’s opinion (no matter that it may be based on my understanding of high-quality research). I’m also clear that all the other brain has is its own opinion. Therefore, there’s really nothing to take personally, defend, or get upset about. That perspective can be very freeing.

You are correct. I choose to avoid using that terminology. Rather than talking about strengths and weaknesses, I prefer talking about the brain’s energy advantage, for several reasons.

• The brain is believed to have an energy advantage in one cerebral division over the other three. When you are performing activities that utilize functions of that division, the brain uses significantly less energy. That doesn’t mean the rest of the brain is weak or that division is strong. It does speak to relative amounts of energy that must be expended to complete a specific activity. Based on PET Scans, Dr. Richard Hayer put the difference at 1 to 100. Using a monetary metaphor, that’s $1 per second or $100 per second. A substantial difference!
• Many people grew up being told to “work on your weaknesses.” That can be very discouraging as you work very hard on activities that are energy-exhausting for your brain. While you may realize some improvement, you’ll never achieve the success you would be expending the same level of effort on activities that are energy-efficient for your brain. If you work on your weaknesses you can typically develop average levels of function. If you work on areas of energy advantage, you can often become exceedingly competent. This represents current wisdom in terms of preserving brain function for as long as possible.
• Some have worked very hard to develop specific skills in order to take advantage of an opportunity, to meet expectations, or to avoid punishment. Because they have learned to do a skill “well” they often mistake that for an innate energy advantage or “strength” and continue to perform that skill even though it is exhausting due to the higher energy expenditures it requires. Fortunately, you have a lot of brain energy when you are younger. It tends to diminish with age, however, so the goal is to spend 51% of your life’s activities matched with what your brain does energy efficiently.

Therefore, for many reasons, talking about strengths and weaknesses can be confusing and may even extend the time it takes for a person to identify their brain’s innate energy advantage.

There are several free assessments on my website that can get you started (e.g., Sensory Preference Assessment; EAI Assessment; Work Task Energy Assessment) along with tips for Identifying brain bent. In addition, the Practical Applications section has scores of examples related to how differing brain bents might approach similar tasks—you can read those over and ask yourself: “If there was no coercion to respond one way over another, which of the four responses is really more like me innately?” Just because you learned to do something “well” or were told that a specific way in which to do something was the “best” way, this may not reflect your own innate bent.

Learn to pay attention and evaluate how much energy different types of tasks require. When you finish a task ask yourself how you feel in terms of energy expenditures compared to how you felt when you completed a different task. It’s a bit like learning the difference between being thirsty because your brain and body need water versus being hungry for food because your brain and body physiologically need the calories. (Many people eat or drink food when their brain and body really need water.)

You have a whole brain for a reason and you use parts of it all the time. It would be very limiting to attempt to get by in life by doing only those tasks that match your brain bent. On the other hand, it can be exhausting and unhealthy over time if you spend most of your time doing tasks that require higher energy expenditures.

The goal is to align slightly more than half of your tasks in life with your brain bent, what your brain does energy efficiently. If you can’t get that match at work, compensate by getting a better match at home, or vice versa. It’s often possible to tweak the way you approach a task, as well, which can result in a better match with your brain’s innate giftedness.

If you are struggling to accomplish activities that are energy-expensive for your brain, you will likely continue to make errors (beyond the fact that you are human and human beings make mistakes).

I once heard a brain researcher report that if you expend large amounts of time and energy into developing skills that are difficult for your brain to accomplish, you can raise your competences from poor to mediocre. If you put that time and energy into honing skills that are easy for your brain, you can raise your competence from mediocre to excellent (if not outstanding).

Unfortunately, many were taught growing up that you had to work very hard for anything that was worthwhile. Yes, it will take time, energy, and effort to build skills and competencies—it will take less effort when those skills utilize functions that are easier for your brain to accomplish.

I suggest you invest some time, energy, and money in identifying the types of activities that your brain does easily. If those are not in the area of accounting, you may want to re-evaluate how you want to spend your energy.

Refer to the BTSA on my website as an example of a tool you might find helpful, or refer to the Energy Assessment Tool in my book Your Brain Has a Bent (not a Dent).

You have asked a fairly common question, and one that is multifaceted. First, some brains can get very excited about a product they perceive is cutting edge and can make them money. Depending on the product, some can also get excited about the benefits that can accrue to people they care about.

That said, liking a product is very different from running a business. Most network marketing companies have developed a system by which to train their independent representatives. All the systems we have evaluated to date teach processes that match Maintaining skills and (to some degree) Harmonizer skills.

The skills of the Prioritizers (e.g., setting goals) don’t match the need for accomplishing repetitive and routine tasks such as follow-up (Maintaining), relationship building (Harmonizing), completion of forms (maintaining), and coming up with new marketing strategies (Envisioning),etc.

And rarely does the selling system match Envisioning or Harmonizing skills except for their perception of the value of the product, their creativity in enthusiastically talking about it, and their envisioning of profits.

Which type of brain usually catches the vision about a new product? An envisioner. Which type of brain possesses the skills for routine task completion as taught by many company reps? A Maintainer. Which type of brain has the relational skills to interact harmoniously with the customer? A Harmonizer. Which type of brain easily sets goals and prioritizes the tasks needed to meet those goals but prefers to delegate the actual accomplishment to other brains? A Prioritizer.

Second, depending on your brain’s energy advantage and the style in which you are trying to build and maintain your business, you will struggle with parts of the process and accomplish others quite easily.

You need to know how your brain functions most energy-efficiently. Armed with that knowledge, you can then choose how to manage the tasks that are not a match with your energy advantage. In order for you to be successful and make money at network marketing, evaluate the company’s business tool kit. Take the pieces that match your brain and implement those. Remember you want a 51% match between tasks and your brain’s energy advantage.

Build your down line to include brains that are different from yours and that can help accomplish the tasks that are energy intensive for your brain.

Estimates are that half of brains may be born with an energy advantage in the right hemisphere, although in some parts of this world many, if not most, of those brains will be pushed toward left-brain learning and living. When this doesn’t match their innate brain bent, it can whack their level of self-esteem. Developing some of those skills is a necessary part of living successful in a world that emphasizes left-brain function—learning who you are and understanding that different ways of thinking are valuable (just unlike) is also critical to successful living. I like the book Unicorns Are Real. Look for the principle behind the suggestions and adapt them to your nephew, Rolly, and the situation. Be sure he understands that making mistakes is a normal part of being human. The way you talk to him can make a huge difference. If he has the belief that he must do something perfectly and flawlessly before he moves on, he likely will be handicapped in life and may even move toward behaviors that give him some immediate brain rewards. There are two definitions for the concept of “perfect.” One is “flawless,” the other is “well suited to the task at hand.” Role model “learning from mistakes” (and that is a fast way to learn; the other is to watch people who are successful and analyze what they do and adapt that to your life).

Avoid talking about being “smart” or “talented.” That often makes children afraid to try for fear they won’t look “smart” when trying the next thing. Some choose to underachieve and repeat something easier rather than stretch their brain and try a new way. Say things like:

“Rolly, I can see you worked hard on that.”
“Rolly, the brain likes challenges–it helps it learn how to do things.”
“Rolly, every brain is unique and figures things out in its own way….”
“Rolly, people often look for one specific answer, especially in school. Your brain can figure out that answer. Remember that looking for a different answer, as well, is often the start of inventions and research.”

Talk about yourself. If you make a mistake say, “I just made a mistake. My brain is learning how to do it differently next time….” etc.

The task is a bit daunting, at best, since every human brain on this planet is as unique as the owner’s thumbprint. No two brains are ever identical in structure or function and each will perceive information against the backdrop of its own experience, ability, bias, education, and belief systems to name just a few. Nevertheless I’ll give it a shot.

In seminars I sometimes use the “simple” versus “easy” analogy when talking about breaking free of old behaviors. To my way of thinking, the goal of eating moderate amounts of nutritious food at regular intervals is a simple concept. Is it always “easy” for people to achieve when they are bombarded with multi-media presentations, societal pressure to eat, and memories of learned behaviors? No.

Similarly the goal of living life cigarette free is a relatively simple “yes or no” concept. Altering this type of behavior in the long term, however, is not necessarily easy and actually may be one of the most difficult behaviors to change.

And the goal of obtaining regular physical exercise is also a relatively simple concept. You do it or you don’t. But how many people obtain at least 30 minutes of balanced exercise on a daily basis?

These concepts are “simple,” and yet not necessarily “easy” to accomplish. They require vision, focus, commitment, choice, and discipline, along with setting and implementing appropriate personal boundaries, and so on. This can make them “difficult” to implement. In most cases, however, my experience has been that it’s worth the work.

The task is a bit daunting, at best, since every human brain on this planet is unique. No two brains are believed to be identical in structure, function, or perception; and each will perceive information against the backdrop of its own experience, ability, bias, education, and belief systems to name just a few.

Think of it this way, the goal of eating moderate amounts of nutritious food at regular intervals is a simple concept. Is it always “easy” for people to achieve when they are bombarded with multi-media presentations, societal pressure to eat, and memories of learned behaviors? No.

Similarly the concept of living life tobacco free is relatively simple. “Yes or no.” Altering behaviors related to tobacco use, however, is not necessarily easy and actually may be one of the most difficult behaviors to change.

And the goal of obtaining regular physical exercise is also a relatively simple concept. You do it or you don’t. But how many people obtain at least 30 minutes of balanced exercise on a daily basis?

These tasks are “simple,” and yet not necessarily “easy” to accomplish. They require vision, focus, commitment, choice, and discipline, along with setting and implementing appropriate personal boundaries, and so on. This can make them “difficult” to implement. In most cases, however, it is probably worth the work depending on your own goals.

In terms of brain function, the concept of figuring out how your brain functions most energy-efficiently is relatively simply. So is developing the goal of matching a minimum of 51% of your life’s activities to that innate giftedness is relatively simply to understand.

Applying that knowledge and implementing steps to achieve that goal (while simple in concept) may be easier or more difficult to accomplish. It can be easier when you have not been Falsifying Type (a label coined by Jung to indicate that an individual has built more than half their skills outside their innate brain lead); and when your business associates, friends, and family members are willing not only to honor who you are innately but to support and affirm you as you tweak your life’s activities to attain that 51% match.

This process can be much more difficult when you have been adapting for years, your brain is already exhausted and your immune system stressed; and when your business associates, friends, or family members believe it is their best interests for you to keep functioning in the same style. They may even make it uncomfortable for you to live the way in which life is energy-efficiently for your brain.

Of course one could argue that if they really cared about you, “Joe Blow,” or “Jane Smart,” they would get behind this process because of the huge benefit that can accrue to you in terms of health, wellness, success, and longevity. Hope springs eternal!

Regardless, anecdotal information over time is supporting the belief of how important it is for an individual to follow their own path-regardless. Simple in theory. Practically it usually requires a mix of easy and difficult to achieve. We believe it is definitely worth the work!

Yes, actually. Some people do, and it can make a positive difference in their lives. A woman who did apply The 20:80 Rule recently shared her experience. Her e-mail went like this:

I recently heard Dr. Taylor speak at an Elderhostel event that I attended in Northern California. I enjoyed her presentations very much. On my journey back to Alaska I had an opportunity to practice some of the techniques that she introduced to the group.

I arrived at the Oakland airport around 1:00 p.m. for a 2:30 p.m. flight and discovered that my flight had been cancelled. My reservations now indicated that I was to leave Oakland at 9:00 pm but connections in Seattle were unavailable. That clearly was not going to work for me. After some searching, the reservation agent found a flight leaving San Jose at 2:15 p.m. with a connecting flight in Seattle.

The shuttle van picked me up and I asked the driver if he could get me to San Jose in time for a 2:15 flight. He said that he would try. So I thought of what I had learned at the seminar. Putting on my seatbelt, I took a deep breath, got out my Sudoku puzzles and started to work on them. The driver looked at me and said in an astonished, “You so calm. Most of my passengers would be highly agitated if not yelling at this point in their travels!” 

I shared information about the 20:80 rule, outlined some of the stress management techniques I had learned, described how cortisol has a deleterious effect on one’s brain and body, and thanked him for doing the best he could to get me to the San Jose airport on time. I could not ask for more.

We had a very interesting conversation all the way to the airport, and I learned a lot about business enterprises that were previously unknown to me. And I made my flight in San Jose with time to spare.

I’ll begin with the first part of your question: having learned to do something well doesn’t necessarily mean that your brain does it energy efficiently. Typically, practice can help you complete a specific task efficiently than when you originally were developing the requisite skills, but there will be an accompanying energy requirement that reflects an individual brain’s own innate advantage. The energy expenditure can be efficient or intensive.

For example, I have learned how to balance my check book and can do it “well” (with a minimum of errors). This specific task, however, is not “energy efficient” for my brain to accomplish. Because it is energy intensive I tended to procrastinate. Now I trade out hair cutting for balancing my checkbook with someone whose brain does it very energy efficiently—and we’re both happy because I love to cut hair and my brain uses small amounts of energy.

As to the second part of your question, figuring out your brain’s energy advantage give you the opportunity to manage your brain’s energy expenditures more effectively so that your brain energy lasts as long as possible (studies indicate levels of brain energy tend to decrease as the brain ages).

Become aware of the way in which your brain expends energy and identify tasks that are energy intensive versus those that are energy efficient. This can help you manage your energy by design. Here are several categories to consider:

• Tasks your brain does well (minimum errors) but that require large amounts of energy to accomplish and that you might procrastinate if you could so without major consequences

• Tasks your brain has difficulty doing well and that are also energy intensive 

• Tasks your brain does well (or could do well with learning and practice) and that are also energy efficient based on your own innate preferences

Tasks that fall in the third category are generally less stressful for your brain

The simple answer is your innate brain bent, the impact of your internal and external environments upon it, and the choices you make (or that were made for you) combine to make human beings the way they are. An estimated 7 billion plus brains reside on Planet Earth. Each brain is slightly different, unique, and tends to become more so with age. No two brains ever think identical thoughts (even the brains of so-called identical twins). Therefore, people are like they are because their brains are like they are—and each one is different. Research suggests comparing your brain to your own unique thumb print—no two identical thumb prints have been identified to date, although most human thumbs are recognizable as such. Consensus is that there has never been a brain exactly like yours on Planet Earth and it is highly unlikely there will ever be another just like it in the future. How amazing is that? You cannot control everything. However, studies suggest that about 30 percent of the way you are relates to heredity. About 70 percent of the way you are relates to lifestyle choices.