Step two is to learn how to generate moments of insight. Blake describes research that shows how certain brain states---states everyone has when they daydream or start to fall asleep, for example---are the most productive in terms of quality and quantity of creative ideas. We've been going about this all wrong, says Blake, by multitasking, overproducing, and straining our brains. He shows how you can learn to generate inspiration, sparks of originality, and brilliance using some simple techniques and strategies. Great thinkers such as Henry Ford and Ralph Waldo Emerson discovered this before the science was even known. If you want to make a big change in your life, you'll need to learn how to generate lots of new ideas. I especially loved this part of his book.
Step three shows us how to transform ideas into real achievements. Working again with the laws of physics and nature, Blake's scientific mind presents a very different approach to creating something (a successful outcome) from nothing (an intention or desire). This is more than positive thinking or goal setting, which he says doesn't work. Blake explains how making intentions a reality is best accomplished by tricking one's brain. That is, you visualize the details of your future success, and then say and think them daily. The brain, it turns out, doesn't know the difference between reality and imagination, as proven by a recent study where the brainwaves in study subjects who imagined practicing the piano were identical to those who actually did it!
There is so much fresh and helpful information in this book that a short review doesn’t do it justice. It's an enjoyable read, on top of being useful. Peppered throughout his text are Blake's lively personal stories, as well as lessons learned from famous self-made men and women, and the aforementioned "fun science" that one can easily understand and then apply right away.
If you know a chronic resolution maker or self-help addict, please put Three Simple Steps on their holiday gift list. This is truly a gift that keeps on giving. And speaking of giving, Trevor Blake is donating all of his book's profits to cancer research and development.
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