How can you take advantage of brain plasticity?
Recent brain science tells us that our brains are more pliable, less rigid than we thought. We can grow our intelligence and abilities throughout our life. We are not "stuck" with what happened at birth or early childhood. This is good news.

There are two ways to take advantage of this. First, you can make friends with your brain by learning how to operate it. Second, you can learn new ways to grow your skills. Part of this is to balance your PQ with your EQ and your IQ. PQ includes becoming aware of how your brain works.

First, you get a new window on how the brain works. You discover you have multiple intelligences that can grow. Howard Gardner, the father of multiple intelligences, discovered that the brain is not one big coherent "all-purpose machine" operating "independent of content and context." He listed 8 kinds of intelligences. He demonstrated that they are biologically separate from one another, and that each kind can operate independently. So your musical intelligence is separate from your ability to spell.

Have you ever noticed that many successful stars in the business world and in Hollywood quit school early? Schools are OK for developing some kind of intelligences, but not all. Did any of your natural capacities get lost during school?

Most IQ and achievement tests are heavily-biased towards measuring your math, verbal, and analytic skills. For one hundred years, we tried to generalize about intelligence as if it were only one factor that you were born with. Now science tells us that there are many kinds of intelligences, and they can change during our lives.

A useful current definition of intelligence is “the ability to solve problems or to create products that are valued within one or more cultural settings”. This leaves room for individual and cultural diversity. 

Here’s a list of eight intelligences, thanks to Harvard's Howard Gardner, and there will be many more*. While the first two on the list are emphasized in schools, in "real-life" an individual needs more in order to thrive.

 

1) Verbal-linguistic intelligence: Ability to notice and use words well. People with this intelligence can express themselves easily in written or spoken words and are often interested in language. (Poets, teachers, speakers)

2) Logical-mathematical intelligence: Ability to use numbers and logic. People with this talent solve math and science challenges readily. They think conceptually about numbers, relationships and patterns. Quick computation skills when faced with complex data or math. (Accountants, scientists, engineers)


3) Visual-spatial intelligence:  Awareness of spatial relationships and ability to visualize, especially perspective. People with this can adjust their field of vision, sense comparative dimensions, detect patterns and mentally manipulate objects in space. Good at estimating distance, motion and speed. (Pilots, architects, sculptors)


4) Body-kinesthetic intelligence: Awareness of movement and sensations. Fluid at physical control (excellent hand-eye coordination and dexterity). Tends to remember by doing, rather than hearing or seeing, uses muscle memory. (Athletes, dancers, surgeons, mechanics)

5) Interpersonal intelligence:  Ability to pick up and respond to non-verbal signals, as well as statements.  They can see the world from other people's point of view. They understand and interact well with other people, and easily develop skills to assess their emotions, motivations, desires and intentions. Natural team-builders and leaders. (Statesmen, CEO’s, psychologists, pastors)


6) Musical intelligence: Naturally attuned to sound, rhythm, and music; ability to detect voice pitch, tonality, tunes. People with this intelligence can appreciate, perform and often compose music. (Songwriters, conductors, DJ’s)


7) Intra-personal intelligence: Aware of their internal states of mind, moods, attitudes, physical signals, and attentive to what they mean. Interested in knowing about themselves, they seek perspective on their emotions, motivations, desires and intentions. Introspective. (Entrepreneurs, artists, spiritual leaders)


8) "Nature" intelligence: Sensitive to the natural world. , exploring the environment and learning about other species. Notices even subtle changes to the environment. (Marine biologists, botanists, geologists)
 
* (Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner, 1983)


 
Second, the brain can be trained like a young puppy. When you make better friends with your brain, you can teach it new tricks. Learn to use specific techniques to change pattern and develop new choices, new goals.