According to psychology instructor Dr. Don Smith, the secret to success is all about enlightenment.
But what
exactly is enlightenment? And how do we control it?
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Dr. Don Smith explained how students can use
their brain to
increase awareness.
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These are
the questions that Smith addressed today in his lecture on "Enlightenment and
the Brain" as a part of the Humanities Lecture Series on enlightenment.
“Enlightenment
with a small, ‘e,’ not a capital ‘E,’” said Smith, explaining that this type of
enlightenment is about a sense of awareness and an understanding of the brain.
Smith
began the lecture by passing around a real brain for students to look, or
grimace, at.
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Some students took
their time to examine the brain,
while others passed it along as
quickly as possible.
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“Part of my intention for this lecture is to let people know just how powerful this machine is,” said Smith as he explained the different parts of the brain.
Even
though it is such a powerful organ, the brain is locked away and trapped. It is
completely dependent on gathering information from external sources. The brain
needs our help to work its best.
According to Smith, awareness is the name of the game. It begins with an awareness of
behavior. Once you identify your behavior, you can identify your emotions and
can then identify your thoughts and have the ability to change them.
“Our
behaviors always follow this combination of what we’re thinking about and the
emotions they produce,” said Smith.
He used
an interesting analogy between anxiety and excitement. The physiologies of
these two feelings are quite similar. Your heart beats faster when you’re
excited and when you’re nervous. You may start sweating and get butterflies in
your stomach. But, the emotions and thoughts behind the two feelings are
different.
People
feel nervous because they might have to do something that they think is
uncomfortable. People feel excited because they are going to do something that
they think is worth anticipating. The key is to understand why you are thinking
what you’re thinking.
“Your
brain is just waiting for information,” said Smith. “If you tell it to do
something, it will. If you don’t somebody else will.”
By this
philosophy, you should be able to become the next Bill Gates just by thinking
about it, right?
Well,
maybe. But, there’s a little more to it than that. Smith explained that success
comes with very specific goals. If you picture what success is to you, then you
can make your own goals. Tell your brain what you want and you might just be
able to achieve it.
Smith
also encouraged keeping an active brain. Going to school, playing an
instrument, walking backwards, and sitting somewhere new are all ways to give
your brain a workout. Doing different things, he said, helps to keep the brain
working.
“If you
have a behavior you don’t like, then you need to become aware of the thought
and change it,” said Smith. “Until you become aware of the thoughts, your
behaviors will be beyond your control.”
Want to
learn more about the brain? Check out these websites:
Story by Lily Haight
