Zapp that grey matter… and have more fun!

Good morning,

 

In today’s letter, I think we should link arms and take a stroll down to the entertainment district for some good memories and hilarious banter. Hey?! Town planners and Mayors can let their hair down once in a while as well you know!

 

Today I want to help answer the below very important question raised in a previous letter:

 

Am I happy with how much I know and how smart I am?

 

This may be a tricky question for you to answer over a letter, and not a very fun question to put to yourself. Like in other areas of life, the first step to making positive change is to shine the spotlight on ourselves, scrutinise our behaviours and actions and see how we currently measure up against where we want to eventually be.

 

 

The great thing about the human brain is that it will continue to soak up information throughout your life and allow you to continue learning for as long as it’s allowed to do so. Unfortunately, like a sponge, if it is left to its own devices it will soak up information from everything and anything you leave near it. Similarly to the saying, ‘you are what you eat’, you could also argue that ‘your thoughts and opinions are made from what you consume’. If you want to flood your brain with new and beneficial information, you need to be intentional about the things you feed your brain with.

 

So, back to the reason, we are in your entertainment district! The hobbies and activities you have filled this area with have a really useful ability to affect your intelligence and knowledge in certain subjects. Understanding this, and keeping your long term intelligence and knowledge goals in mind, you should be able to start shedding activities that do not benefit you and adding new hobbies and tasks to your days that bring you closer to where you want to be.

 

The paradox of learning is that we know what we think we know and don’t know what we don’t know. Our brains are encouraged to keep learning about subjects that we are familiar with because we already know that we are interested in that subject. Additionally, we don’t know the potential subjects that we may be really interested as we haven’t yet tried learning anything about them!

 

 

In this letter, therefore, I enthusiastically recommend diving head first into a new subject, hobby or activity (SHA). Following the below rules should help you on the right track:

1. The SHA you look into should not be on something you have read an article, book or website on previously.
2. The SHA could be something that is the polar opposite of something you currently do, ie – watching TV = sedentary – rock climbing = active.
3. The subject of the SHA could be something you specifically think you will not find interesting at all.

 

The three above rules will push you toward areas that promote growth within yourself and improve your understanding of subjects you already have knowledge of. A really important thing to remember is that nothing exists within a vacuum, and the SHA you choose will relate to human emotions, struggles and triumphs that have been experienced by different people throughout the world and history.

 

 

 

If after reading this far you find yourself physically shaking this letter and exclaiming angrily “Yeah okay Ryan, this is all well and good, but how am I meant to discover these new SHA’s if I have never learnt about them before???”  

 

Well I only aim to please and below are some suggestions on how to get some ideas of new and exciting things your brain can soak up:

 

1. Click on this Random link and you will be taken to a random subreddit on Reddit. Repeat clicking on this link until you land upon a subject you know nothing about.
2. Walk into a library (yes they still exist), go to any section and force your feet to enter an aisle that you know nothing about. Once there, pick up an interesting looking book, check it out and give it a read.
3. Ask a friend about their hobbies and listen to them with the intention to learn. If they really like the subject then they should sell it with their enthusiasm. Once the subjects hooks are in you, you are ready for take-off!
4. Type ‘museums near me’ into your search engine of choice and go to the ones that activate your curiosity the most.

 

When you start exposing yourself to new SHA’s you will start to notice that changes will be made around your entertainment districts. Old negative hobbies will be replaced by more positive ones, activities that bring you closer to who you want to become will chase out ones that were holding you back and removing these intellectual roadblocks will prevent you becoming set in your ways, old-fashioned and boring.

 

Yours sincerely,

Ryan Rose-Blanc

Rose-Blanc Town management