If Someone is Living In Your Head Rent-Free, Put Them to Work!

(Compliments of artist Bruce Holwerda @ www.bruceholwerda.com)

Not giving your power away is easier 'Said than done'", and it is a chore that I have to work on every day, but I am bound and determined to win the war.

HOWEVER.... (Fury, anger, stress) produces stress - and stress produces adrenaline, and there might be a silver lining to that cloud.

A study was done on rats. They were placed in several inches of water in a tub. Prior to placing the rats in the tub, a clear plexiglas platform was placed in the middle of the tub, with only an inch of water covering it.

The rats were placed in the tub, and eventually found the plexiglass island in the center of the tub.

The next day, half of the rats were given a 'booster' shot of adrenaline before being placed in the tub. The rats that received the shots found the plexiglass island in half the time required to find the platform by the rats that were not given the shot.

The conclusion reached by this experiment:

Even though living in a constant state of fight-or-flight is not a 'good thing', occasional boosts of adrenaline definitely does improve memory!

(Compliments of artist Bruce Holwerda @ www.bruceholwerda.com)

I practice reading music and playing piano or organ every day, usually 2 - 3 hours a day. If I keep tripping over a spot in the music (and I am sure that I have previously played that passage with no mistakes), the only thing I have to do to get over the speed bump that is tripping me up is to envision smashing the face of some untalented individual who exists in my past who previously poked fun, jeered, or would walk by me when I was practicing and say, "That's not how you play that song!" when they, themselves, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, even if I carried it for them! Unfortunately, that person has historically been a family member, but....I digress.

I can do this little exercise 'at will'. Should I start stumbling while playing my music, I only have to call up a certain mental image, and there is no possible way that I can convey to you how effective this exercise is, when it comes to getting me by a tough spot in the music that my memory previously perceived as a 'block'. It works like a charm!

(Compliments of artist Bruce Holwerda @ www.bruceholwerda.com)

The moral of this little saga:

Even though it is technically not a 'good thing' to let somebody live inside your head rent free, and to give away your power to them, there is no law against gaining SOME compensation for their inconvenience in your live by putting them to work to pay for their stay (inside your head!) If you are going to let them dwell in your head, put them to work!

- Michael