Use BOTH Sides of Your Brain in Harmony
Does the left side of your brain dominate your actions, or the right? Are you logical, organized and methodical, or are you intuitive, spontaneous and creative? Or, do you use both sides of your brain in harmony?
Scientists have studied brain-injury patients for years and have determined that both hemispheres can affect personality. Did you know, however, that it is possible to develop a “balanced brain”? With practice, you can exercise your brain and develop a brain that doesn’t dominate one side or the other, but one that works together in harmony.
I’m sure this is a function of age (wisdom and all that), but it’s comforting to finally be in a place where my free-flowing (right) brain allows me to be spontaneous and impulsive, and at the same time, my sensible (left) brain helps me work through problems and make sense of the chaotic world around me, while keeping track of everything.
Well, that’s the response I got when I took the Left-Brain/Right-Brain Test.
My score of 58 is slightly closer to the creative/right-brained, yet still balanced with the informed, analytical left. It means that I,
“… tend to express your individuality both in words and actions, and although you’re perfectly comfortable running on a schedule or planning things ahead of time, there are occasions when you love to throw in a little spontaneity. Your balanced outlook and approach to life creates a desire in you to not only understand the world, but to also take it in your hands and mold it as you see fit. With both your right and left hemispheres working together to guide you, you are able to understand yourself and life in general from so many wonderful perspectives.”
I will admit that when I’m wearing my creative cap, I’m not working very hard as a book promoter and marketer. In fact, learning how to market my books didn’t come easily for me. It was only when I looked at the prospect of marketing as a fun, research project that I could tackle it. As a writer, you may be able to understand the concept of research on a topic. Perhaps I’ll use much of the marketing background I’ve acquired as a profession for one of my fictional characters.
Robin Van Auken’s office
On days when I feel the Right-Side of my brain dominating, I go with the flow. On these days, I’m a bit of an introvert, and I’d rather sit in my office (yes, it’s filled with nautical treasures, books and decorations) and read books, daydream about my own stories, and write when the muse prompts.
When the Left-Side takes over, I’m filled with energy to organize my desk, my computer files, hunker down with “Scientific American” and read about the Big Bang and the rise of the Anthropocene. I fantasize about joining the Okeanos Explorer, the flagship of the NOAA, and conduct deepwater research.
It’s great fun to swing in one direction, and then another, but it can get a bit confusing for other people. Still, I feel a great sense of contentment, knowing what side of my brain is dominating and that it is perfectly natural for it to do so.
