I always thought the brain was a muscle; I was wrong, it’s an organ. I assumed it was a muscle, since our brains work all day, enabling us to function without thought or direction from us—and yet are still available to take on a multitude of other tasks that we ask of it. So no, the brain does not meet the definition of a muscle; it does meet the definition of an organ. But don’t take my word for it, look it up and flex that organ yourself! 
We all have the choice to flex our brains and reset our mindset (a growth or a fixed) at any time. Why does that matter- don’t we exercise enough already? Think about all the things humans have accomplished: the 4 min mile, the space race, batteries that last 300+ miles, the internet, engineering underwater tunnels and bridges and of course a finely nuanced aged whiskey. The list is endless, and it’s astonishing when you think about the totality of accomplishment from the time mankind began until now. Imagine if we all just said it was impossible? It probably was at first, until it wasn’t. What made the difference? It’s simple; someone thought “I can do that” and they did.
Each year on my birthday, a friend asks me what I learned in the year past. It’s a great question, but one I usually save for this time of the year. I take stock of how the year has gone, asking myself three questions: how am I better? how am I worse? and how can I improve? I don’t always like the answers, but that’s ok since I learn from them and hit the reset button for the coming year. I think we would all agree that we have all changed over the last few years especially, and that we did then and continue to live in interesting times. I have learned much in these last 3 years. I learned that working from home is possible and can be rewarding, to slow down and take a breath, and that not everything is a fire drill. Learning these things was a significant mind shift for me. Circumstances required me to change and helped me realize how firmly set in my ways I was. I had to adapt, set aside the mental roadblocks, and shift my thinking. It was not an easy task, but shifting allowed me to thrive, whereas a fixed mindset would have only seen the roadblocks and made it all impossible. My biggest learning? To be open, flex my brain and look for what is possible.
By the way, remember the puzzle story where my mom said, “this is impossible and seems complicated; I can’t do it”. Well, she flexed her brain, sat down to it, and completed it.
“The mind is just like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.” – Idowu Koyenikan
How will you flex and shift your mind?
Have a great weekend…
Vijay