How to Gain Insight and Aha-Moments in Four Simple Steps

Named by Inc. as one of the top 100 leadership speakers, Shelley Row, P.E., is an engineer and former government and association executive. Shelley’s leadership work focuses on developing insightful leaders who can see beyond the data.

Everyone has those moments when you suddenly ‘get it.’ That light-bulb that goes off when you least expect it to prove you gained inspiration or a solution to something. It’s an exciting feeling when it comes at just the right moment, almost like magic! Did you know that these can be encouraged with the right environment for your brain in four simple steps? Neuroscience has made discoveries that indicate this may be more of a process than we realized. A-ha!

Pay attention to the quiet voice. Your brain is like a filing cabinet. It stores events and memories from your past in tiny filing folders. Just like a filing cabinet, your brain stores the more useful current information in the front of your memory cabinet. This does not mean that the less used folders don’t exist; they are just waiting to help nudge you away from a certain option, providing the memory of past experience or details to help you make the best decision. The quiet voice is like a librarian that puts all the less used memories to the front of the cabinet when it’s needed. You just need to make sure to open the drawer and pay attention to the material.

People that are positive and are in good moods have a tendency to solve more issues by using their insight.

SHELLEY ROW

Stay Positive. People that are positive and are in good moods have a tendency to solve more issues by using their insight. Experiments show that negativity can increase anxiety which leaves less room in your mind to work out problems. So when you’re feeling down, try putting on a funny movie and work through it while laughing!

Take away the distractions. In order to really understand something, you need to rid yourself of distractions, especially visual blockers. Focus on subtle signals or sounds. Visual blocks are the worst mental blocks when trying to switch signals and focus on the solution.

Pause when needed. The brain can become overwhelmed and sometimes stepping away for a few moments to let your mind wander can do great things to “reset” your brain and mood. Sleeping well through the night and naps can also help create positive energy to focus on.

Do you see yourself being able to complete these steps? Pick one to start with and see how your insightful moments flourish!

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