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5 BRAIN-FRIENDLY SUMMER SUPERFOOD RECIPES

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Are you looking for quick, easy, summer superfood recipes? We’ve got you covered.

Gardens may be brimming, but we know healthy eating can be a bit tricky during the summer. Vacations can disrupt meal planning and it’s easier to indulge when you’re away from home. Long days and hot nights can suppress the heartiest of appetites. But warm weather also means you’re likely more active. Swimming, hiking, kayaking, camping, mountain biking, and more activities require nutrient-packed foods to help keep you fueled all summer long.

You can find some of our favorite brain foods, here. You can incorporate these ten foods into every meal. And to make your life easier, we found five brain-healthy recipes to make your summer meal planning effortless.

Photo by blueberry.org

Salmon with Blueberry Basil Sauce

Salmon is packed with brain-friendly omega-3’s. Up to 60% of your brain matter is made up of these fatty acids, which is why eating foods rich in omega-3’s is so important. It helps your brain absorb more oxygen, retain new information, improves memory, boosts serotonin levels, and improves mood. Combine that with antioxidant rich blueberries, and this meal is a supermeal for your brain.

Brain-friendly ingredients include:

  • blueberries
  • salmon
  • lemon
  • basil
  • olive oil
  • honey

You can make this even more powerful by serving on a bed of dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard greens, steam some broccoli for a delicious and filling side, or make this 5 ingredient lemon turmeric quinoa. It makes a delicious lunch or a lighter dinner. You can even serve it with eggs and toast for a fancy breakfast or brunch.

Photo by Conscious Cleanse

Brain-boosting Smoothie Bowl

This fast and easy smoothie bowl is a filling alternative for an easy breakfast on a warm morning. Kale is packed full of vitamin A, C, and K, along with antioxidants like beta-carotene, polyphenols, and flavonoids. Vitamin B heavy avocados have been linked to lower stress and anxiety. And thanks to high levels of tryptophans, they can boost serotonin and balance hormones.

Brain-friendly ingredients include:

  • avocado
  • spinach or kale
  • walnuts
  • chia seeds
  • flaxseed
  • lemons

Add delicious hemp-seeds, blueberries, coconut flakes, a dollop of honey, or any other brain-healthy topping of your choice to make this even more nutrient-dense and delicious. Try swapping out ingredients to make this uniquely your own.

Photo by Heaven Lynn Healthy

Turmeric, Bean, & Spinach Veggie Tacos

These tacos are superfood dense. The curcumin in turmeric has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that have been linked with preventing age-related brain disease like dementia due to reducing amyloid plaques. Thiamine-rich white beans boost mood, and help with production and function of healthy brain cells.

Brain-friendly ingredients include:

  • tumeric
  • white beans
  • spinach
  • olive oil
  • avocado

If you’re looking for a fun, interactive family recipe, these delicious tacos are perfect. They’re versatile, filling, and can be made ahead of time. You can customize the filling, tortillas, and vegetable ingredients to make this a winning dinner for every eater at your table.

Photo by Feel Good Foods

Lazy Yogi Smoothie

Is there a better summer treat than a smoothie? They’re cool, packed with nutrients, and can be made to fit any craving. The metabolism-boosting MCT’s in coconut oil breaks down into ketones which turns into energy to fuel the brain. And dates add a sweet twist with the added benefits of multiple antioxidants. This smoothie will lower inflammation, sharpen your brain function, boost your mood, and give your metabolism an extra kick.

Brain-friendly ingredients include:

  • tumeric
  • blueberries
  • dates
  • coconut oil

You can add an avocado to make this a heartier meal, use seasonal berries fresh from your garden or local farmer’s market, or add chia or hemp seeds to keep you fuller longer. Pour this smoothie into a silicone popsicle mold for a delicious frozen afternoon treat or blend for additional time and then freeze for a healthy ice cream dessert alternative.

Photo by branappetit.com

Egg, Avocado, & Olive Oil Toast

Breakfast or brunch doesn’t have to be a complicated affair. With four ingredients, this delicious meal is easy and flexible. Rich in choline, eggs reduce inflammation and promote healthy brain cell functionality. Olive oil has high levels of Vitamin C and E, promoting healthy brain function, and it protects the brain from damage.

Brain-friendly ingredients include:

  • eggs
  • avocado
  • olive oil

You can leave this open or use a second piece of bread for an on-the-go breakfast sandwich. Add crispy kale for some added crunch, spread some creamy hummus with the avocado, or dd your favorite protein for an added nutrient boost.

Conclusion

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a chore. You can have fun finding new recipes, make weekly farmer market trips a family activity, experiment with new foods, and put your own healthy spins on whatever you find. With these delicious summer superfood recipes, you can fuel your body and feed your brain all summer long.

For even more on easy, healthy, brain-friendly summer superfood recipes, watch this video:

OVERCOME LIMITING BELIEFS WITH STEVEN BARTLETT

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Steven Bartlett believes that “self-awareness is realizing that there is no opponent – you’re fighting against yourself.” Yet, even with that belief, Steven admits that after talking to Jim on a recent episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, he realized he still had limiting beliefs he was holding onto.

If you’re familiar with Steven or his podcast, that might be a surprise. After all, The Diary of a CEO is Europe’s most downloaded podcast. Success is not something that Steven appears to struggle with. He’s the co-founder of multiple companies, runs a successful podcast, and is the author of several books. And yet, even with all his success, all his accomplishments, Steven still experiences limiting beliefs.

It’s a powerful reminder that no one is immune to self-doubt. But it’s also a demonstration on how life-changing realization and self-empowerment can be. During their nearly two hour conversation, Jim and Steven covered so many amazing topics, including:

  • Jim talks about his mission, where he started, and why he’s so driven to fulfill it. [3:01]
  • When we have the two biggest cognitive dips in our lives, and how it relates to death. [11:24]
  • Why exercise is so important and the different types that are best for your brain. [14:25]
  • The four different cognitive brain types, how they influence your thinking, and where to find which type you are. [17:52]
  • Various tools to help you organize your thinking and make better decisions. [21:58]
  • How to find your dominant question and why it’s so important to help with your passion, purpose, and focus in life. [30:39]
  • Steven talks how his career has changed focus by utilizing these five buckets, but how they’ve also highlighted his own limiting beliefs. [39:43]
  • This is how Jim uses the the Feynman Technique to make learning accessible—and how you can to remember more information easier. [44:24]
  • The ten keys to upgrading your brain and unlocking your limitless memory. [51:50]
  • Why reading is so powerful and how you can learn to read faster with a few simple exercises. [1:04:26]
  • The first principles for finding flow and staying there. [1:14:00]
  • Is there an area of your life where you feel like you’re in a box? Here’s how to get out of it—and what Steven struggles with. [1:21:27]
  • In Steven’s last question tradition, Jim shares his most recent regret. [1:33:33]

As you can see, their conversation was incredibly in-depth with so many actionable tips that you can use to improve your learning and unlock your limitless potential. We can’t wait for you to listen and start applying the valuable information to your life today.

RESET Your Brain

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We’ve officially reached the halfway point of 2023 and our monthly theme on the Kwik Brain Universe app is reset. If you haven’t joined yet, you can sign up, here. This is your one-stop-shop for all your courses. It’s also the best place to connect with other lifelong learners, along with being the first to find out about new events, groups, and programs.

When it comes to reaching your goals, it’s important to do a check-in, reset your brain, and make small changes to continue your forward momentum. Maybe the first six months of the year have been a struggle for you. If so, that’s okay. You can find your greatest strengths in your biggest struggles. All it takes is one step in a different direction to change your entire trajectory.

STEPS TO R.E.S.E.T

When you envision your goal, it might seem like a good idea to paint the perfect picture of that positive future. And while that’s sometimes a good place to start, it’s not always the case. If that vision feels too far away, it can actually trigger a stress response in your brain. Instead of feeling motivated, you’ll more likely end up in fight, flight, or freeze mode. And that can be extremely demotivating.

One of the best things you can do when faced with overwhelm is break things down into small, simple steps. They help your goal feel manageable and allow you to focus on smaller, more easily achievable goals. This helps you not only feel safe—which alleviates stress—it builds momentum and energy because you’re able to make progress.

To help you remember how to reset your brain, all you have to do is remember R.E.S.E.T.

Routine:

I believe the treasure you seek is hidden in your daily routines. I’m a firm believer that how you start and end your day matters, which is why I have both a morning and an evening routine. I go over the four basic elements of both, here. And here’s a more detailed look at my ideal morning.

It’s important to remember that these episodes and lists aren’t meant to be absolutes every day. They’re meant to be your ideal goal. No one has a perfect morning—not even me. But I try to do as many of them as I can without adding stress to my already busy day. Some important areas to create routines around are sleep, meditation, healthy eating, exercise, and journaling. These all have tremendous benefits for your mental and physical health.

A routine doesn’t help if it’s overwhelming or stressful, so customize yours to fit your schedule and lifestyle. If you’re creating a new routine, start small. Remember, little by little, a little becomes a lot. Take one habit and build from there.

Emotions:

Your emotions are a barometer. They are meant to help you assess your mental state and warn you when you’re nearing overwhelm and burnout. It’s important to honor your emotions instead of resisting them.

That might be easier said than done. It can be tempting to try and bulldoze your way through a difficult day. But when you do that, you’re more likely to make mistakes, find yourself in conflict with others, or overlook important details. It might feel like you’re moving forward, but when you ignore your natural warning signs, you might actually be moving backwards.

What you resist persists. Whatever you’re avoiding is likely what you have to face in order to move forward. The obstacle is always the way. Take time to pause and really listen to what your emotions are trying to tell you. Maybe you need a break. Or help. Talking to someone might unlock a new approach you never considered before. You might need to take a step back and look at your previous steps. Did you miss an important lesson? Or take a shortcut that is now creating the obstacle?

Before your emotions take over, be sure to spend time acknowledging them. Journaling every day is a wonderful way to organize your thoughts and spend time with your emotions. It reduces anxiety and gives your brain the space it needs to process problems and analyze situations. Remember, your emotions are sign posts. Don’t forget to use them.

Sever:

It can be hard in our modern world to actually disconnect, but it’s incredibly important for your mental health. You want to sever your connections to the digital world from time to time.

When was the last time you went out to dinner without your phone? Or turned off the internet and read a book or played a game with your family? Social media and streaming companies spend billions of dollars to find ways to keep you online. Their ultimate goal is to get you addicted to their products and services.

Technology is a wonderful tool. It connects you to people you love, can be used to learn and grow, and can even be a source of inspiration. But like any tool, it’s all about how you use it. Fire can cook your food or burn down your house. You want to be sure that you are using it—not it using you.

In my book, Limitless, I use the following quote from the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre: “Life is the C between B and D. B is birth; D is death; C is choice.” Ultimately, you have the choice to decide what to focus on and how to spend your time. Difficult times can define you, they can diminish you, or they can develop you. Make sure you spend your time focused on the things that matter and not endlessly scrolling or binging media.

Explore:

Curiosity is one of the most important emotions to cultivate along with gratitude. When you’re curious, you’re less fearful—just like when you’re grateful. But curiosity extends past learning about new things. It can also help you overcome obstacles.

Think about a time someone was upset at you. Imagine how the situation could have changed if you had been curious instead of angry. Curiosity leads you to ask questions, prompts you to look at things from a different perspective, and go outside of your comfort zone. It’s been suggested that curiosity is one of the reasons positive emotions exist. It can enhance your connections, lead to higher levels of motivation, and give you a sense of purpose.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Even something as simple as listening to a new playlist, trying a new exercise routine, or going to a new restaurant can spark new ideas and energize you in surprising and unexpected ways. You might feel stuck not because you’re doing too much. But because you’re not doing enough of the things that inspire and motivate you. Ask questions, say yes, and embrace curiosity in everything you do.

Think:

Part of pursuing a goal is stepping back and evaluating them. It can be too easy to lose sight of your goal in the drudgery of life. You want to remember why you had the dream in the first place. If you’re stuck, it might be because your goal isn’t aligned in your heart and mind.

One of the most important things to remember is that there’s a difference between goal-setting and goal-getting. You can listen to our numerous episodes on goals, here.

You want to make your goals S.M.A.R.T.:

  • Specific — Make your goal as specific as possible with well-defined steps and verifiable results. Instead of saying I want a raise, define what a good raise looks like and how you can go about getting it.
  • Measurable — You have to measure your progress so you can see how far you’ve come. If you can’t measure your goal, you can’t manage or track it.
  • Action-oriented — These are the steps that push you forward and give you direction. What actions can you take every day to make progress?
  • Realistic — Be realistic about your time frames, your outcomes, and dreams. If your company never goes above a 5% raise, a 15% goal isn’t realistic. Make sure you can actually achieve your goal.
  • Time-Bound — While you can stretch your goals out as long as you want, the longer it takes to reach it, the more likely you’ll lose motivation. Challenge keeps you engaged, so set a time frame and stick to it.

But you also want to make sure they have H.E.A.R.T.:

  • Healthy — If you get a promotion at the cost of your health or relationships, you haven’t gained—you’ve lost. Always make sure you’re balancing your goals with your mental, physical, and relationship health.
  • Enduring — Every goal will be hard at some point. Make sure your goal will get you through the hard times and difficult situations by attaching a strong emotional element that motivates and drives you.
  • Alluring — Imagine everything achieving that goal will bring. Maybe a promotion means more money for a bigger house, a dream vacation, or a new car. Don’t be afraid to dream.
  • Relevant — No matter what your goal is, tie it to your life. How will learning to play the ukulele make your life better? Will it bring you closer to someone? Create a link to an ancestral history? Personal goals drive you forward and give you purpose.
  • Truth — If you pursue a degree because your parents want you to, the odds of you sticking with it when things get hard are low. Find your truth. Know your truth. And stick with your truth.

KEEP SHOWING UP

When it comes to your goals, imagine what you want most. See it, feel it, believe in it, and then work daily for it. If you need to, break your goal down into smaller goals, and then break those down into small, simple steps.

Pursuing your goals isn’t about forcing an outcome. It’s about finding flow. You want to push and challenge yourself with stretch goals, but you also need to give yourself time and space to recover from setbacks so you can learn and grow along the way.

There is no goal too big if you are realistic about how to reach it. Never shrink what’s possible to fit your mind. Expand your mind to fit what’s possible by upgrading your mindset, motivation, and methods to give yourself the tools and resources to meet your biggest dreams.

If you’re struggling to stay on track, don’t beat yourself up. Often, a simple reset fixes the problem. Try rebooting your brain and realigning yourself with the HEART of your goal. Make sure to acknowledge your hard work and celebrate each success along the way—no matter how small. Remember, there’s a version of you that you haven’t met yet. Keep showing up and doing the work until you’re introduced.

As an added bonus, watch this video for four things you can change to maximize your results?

MEMORY TRAINING: HERE’S WHY YOU NEED IT

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Have you ever been in a meeting and forgotten the name of your client? Or found yourself so overwhelmed that you missed an important meeting? If your memory often fails in stressful moments, there’s good news: you can train your memory.

The human brain is adaptable. It’s is a muscle, and like any muscle, it needs training to stay fit. Memory training is one of the exercises you can do to keep your brain healthy, adaptable, and strong. But a trained memory is good for more than simple fitness. It can be one of your most valuable assets.

A good memory can help you at every age and stage of your personal and professional life. It enables you to store large amounts of information, learn new concepts faster, and recall important information when you need it. Friends and family will know they can depend on you, and remembering deadlines, meetings, and other important events and tasks will help you professionally.

People with a well-trained memory are recognized as smart, knowledgeable, independent, and competent. A sharp memory can impress clients and make them feel valued when you have key statistics at your fingertips during a presentation and can recall information to make decisions faster.

Here are some tips to start training you memory.

Warm-up Your Brain

Before you start any physical workout, you need to do warm-up exercises. It’s the same with your brain. A warm-up ensures that your muscles are limber so that you avoid injury. While you may not sprain your brain with mental exercise, it is possible to experience overload and overwhelm.

You would never train for a marathon by running all twenty-six miles. When first starting a new memory training program, you want to start slowly. That’s why all of our learning modules are less than thirty minutes a day. The point is to build up to your memory potential—not inundate it.

Practice your chosen exercise throughout the day. If it’s going to the grocery store without a list, practice remembering your list on your way to work, on your lunch break, and on your way to the grocery store. This keeps your brain flexible and on alert as you work towards memory expertise.

Challenge Your Brain

While you don’t want to start too aggressively, your brain still needs to feel challenged in order to gain momentum. If you don’t ever challenge your muscles, they’ll never get stronger, and you won’t achieve your goals. Your brain will find the same activity less challenging over time, so it’s important to add intensity, change the frequency, and vary the duration of your mental exercises.

You can do this by practicing multiple memory exercises throughout your day. Stop relying on your phone to remember dates, phone numbers, and other important information. Practice other exercises, like reciting the periodic table, doing simple mental math, and learning new vocabulary words.

Another way you can challenge your brain and stay mentally fit is to learn something new. Whether it’s learning how to play a musical instrument, picking up a second (or third) language, or mastering a new hobby like work working or knitting, simply engaging in the lessons will keep your brain active and engaged. Even better, you’ll find you have better focus, attention, and concentration in other areas as well.

Cross-train Your Brain

Cross-training is when you use different physical, mental, and creative exercises to stimulate specific areas of your brain so you can gain maximum benefits. By using a combination of activities, you can achieve faster results.

Think of it this way, you wouldn’t exercise only one muscle if you were trying to get in shape. You’d do cardio, strength training, endurance training, and focus on specific muscle groups on varying days. The same is true with your brain. Focusing only on remembering grocery lists, for example, wouldn’t necessarily help with phone numbers or putting faces to names. But to say you have a good memory, you’d want to have the ability to remember a wide variety of information.

Because your body and brain are connected, there are a variety of exercises you can do to help enhance cognitive performance and improve neural health. Let’s look at a few of these exercises that can help improve your memory when combined with a memory training program.

Physical Exercise

Physical exercise is improves cognitive function in the areas of concentration, problem-solving, attention, and recall, to name a few. When you challenge yourself with new physical activities it builds and maintains your cognitive skills even more. Your brain has to learn movements, form, and routines. Take swimming as an example. Swimming will improve your overall health, build muscles, and strengthen overall organ functionality. It keeps your brain active as you learn new skills, process the different type of swim strokes, track laps, and focus on controlling your breathing. You use both your body and your mind throughout the workout.

The healthier your body, the healthier your brain. Oxygen levels and blood flow both increase, making it easier for your body to transport oxygen and nutrients to your brain. You’ll have better awareness, more energy, and longer endurance. All of which helps you increase the maximum potential of your memory.

Mental Games

Any activity that is mentally challenging will exercise your brain, but certain games will be more beneficial than others. Chess is one of the better games you can play to improve your overall brain health. It increases the white matter in your brain and stimulates neural growth. Studies show chess can increase concentration, improve problem-solving skills, help prevent dementia, and in one study, improved the standardized test scores by almost 20%.

Puzzles are also good for the brain. Studies show completing a daily crossword or sudoku puzzle can increase neural activity and delay cognitive decline. They reduce stress, sharpen logic and reasoning, improve spatial reasoning and visual acuity, and help with short-term memory. Memory games that change the intensity, frequency, and duration of things you need to remember will push your brain towards maximum results.

Creative Activities

Creative activities are things like learning a new language, painting, writing, dancing, gardening, etc. Creativity is a whole brain activity that utilizes multiple areas of your brain simultaneously. It aids in cognitive skills like processing speed and problem-solving, but because you use your overall experiences to shape your ideas, it improves your memory while sparking imagination.

Enjoying activities that allow for self-expression such as journaling or expressive writing help your recall abilities, while learning how to play an instrument like the piano or violin stretches your muscle memory, and drawing or sketching exercises your visual memory.

Conclusion

Memory training isn’t a single approach. You want to combine a memory training program with physical exercise, creative activities, and fun brain games throughout the day. Training your brain will help you absorb more information faster so you can use it when you need it. The more you practice, the better your memory will get, and a good memory will play a significant role in your personal and professional success. Whether you are a student, teacher, parent, entrepreneur, public speaker, doctor, lawyer, or any other type of professional, a good memory is a strong asset that will take you far.

If you already have a good memory, you can still benefit from brain training. A healthy brain helps with better sleep, lower stress, and a more optimistic state of mind.

For more on how to train your memory, watch this video:

THE AMAZING BRAIN BENEFITS OF READING

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Here at Kwik Brain, we believe leaders are readers. When you read a book, you can take decades of knowledge and learn the same lessons in a matter of days. That’s why cultivating a daily reading habit is so important. And when you increase your reading speed, you not only improve your productivity, but will see important benefits to other areas of your daily life as well.

Reading improves your creativity and imagination

When you read, you use your imagination. When you’re immersed in new characters and worlds, you exercise your imagination. And using your imagination daily sparks creativity. This helps you see the world through a new lens, helping you become more open-minded.

Creativity and imagination help you look at problems differently, which then improves your problem-solving and decision-making abilities. And because reading is a whole brain exercise, it helps keep your cognitive processes working at optimal levels.

You expand your vocabulary

The more books you read, the more words you’re exposed to. By reading the context of these new vocabulary words, you learn where, when, and how to use them, so you’re able to apply them to more situations. This enables you to express yourself and your ideas in clear, concise ways. As you improve your ability to communicate with others, you build deeper and more meaningful relationships in all areas of your life.

Your knowledge increases

Reading broadens your understanding of history, economics, current events, cuisine, culture, politics, and more. Even fiction raises awareness and can teach you something new. Whenever you come across a new idea or perspective, you can research the areas you’re unfamiliar with. This expands your worldview, general knowledge, and can lead to surprising discoveries as you learn fascinating unknown facts and concepts. Novels, articles, newspapers, magazines, and even recipes, reading provides a wealth of information.

Your memory can improve 

As we mentioned, reading is a whole brain exercise. That means when you read, you engage multiple areas of your brain at the same time. This improves fluency, comprehension, awareness, visual and auditory processes, and more.

In addition, reading activates your working memory. As you read, you keep track of plots, dialogue, characters, and more. When you return to reading after taking a break, you exercise your memory as you recall what happened previously in the book. And when you put the book down, the story stays in your active in your brain until you’re finished with the book. You think about what happened and speculate on what might happen next, sharpening your deductive reasoning and logical thinking.

Consistency and self-discipline improve

The average attention span is getting shorter. Technology and media have decreased the average attention span to 47 seconds. That’s down almost an entire minute and a half in less than twenty years. But reading can increase your attention span, which then increases your ability to concentrate and focus on other tasks.

When you sit down to read a book, you’re committing to hundreds of pages. You know you will not get through the content in minutes, and by sitting down to read every day, you’re exercising your focus and concentration. To fully understand the story, you have to finish the book. Studies show reading strengthens the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. These are the areas of the brain where concentration, focus, planning, attention, and decision-making take place.

Stress Reduction

Reading novels for enjoyment is an excellent way to relax. Studies show that reading for thirty minutes can reduce stress significantly. In fact, it has the same effect on stress as doing yoga. Your heart-rate decreases, your muscles relax, and your breathing evens out while you read. This helps lower anxiety and can help you become more productive for the rest of your day.

Studies also show that reading increases your emotional intelligence and empathy. While this on its own may not reduce stress, it helps form deeper emotional bonds with people around you. One recent study showed how community bonds and social support helps instances of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.

Increase your skills in any area of interest

In any specific field of interest, reading can help improve your success. Subject matter experts take their years of expertise and condense it into chapters, allowing you to learn from their experiences, acquired knowledge, and mistakes. That allows you to build on their foundation to come up with ideas on how you can best apply that knowledge to increase your capabilities successfully.

Become a better writer

Every time you read, you’re taking in sentence structure, word use, grammar, and vocabulary. Unconsciously, you’re gaining insight into how to create sentences, paragraphs, and chapters in your own writing. The more you read and the more you practice writing, the faster you’ll develop your own voice, style, and creative storytelling.

Improved problem-solving and cognitive processing

Reading helps you detect patterns, assimilate information, and solve problems. One study out of the Washington University in St. Louis showed reading activates seventeen different areas of the brain. But they aren’t active at the same time, and the level of activation changes as you develop.

Researchers at the Emory University in Atlanta found that reading novels changes your brain—even after you’re done reading. The neural networks that activate while reading stay active for up to five days after you finish a novel. This might not seem like a long time, but if you’re consistently reading, you’re constantly lighting up those networks. This enhances overall brain performance that extends into other tasks and, over time, develops into a wide range of cognitive capabilities.

Conclusion

The brain benefits of reading are truly limitless. You learn more about yourself and the world around you, often while visiting fantastical places that spark your imagination. It’s possible to build empathy, improve your concentration and focus, reduce your stress, and it’s one of the best whole brain exercises you can do. So what are you waiting for? Pick up a book today!

If you want to learn how to read faster and remember more, visit http://kwikbrain.com for more information on our revolutionary Kwik Brain accelerated learning programs.

And if you want to learn how to read a book a week, watch this video:

THE EMPATHETIC ELEPHANT: DECIPHER YOUR BRAIN TYPE

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Congratulations on taking the quiz and unlocking the C.O.D.E. to your unique brain type. You’ve taken the first step towards understanding how to leverage your strengths and develop strategies to overcome your biggest challenges. As an Empathetic Elephant, you have incredible strengths you can use to overcome any challenge in your learning and life. 

If you haven’t taken the test yet, be sure to visit mybrainanimal.com to find out which brain animal represents you.

THE EMPATHETIC ELEPHANT

The Empathetic Elephant is the collaborative connector. You have exceptional emotional intelligence. Thanks to your ability to understand others on a deeply emotional level, you’re able to forge strong connections. Teams are better with you on them. You’re supportive and cooperative, and your empathy enables you to mediate conflict, facilitate open communication, and enhance a positive atmosphere wherever you go. You understand how other people can lift each other up, encouraging them to weave their strengths together to create an unstoppable force. This makes you a master negotiator, an uplifting cheerleader, and a just peacekeeper. It doesn’t matter whether you’re helping your children get along or managing a diverse group to launch a new product line, you will find a way to bring them together, see different points of view, and flourish as a united team.

UTILIZE YOUR ELEPHANT STRENGTHS

Your communication skills are your ultimate strength. And you can take these skills to the next level by practicing active listening and fine-tuning your empathetic responses. Elevating your ability to provide clear messages to anyone you’re interacting with is guaranteed to strengthen your interpersonal relationships and enhance your teamwork abilities.

Some easy ways for you to hone these skills are by regularly participating in group activities. Join clubs, organizations, or professional networks to strengthen your collaboration and build a strong support system. If there aren’t any appealing options at work or in your personal life, create one! You have everything you need to not only talk people into joining, but ensuring that every interaction is meaningful and engaging.

You want to make sure you don’t end up taking too much on, so you to be sure to delegate tasks as you learn people’s preferences and strengths rather than taking them on yourself. And because you effectively gain the trust of your team members, you know you can count on them to complete their assigned responsibilities.

Whenever you face conflict, you can rely on your ability to find common ground, maintain open lines of communication, and foster an atmosphere of mutual respect between all parties. Whether this obstacle is between you and another person, or between members of your team, you can facilitate and guide everyone to reach an amicable resolution.

ELEPHANTS WORKING WITH OTHERS

Every animal type has their own strengths to contribute when working with others. The goal of a successful team is to use your strengths to complement others and contribute to a more effective and balanced group dynamic. Here are some specific strategies you can employ when working with other animal brain types.

The logical Owls can often get lost in spreadsheets and data. Their methodical approach to problem-solving can sometimes come across as dismissive or cold. This is where you can help them see things from others perspectives. And you can help others see the practical value in their analytical skills and structured approach. This means you can guide the Owl to collaborate with teammates through increased communication and cooperation.

Agile Cheetahs are always ready to move and you are the perfect person to help them find which way to go. Even if you can’t solve their specific problems, your ability to understand everyone’s strengths and weaknesses means you know exactly who can. Their quick-decision making can be a little uncomfortable for you, but thanks to your clear and direct communication style, you both can have a constructive discussion that allows you to find a middle ground.

The out-of-the-box ideas and innovative solutions of the creative Dolphin appreciate your collaborative skills. Especially when their ideas are too far out of the comfort zone and they’re having difficulty finding buy-in. That’s where you come in. Your focus on teamwork, group cohesion, and your ability to bring people together make any work environment one where the creative Dolphin feels comfortable enough to let their ideas flow and trust that they’ll be heard. 

IMPROVE YOUR ELEPHANT WEAKNESSES 

Every animal type has challenges you can work on to improve your performance. By focusing on personal growth, you can become self-aware enough to overcome these obstacles and become your best self.

One area you’ll want to work in is your ability to make a confident, well-informed decision when consensus isn’t possible. Your communication skills are top-notch, but that doesn’t mean you’ll always be able to get everyone to see eye-to-eye. Sometimes, you’ll have to step in and make the call, one way or the other, and stand behind it.

You’ll also want to practice working independently. Your ability to bring a solid team together makes it easier for you to surround yourself with high quality people. But that can also mean you take a backseat to others, relying on their judgement instead of your own. You have good instincts so be sure you learn how to trust those instincts by learning how to make progress on your own as well as with others.

Spending time alone won’t simply increase your trust in yourself, it will help you grow your confidence. Even though you have the natural ability to facilitate collaboration, you want to work on being able to assert yourself and express your opinions and ideas. Making sure everyone else’s voice is heard and respected is one of your strengths. But you want to ensure that you demand the same for yourself.

By focusing on these areas of improvement, you’ll learn how to make confident decisions and trust that your own voice is a valuable resource for every team. This will give you a more balanced and effective approach to work, learning, and personal growth.

BETTER ELEPHANT PROBLEM-SOLVING & DECISION-MAKING

Each animal brain type has unique cognitive preferences that you can use to improve your problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

As an Elephant, you can leverage your strong communication and collaboration skills to involve others in the problem-solving process. This allows you to gather diverse perspectives and insights, which leads to better outcomes. While you want to learn how to trust your own instincts, there is nothing wrong with gathering information from trusted and knowledgeable resources to help you out.

Once you’ve reached a decision, you can help build consensus among team members and stakeholders. Because you’ve taken everyone’s input into account, the decisions and solutions you make are sure to more effective and sustainable in the long run.

You can trust that no matter what obstacle or problem is in your way, your empathetic nature will consider the human impact of whatever solutions you’re weighing. You want to balance maintaining your objectivity so that no matter what the outcome, you’ve reached it carefully, choosing the best out of a variety of well-informed options.

CONCLUSION

As an Elephant, you have incredible strengths and cognitive gifts. You can leverage these abilities to overcome challenges, improve your performance, and unlock your inner genius. Learn how to work independently, fine-tune your natural communication skills, and turn the world into an unstoppable team so you can make anything possible.

Remember, these brain types are not strict categories, but a framework to help you explore and embrace your unique qualities. You may even find multiple brain types resonate with you. Everyone is a one-of-a-kind combination of traits and abilities. That’s why your brain type isn’t a limitation, but a foundation from which you can build and expand.

This information can help you tailor your learning approach, seek environments that complement your strengths, and surround yourself with individuals who can support and challenge you. When you embrace your strengths, cultivate your weaknesses, and embark on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth, you can unleash your truly limitless potential.

TAKE THE QUIZ

So, are you ready to uncover your brain type? Find out if you embody the agility of the Cheetah, the wisdom of the Owl, the creativity of the Dolphin, and the empathy of the Elephant. Take the quiz at mybrainanimal.com and unlock the power of your remarkable mind.

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