Positive Thinking

One of the Bertrand Russell quotes says “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wise people so full of doubts.”

One of the problem with most of us is we are full of self doubt. The more we understand "something", the more we question whether there is something else we don't know. Many gifted kids (or adult) tends to be introvert, who contemplates first before making an opinion. In the world of fast moving conversation, they will look like somebody who doesn't understand anything, or not willing to share their knowledge, as the self-doubt will keep him/her quiet.

This is where the concept of Positive Thinking will make a difference.  Our brain is continuously making new neuron connections and pruning less used connections, which means thinking about positive experience will actually build the positive thinking, and hence build your brain (and you) to be a happier, optimistic and positive brain.  One method to do this is called ROSE, it stands for Recognize, Observe, Soak in, Engrave.

• Recognize an experience, for example where your idea makes a difference.
• Observe how your body reacts to it, maybe your heart has that warmth feeling that your idea is accepted by your peers.
• Soak in the experience a bit longer, don't just humbly dismiss it and move on, this is where you exercise your brain to create that new neuron connection.
• Engrave it by sharing with somebody, maybe create a habit of discussing your positive experience at dinner time with your family.  This will create a good neural pathways in your brain that you can tap in the future when you need it, maybe the next time you feel dreaded since you have to talk about your idea in public.

Hopefully by doing this frequently, the next time you have an idea, your brain will remind you how your idea was accepted in the past, and you are going to be more inclined to remove your self-doubt and involve in the group conversation.

This thought is inspired by Janise McNally's (from Cherry Creek School District, Colorado)  talk at Boulder Valley Gifted and Talented event.  Janise brought up the idea about ROSE, and you can read further in this article.