Do you know that your brain is an asset? Yes, it is not just some part of the body that separates us from animals rather, it is a powerful device we have been given in between our ears capable of extraordinary things. Truly, this remarkable machine is a gift and it makes us limitless. Jim Kwik refers to the brain as the ultimate technology and our greatest superpower, wherein lies our potential to be limitless. In this post, we will take a look at the composition of the brain and some amazing facts about your brain.
The Brain
Let’s dive a little into biology to learn about the brain.
The brain is part of the central nervous system (CNS). Similar to the case of the control tower at an airport, your brain acts as its control center, directing all the comings and goings of information, processes, and impulses. The brain has three major areas: the brain stem, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex. It is made of fat and water, weighs approximately three pounds, and facilitates incredible power and ability.
The brain stem moderates the basic functions we need to live, such as breathing, maintaining a regular heart rate, impulses to eat or have sex, and our fight-or-flight responses. It is located at the top of your spine and the base of your skull buried deep within the brain. At the back of the brain, the cerebellum is responsible for moderating movement and coordination. It also plays a role in our decision-making. The cerebral cortex is the largest part of our brain, where the majority of our complex thinking, short-term memory, and sensory stimulation takes place. It is made up of the occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal lobes. Our frontal lobes are where most of our thinking takes place: where logic takes place and creativity is derived.
The brain also contains neurons, called information messengers. They transmit information between different areas in the brain and other parts of the nervous system using electrical impulses and chemical signals. This is how you know that you just placed your hand in boiling water. If the brain did not exist, or if something goes wrong with your neurons, you would have no idea that you touched something hot. These same neurons are responsible for you assimilating information even as your eyes glide through these lines.
Amazing Facts about Your Brain
Your brain produces up to 70,000 thoughts per day. It races at the speed of the fastest race car. Like your fingerprints, it is unique to you and there are no two brains exactly the same in the universe. It works much faster than any existing computer and has virtually unlimited storage capacity. Even if damaged, it can produce genius, and even if you have only half of it, you can still be a fully functioning human being.
Let us use a simple illustration.
How were you as a child, maybe at the age of one, able to learn to walk (which is no simple task, by the way, considering how many complex neurological and physiological processes are required)? A year or so later, you learned how to communicate through the use of words and language. You learned dozens of new words and their meanings on a daily basis and kept doing so all the way through school. And while you were learning to communicate, you were also learning to reason, calculate, and parse an endless number of complex concepts, and all of that happened before you read a single page of a book or attended one class! And this is what is attributed to the average person!
I look at children and it shocks me how a young girl of four can tell the difference between twins or siblings and effectively mimic your words. These are no small tasks if you think about it. Yet, the brain is capable of so much more if only we harness its potential.
If you have been following these posts and have started thinking of how you can become limitless, you do not have to look too far; your gifted brain holds the potential to make you limitless.
What other amazing things do you think the brain is capable of?
