Good morning and happy weekend. I hope that you had an incredible week. I did, but like I say every week, it was amazing, but busy. 😂
I read an article this week, that was astonishing, and I thought about it all week. New Stanford Study: A Positive Attitude Literally Makes Your Brain Work Better . In this article, the author explains that researchers separated kids into 2 groups, students that loved math, and students that did not like math, before teaching them math lessons and having them perform tasks. Then, using MRI’s they analyzed the kids brain activity. They found that the hippocampus was significantly more active in the brains of the students that liked math, meaning the kids that had a positive attitude were learning and memorizing at a significantly higher rate than the other group. I believe this study because I have seen this thesis proven by my dog Bella. (I have written about my cat Chena, you didn’t think I would leave my dog out did you?)
When we first got Bella, we noticed that she had a funny limp. We took her to the vet, and he found out that she had a torn ACL and a completely separated knee cap. Bella needed surgery badly, to repair her leg. The vet explained it was going to be a difficult rehabilitation process for her because the damage was so serious.
Bock, J. (2014). Bella in Cast. [digital image] CC BY-NC
However, Bella had a different opinion. Everyday, after her surgery, Bella worked at getting stronger. She tried to practice walking, even when it hurt her. Bella was persistent and never let her setbacks get in the way of making progress. Plus, Bella never compared herself with the dog across the street. Most importantly Bella never gave up! Finally one day, Bella was able to chase a ball. She was so proud of herself, that I had to take her picture.
Bock, K. (2015). Bella in Proud. [digital image] CC BY-NC
In my opinion, Bella is the perfect example of the research study by Stanford, and I try to be like Bella. From Bella, I learned to not quit, even when it is hard. I learned to quit comparing myself to others, my learning is my journey and has nothing to do with how fast other people master a concept. I learned a positive mindset will get you through your struggles because your attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
This week, go and approach challenges with a positive mindset, and see how far you can go! Have a great week! Go play Acalympics
Acalympics.com 