The Mind Body Code by Mario Martinez is amazing. The book is so rich with so much information. I have read and highlighted and am rereading and taking notes.
Martinez is a neuropsychologist and explains “biocognition”—basically how information and experience is actually stored in your body—not just your brain.
I was fascinated by his discussion of the “tribe” and operating outside of the tribe—i.e., “in the pale.” He explains that a tribe—a group of people to which you belong—will abandon, ostracize, and betray an individual who does not follow the “rules” of the tribe. He said that tribes reinforce helplessness and that the best solutions are often outside of the tribe.
I had to think how true that is. And it is a bitter reality for those who leave poverty.
In Originals, Adam Grant explores what makes an individual a nonconformist and promotes creativity. He cites a research study that found that when children’s stories “emphasized original achievement, patent rates typically soared 20–40 years later.” He states that if “we want to encourage originality, the best step we can take is to raise our children’s aspirations by introducing them to different kinds of role models.”
Furthermore, when teaching behavior, the research finds that using nouns, rather than verbs, promotes better behavior. When children were told that they were good helpers, it was much more effective than telling them to help. In fact, the author argues that rather than saying “Don’t drink and drive,” we would get much better results if we said, “Don’t be a drunk driver.”
The book has so many insights for leadership as well.
