You have what it takes to be a genius, and it might surprise you that it has been discovered scientifically that there is a way to be exceptional. What I am about to write may really sound absurd, but I urge that if you practice it, you will discover that you’ll begin to stand out in ways you have never imagined.

A study of the human brain has shown that most of the discoveries about the human brain in the last 10yrs have been much more than ever discovered. Scientists have also come to agree, that what is theoretically known about the brain is much less than 5% of what needs to be known. In a series of analysis however, some laws were hypothesised, and corroborated as theories. You can become a genius, you only need to know how.

First of all, it was discovered that human beings have two upper brains rather than one. These brains were classified as left brain and right brain. On studying these two upper brains, it was discovered that they operate in different mental areas. It was also observed that one could be predominantly left brained or right brained. Scientific discoveries have shown that these two brains (or two sides of the brain) are connected by a complex network of fibres called the Corpus Collosum and deal with different types of mental activity.

In most people the Left brain is responsible for logic, language, reasoning, analysis, numbers, linearity and so on. These are the so called “academic” activities. Interestingly research also shows that when the left brain is active, the right brain is in it’s “alpha wave” – A state of rest. The right side of the brain for most deals with rhythm, music, colours, images, imagination, daydreaming, dimensions, face recognition e.t.c.

Now here is the juice- Initially all elements of career counselling encouraged a child to pursue his/her strenghts as he/she grows. It has however been discovered that when someone who seems to have strengths in one side of the brain, makes a conscious effort of developing him/herself in the other area that appears weak, rather than detracting from the other area it was discovered that it produced a synergy effect that made the entire brain grow into genius levels. A visible development is observed in the performance of the total brain. This is the key, the strength you have naturally you can develop naturally, deciding to develop an area that appears to be off your brain areas of strength builds up your entire brain into outstanding performance.

Before you accuse me of being two theoretical, permit me to give you a few examples. The number one genius of all times was Albert Einstein. He became popular by the exceptional use of his left brain, he was by every standard strong in logic, analysis, numbers, reasoning e.t.c. 80% of those that know his name don’t understand him. A reporter asked him to please summarise the relativity principle in one sentence. His response was that since he had never thought about it that way, it would take him days to come up with that sentence, and the reporter along with many others, will never understand it, because it will likely be an equation. Einstein was so left brain dominant, that great thinkers like Mark Twain have read his articles without comprehending it. A closer look at the childhood of Einstein however reveals that while Einstein failed mathematics, he excelled at playing the violin, art, sailing and imagination games. What Einstein had conciously done, was develop left brain capabilities on right brain strengths. Einstein would himself later credit the development of his greatest insights to his imagination. He says that while on a hill top one day, he imagined himself riding on a sunbeam to outer space, only to find himself returning. This was not logical with his training at the time, and in exploring these possibilities and trying to find meaning, he was able to develop the relativity theory. His case was a pure case of left and right brain synthesis.

On the other side as well, looking at a definitely right brained Pablo Picasso revealed that though he excelled in right brain activities, his right brain strengths were also the results of a right-left synthesis. Digging through his diary and notes revealed statements like this – “Up 6am. Spent seventeenth day on painting six of the latest series. Mixed four parts orange with two parts yellow to produce colour combination which I placed in upper left-hand corner of canvas, to act in visual opposition to spiral structures in lower right-hand corner, producing desired balance in eye of perceiver.’ Can you imagine that so much left brain thinking can be behind a right brain activity?

King of all these examples is Leonardo da Vinci. This was arguably the most accomplished man in his time in the following disciplines: art, sculpture, physiology, general science, architecture, mechanics, anatomy, physics, and invention. Rather than separating these different areas of his latent ability, he combined them. Leonardo’s scientific note books are filled with 3-dimensional drawings and images; but perhaps more interestingly, the final plans for his great painting masterpieces often look like architectural plans: straight lines, angles, curves and numbers.
Time will not permit me, to share the experiences of great people like Adeolu Akinyemi (hahaha) :). It appears that when we say we are talented in some areas, what we are actually saying is that we have developed capabilities in using certain areas of our brain, the other things which it appears we have no capabilities in, can actually be developed to make the ones that come natural exceptional. Haven’t you ever wondered that the best accountants usually are the ones who studied science in secondary school? This probably accounts for why with an Engineering/Mathematical (left brain) background, people will do well in right brained jobs. Becoming a genius requires a concious development of the side of your brain that is presently percieved weak. This will accelerate your total development.

So in the words of Tony Buzan, “Use your head”, the whole head, not just half of it 🙂