One of the biggest concerns for leaders as they get older is whether or not their mental acuity stays sharp. They’ve seen so many leaders age and their mental function deteriorates. It’s a big concern.
If your mental capacity depreciates, you’re not going to make the best business decisions. Your employees will suffer. You will find yourself running the organization into the ground.
AND MAYBE NOT EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU’RE DOING!
I want to share with you 4 ways to keep your mind sharp as you age. These are fun, engaging, and interesting ways to stay sharp.
4 Ways To Keep Your Mind Sharp
LinkedIn Games:
A recent favorite of mine is to play the daily LinkedIn Games that they offer. The games are mind games to keep your mind sharp and to see how you rank against other professionals. It’s a little bit of a competition and a little bit of mind work.
Currently, LinkedIn Games offers the following:
- Pinpoint
- Crossclimb
- Tango
- Queens
- Mini Sudoku (I never realized how much fun Sudoku could be!)
- Zip
Each of these LinkedIn Games tests a different function of your mind. Whether it’s seeing patterns in the numbers of Sudoku, finding the line path to connect numbers in Zip, or understanding how to fill a board with two different shapes, you’re going to find yourself coming back here to see if your mind can remember or trigger the pattern recognition you need.
Leadership or Personal Development Seminars:
A great way to stay sharp is to attend leadership or personal development seminars. Why?
In these seminars, you get to sit in front of wise leaders who have been there and done that. They’ve found ways that work. And they’re sharing it with you.
Find a seminar that looks interesting to you today. You will find yourself taking in new knowledge and finding ways to apply it to your organization.
Masterminds With Other Leaders:
The Bible tells us iron sharpens iron. That’s what a great mastermind group does.
Leaders get together. They mentor one another. There’s no competition or rivalry.
A mastermind group is all about helping one another meet their goals.
Members come together regularly. During their meetings, they share what’s working for them, offer support to one another, and hold each other accountable.
These groups will keep you sharp because you’re looking out for yourself, those in your mastermind group, and others. You’ll find yourself looking for new solutions that keep your mind sharp.
Exercise:
Maybe my favorite way to keep your mind sharp is to keep exercising. When you exercise, you improve your brain function. How does that work? I don’t understand how it works, but research shows that when you exercise, you increase the blood flow to the brain. The increased blood flow delivers essential oxygen and nutrients. You also stimulate the release of BDNF and other growth factors that nourish neuronal health, as well as promote new brain cell connections.
Wow!
Not only does exercise increase your brain function, keeping you sharp, but it also keeps your body healthy and promotes increased mental health.
What’s stopping you from doing any of these? Cut through the reasons you’ve put in your path and, as Nike says, just do it.
