Leadership magazine Jan/Feb 2016 V45 No 3 | Page 28

stronger we are as caring and compassionate human beings in our personal lives, the
more we have to offer our families, our coworkers and our students.
12. Lumosity. We train our minds with
knowledge for work. We train our bodies
by heading to the gym or out on a run. But
what do we do for our brains? Lumosity is
a cognitive training website used in more
than 180 countries, transforming science

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Leadership

into games with its wide variety of cognitive
activities accessible on almost every device.
Brain training is a new and growing field,
with researchers using feedback from this
app to better understand how the human
brain works. With more than 3 billion cognitive tasks available, the quick assessments
break down emphasis of activities into categories such as memory, attention, focus
and speed. You set goals and a personalized

program is developed for you. A three to five
day a week training program will get your
brain in gear in just minutes. It doesn’t come
without a cost, but the $7 a month price tag
is much less expensive than a gym membership.
13. GPS for the Soul. Here’s an app
with personalized tools to help you achieve
greater harmony and balance. Surprisingly, it was designed by the Huffington
Post in an attempt to help readers – and
leaders – identify stress levels and then use
both meditation and breathing exercises to
manage the stress in our lives and most importantly in our work.
Within all of us is a centered place,
where harmony and wisdom exist in equilibrium, and then the reality of our work
and the challenges it brings takes us from
that balance. The “GPS for the Soul” app
helps users develop a compilation of songs
and photos, coupled with relaxation guides
from the likes of Deepak Chopra that focus
on personal recharging. The app was the
brainchild of leaders at the Huff Post, having reviewed extensive research on how
stress can impact our health, memory,
heart and overall longevity.
14. Gratitude Journal. There is something to be said for keeping a gratitude
journal, and for $1.99 on iTunes, it’s a little
investment into a world of positivity and in
rewiring your brain to see things in a different light.
Each day, you’re reminded to write down
five things for which you are grateful. In
time, you learn to go beyond responses such
as friends and family and drill down into the
little things in life – another driver on the
freeway who allows you to merge into her
lane with a smile, splashing in puddles, a
text message from a good friend, finishing
a big project at work, or finding the perfect
apple at the grocery store. When you add a
gratitude to your journal, a quote emerges
that helps remind you of your journey.
The nice thing about a gratitude journal
over time is that it does reframe one’s thinking. Those positives and gratitudes grow and
pretty soon, t he ability to see more positives
is rewired in your brain. Likewise, adding
this skill of acknowledging attributes can
be incorporated into meetings and at dinner