Unlike adults, children don't approach and see the world around them with preconceived notions. 

A sense of awe, discovery and wonder is generally their daily modus operandi.

WISHING ALL READERS A LIFE OF INFINITE WONDER

It never ceased to amaze me that each time I just pick out any of Dilip Mukerjea's books - at pure random: is it so? or is it synchronicity at work? - from my personal library, my mind starts to wonder about what fresh angle I can approach - & then present - his many musings & insights.

To me, the sense of wonder is always a curious as well as beautiful phenomenon.

Undoubtedly, coupled with ingenuity & imagination, it's the driving force of human progress as manifested in the many facets of our scientific & technological evolution.

All kids have this amazing sense of wonder. That's why they are so creative & innovative. By the way, all of us have been kids before. So, why is the sense of wonder so elusive for many of us adults?

How can we arrest the decline or loss for many of us?

Well, I like Dilip to help you in your search of a better understanding.

As typical of his eloquence & succinctness, he pens under 'Preliminary Thoughts' in his wonderful book, 'Building BrainPower: Turning Grey Matter into Gold':

"We enter this world, seemingly unarmed, unique amongst all living creatures on the planet. Our mind is our only weapon; a metaphysical instrument crafted by a physical brain that pulsates with the elements of infinite genius.

We were born with the tools, but lost sight of the skills.

Goethe said: "Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being."

We are capable of being so much, yet most of us accept mediocrity as the norm. This timid acceptance is a denial of our inherent potential, born out of an infinite capacity for genius.

The human brain is not an inert mass of protoplasm. We must revolt against the passive acceptance of pedestrian attitudes that utter "Well, I'm only human" to situations we perceive as too challenging. The human brain equates directly with infinity, not with limitation.

Your brain succumbs to limitations only when you grant it permission to do so. But it rises and soars beyond ordinary expectations when you release it from its bonds.

It is not possible to build a reputation on what you were going to do. You must do. It is not good enough merely knowing about something and claiming that you know "it". Go claim "it", and do. Only then you will know "it".

This book was written with the intellectual momentum generated by an evolving global consciousness about the immense value of human intelligence. It addresses the need to build brainpower as your path towards the pinnacle of human accomplishment. It explains the rudiments and intricacies of Mind Mapping, brainchild of Tony Buzan, protagonist extraordinaire in generating global cortical enlightenment.

We also go deeper into the diverse applications of Mind Mapping, Communication Skills, and Mental Gymnastics. My aim is to provoke your neurons into participating actively and interactively with one another... a dance of the intellect where learning becomes fun.

We are integrated units of matter and consciousness. The synergy created by mind and body soars exponentially when we use our brain in harmony with the way nature ordained it.

All of us have an infinite capacity for excellence. Genius is our birthright. May it light a beacon in your mind, for there is no light more dazzling than the luminescence generated within the working human brain!

I wish the reader of this book a life of infinite wonder.

Dilip Mukerjea"

That's it. Dilip has hit the nail once again.

It's our "timid acceptance of mediocrity as the norm & passive acceptance of pedestrian attitudes that utter "Well, I'm only human" to situations we perceive as too challenging".

Oftentimes, it is the lull in complacency that leads to the lassitude in mediocrity, which in turn & ultimately messes up our lives, personally & professionally. This is my personal belief.

As a matter of fact, consultant Judith Bardwick has often asserted: There is DANGER IN THE COMFORT ZONE! [By the way, that's also the title of her now classic work.]

This week's heavy flooding in the Orchard Road area - causing millions in losses to the really unlucky retailers & the handful of unfortunate but rich car-owners - & also, the recent unprecedented break-in at the MRT depot in Changi - where two foreign graffiti geeks had a gala time with their artistic prowess - are valuable lessons in complacency on the part of the respective government agencies.

As Dilip puts it, "All of us have an infinite capacity for excellence. Genius is our birthright...", but the harsh reality is that we still got to work at it.

On top of that, we also need to stay curious about our habitual shortcomings, as well as stay alert - by playing with new scenarios & anticipating alternate outcomes - to plausible, possible & probable contingencies from the far horizon.

For additional musings & insights from Dilip Mukerjea, go & read his wonderful book:

DANGER IN THE COMFORT ZONE: MINDPOWER HAS REPLACED MANPOWER!

1st Worker: Is your job in jeopardy?

2nd Worker: No. My job is very secure. It’s me they can do without.”

The era of womb-to-employment is over. There are no longer any guarantees of lifelong employment. But you can guarantee lifelong employability.

Organisations are looking for executives who can make quantum leaps in speed, fluidity, responsiveness, precision, and agility.

We are now in a digital world. A supercharger has been attached to speed as a competitive business weapon. The safe routes of yesterday now lead to sterility and extinction.

So what’s to be done?

Take a sledgehammer to your business model . . . before someone else does it for you? Start re-skilling. Elasticate your possibilities.

Flexibility amplifies opportunities. Brain force has trumped brute force.

Start reading different books, meet different people, master different skills.

Keep creating value. You will enrich your actions, interactions, and transactions. Out of such relationships come products, services, and intangibles that will benefit you in the decades ahead.

[Excerpted from the 'Igniting Innovation' edition of The Braindancer Series of bookazines by Dilip Mukerjea. All the images in this post are the intellectual property of Dilip Mukerjea.]

Say Keng's personal comments:

In a nut shell, what Dilip Mukerjea is talking about in the foregoing essay is: Break your Old Habits & Adopt New Habits!

I like to share an insight.

According to peak performance experts, there are three zones of existence:

- Comfort Zone: the realm of our existing old habits;

- Stretch Zone: where true change occurs!

- Stress Zone: where the challenges are far beyond or may overwhelm our current experiences;

Recent neuroscience research has discovered that when we consciously adopt new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, & eventually new set of neurons, that can cause our pattern of thoughts to jump into novel tracks.

That's to say, the more new things we experiment, the more we step out of our Comfort Zone, & move into the Stretch Zone, . . . the more creative we become as a result, both in the workplace & in our own personal lives.

Interestingly, the new ingrained habits can create parallel pathways that can even bypass those old ones. How about that?

So, my humble advice - as well as Dilip's - is to do something different every day!

We believe, just by getting out of your normal habitual routines will make you more aware of the many possibilities that may come your way.

Come to think of it, I reckon these are the only few things you actually need to get moving: a sense of wonder & a willingness to explore, experiment & play!

ENCOURAGING A SENSE OF WONDER

"I wonder why. I wonder why.
I wonder why I wonder.
I wonder why I wonder why
I wonder why I wonder!"

~ Dr Richard Feynman, 1918-1988, Nobel Laureate in Physics (1965); when he was still a student, the brilliant scientist with the inquisitive mind had hinted at a career of becoming a scientific wanderer;