Success: It’s All In Your Head

There is no single definition of success – it’s a fluid measure that changes over the course of a lifetime. There are times when success is climbing the corporate ladder toward wealth and recognition, times when it’s completing a degree or starting a business, and times when it’s simply getting up in the morning and facing the day’s challenges. But no matter what success looks like to you right now, the truth is that it’s all in your head – literally.

The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.   – Robert Kiyosaki

That desire, that dream, that goal that will define you as a success? That will prove YOU are a person who lived a life worth living? It all starts in your brain – that amazing organ responsible for controlling your actions and reactions, allowing you to think and feel – essentially, it’s responsible for all that makes you human.

And yet we all take our brains (and frankly, our bodies!) for granted. We expect them to work – and work hard! – every day, but we don’t spend a lot of time making sure they remain in tip-top shape. I don’t know about you, but I know that long life is what I strive for. Wouldn’t living to 100+  years be great? There would be plenty of time to pursue  success in all its variations. But I personally am not interested in a long life that does not include health – especially the health of my brain.

So what’s the secret? Where’s the fountain of youth that will help us increase and improve our time on this Earth?

For me, staying up-to-date on the latest research on longevity and anti-aging medicine helps me make the best decisions I can for my own long-life and well-being. To that end, I regularly attend a health professional’s conference on anti-aging medicine by the leader in the field, the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), where I might learn a new technique, or be inspired by the newest ideas that are changing the way we view aging and our health. While I’m not a doctor, I do have a keen interest in tweaking my habits and choices to the benefit of my health and longevity.

I’m not interested in simply living LONGER. I want to live BETTER as well!

I know all too well how quickly everything in life can change. I had a CVA (stroke) in my mid-thirties, when my babies were only 2 and 4 years old. I had huge plans for what I thought would be a long and healthy life. Instead, I found myself in a hospital bed in a terrifying and life-altering situation. Looking back though, it was actually a stroke of luck, because it forever changed my course, and ultimately helped me define what success looks like for me.

After my stroke, my family and I went to Bali, Indonesia where I hoped to relax, work on my recovery, and paint. While there, I began creating very unique works of art. They were modular rather than fixed; the pieces came together as a whole but could also be moved and reworked to create something completely different. I constantly felt the urge to move them around and change their relationship to each other. It took me almost two decades to realize I was searching for new connections of line and color in my interactive paintings – I was using art in a quest to rewire my cognitive pathways.

My fascination with the brain grew by leaps and bounds. I felt on the verge – I’d found something that made me feel cognitively energized and less frustrated with my situation, and I wanted to know why! I consulted with many types of therapists, doctors, and neuroscientists, and read and reread everything I could find on the brain.

Ultimately, I worked with a well-respected behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and together we developed a new form of therapy and brain fitness system that utilizes my art at its core. What began in Bali grew and grew, guided by research and science, and now my PuzzleArt Therapy System is used by 8 types of therapists in 15 countries to help:

• Children with learning disabilities, ADD, and those on the spectrum
• People of all ages with visual, perceptual, or sensory issues
• Those who suffer from dementia or early stage Alzheimer’s
• The military and others with TBI or PTSD
• Baby boomers who are worried about losing their memory
• Athletes improve focus, concentration and reaction times, which are key
• Business people develop creative problem-solving to boost their bottom line
• Writers, artists, musicians, and others break through their frustrating creative blocks
• and much more!

I began this journey out of necessity because my long and healthiest life depends on it. While you may not have experienced a stroke, keeping your brain fit for all the years of your life is just as important as it is for me. Know that YOU can make all the difference in your life. YOU can help yourself live longer, stronger, and stay as young as possible in body and mind. Start today by signing up for a free brain game,  and get on your way to optimizing your brain power and living your best and longest life!

Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader, perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists and other health professionals around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!