The term 'ambidexterity' means being adept in using both right
and left hand. It is a rare inborn trait but it can be learned.
The versatility displayed in the use of each hand determines a
person's ambidexterity. Michelangelo, Leonardo Vinci, Einstein,
Fleming, Harry Truman, etc., were all ambidextrous. In modern
times, you will find many, who were originally left-handed but
in the course of their childhood, were drilled to acquire
right-handed habits (at school or home) and thus became
ambidextrous.
Along the same lines, we could say we are being ambidextrous
when we are multi-tasking - talking over the phone and taking
notes or riding a bike, etc. The difference being that instead
of our hands, we are using both our right and left hemispheres
to successfully juggle our tasks. We have all heard about some
people being 'right-brained' or 'left-brained'. In essence it
means that the person displays more 'right' or 'left' oriented
skills, although we are all the time integrating both
hemispheres in our daily activities.
'Right' brain qualities involve imagination, risk taking,
artistic abilities, highly philosophical, creative, etc. 'Left'
brain people, on the other hand, are practical, conformist, seek
order, have good comprehension skills, etc. Thus 'right-brain'
people are said to think subjectively, holistically and have
strong intuition, while 'left-brain' people tend to be more
logical, analytical and highly rational. It is found that more
often, left-brain thinkers are engineers and scientists, while
right-brain thinkers end up being artists and poets.
How and why is it that some people are more adept at certain
kind of thought patterns than others? The fact is that while we
may inherit certain mental traits and capacities, how we use our
mind is what determines our mental prowess. As children we are
innately right-brained, displaying great creativity,
imagination, spontaneity, open-mindedness and enthusiasm but
ironically, as we grow, social, cultural and racial influences
constrain these natural traits.
The most comforting thought however is that we can greatly
improve our mental abilities by choosing to change our thoughts
and applying our mind in a particular direction. Thus if a
person is a known conformist, who always walks down the beaten
path, he could deliberately try new things, learn to take risks
and think imaginatively.
When we combine the power of the two hemispheres, we will be
working at our full potential. Ambidextrous mind or whole brain
thinking - as it is also known - enhances our brain functions
and injects a heightened level of awareness. To foster an
ambidextrous mindset, we can work on right-brain learning
activities by including patterning, metaphors, analogies,
role-playing, visuals, and movement into reading, calculation,
and analytical activities. Conscious effort to incorporate left
and right brain activities, human consciousness studies,
reflective thinking and meditation are excellent means to
achieve an ambidextrous mind.
One easy technique that helps in such whole-brain thinking
process is Mind Mapping. It aligns the mind to the diffusion of
thought and paves way for streaming thoughts and associations.
Association essentially is finding the links in logic and ideas,
and when these are explored in full, it leads to insight,
imagination and creativity.
If we look at great discoveries, we will find the application or
association of principle (s) to another. Pertinently, colors,
pictures, symbols, etc., highly enhance our learning process as
they invoke vividness, clarity of perception and easy
dissemination.
Mind
Mapping technique employs all these aspects and therein lies
its power and dynamism. When learning and understanding is done
using the Mind Map technique, it naturally becomes a highly
effective and powerful way of gaining knowledge. It sure is an
ideal way for fostering an ambidextrous or whole brain thinking
culture.
About the author:
Dr. Vj Mariaraj is a Mind Map enthusiast and has been using Mind
Maps for the past twelve years. He has created over 5650 Mind
Maps. To learn more about mind mapping send an email to
freemindmap@aweber.com . BusinessBookMindMap.com creates Mind
Map Summaries of Businees Books. To learn more visit
http://BusinessBookMindMap.com/mind-map.php?ga=1