Mark Robert Waldman - NeuroWisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness, and Success

Diversion Books
A Division of Diversion Publishing Corp.
443 Park Avenue South, Suite 1008
New York, NY 10016
www.DiversionBooks.com

Copyright 2017 by Mark Robert Waldman & Chris Manning, PhD
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For more information, email

First Diversion Books edition January 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68230-304-7

How Enlightenment Changes Your BrainWords Can Change Your BrainHow God Changes Your BrainBorn to Believe

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In memory of
Jeremy P. Tarcher
(1932-2015)
Publisher, Mentor, and Friend

Neuro: relating to the nervous system and the brain

Wisdom: the ability to use your knowledge and experience to make good decisions

Tucked away behind the folds of the neocortex are two of the newest evolutionary structures of the human brain: the insula and the anterior cingulate. They contain special neurons that give you profound powers of perception. They enhance your ability to be self-directed and socially aware, but they remain largely underdeveloped in your brain for many decades. Recent brain-imaging studies have proven that you can consciously strengthen these neurons and the connections between your social brain, your decision-making brain (your frontal lobes), and the emotional centers that shape your desires and your level of happiness.

When you stimulate these complex circuits through mindfulness and self-reflection, something remarkable happens: negative feelings and thoughts are transformed into optimism, your motivation and creativity increase, your decision-making skills are enhanced, and your ability to empathize with others rapidly grows. Compassion increases, self-love soars, and a new voice can be heard, one that will guide you toward greater awareness and serenity. We call this NeuroWisdom. It is your inner teacher and spiritual compass; and when fully embraced it will help you to achieve your financial and emotional goals, and bring more passion and satisfaction into your relationships and work. The exercises in this book will stimulate this delicate circuit in your brain. Nurture it daily, and it will enlighten and enrich your life.

We are born into this world already possessing a hidden stockpile of wealth, and it is free. Its your incredible brain. If you want to have it allmoney, happiness, and successyou must first understand the power lying dormant within your brain and then develop it using the strategies and exercises presented to you in this book. This will enable you to have both inner and outer wealth: friendship, love, health, power, possession, a meaningful career, and long-term, lasting contentment.

To achieve any important goal in life you need to develop four neurological processes in your brain: motivation, decision making, creativity, and awareness. We call these the Four Pillars of Wealth and each one is essential to master if you want to unlock and realize your fullest potential. Each pillar is based on groundbreaking neuroscientific discoveries that have completely changed the way we understand human nature and our biological drive to seek money, happiness, and success.

Following our discussion of each of the Four Pillars of Wealth, we have created a complementary chapter that will guide you through experiential exercises proven to build stronger neural connections throughout your brain. These NeuroWisdom strategies, as we call them, will reduce harmful stress, significantly boost your energy, increase your ability to concentrate and stay laser-focused throughout the day, and improve your overall health and sense of well-being. They will help you to acquire new skills more quickly, and they will help you to build more satisfying relationships with othersat work and at home. They will help you transform negativity into optimism, enabling you to create practical solutions to virtually every problem you face.

By spending only a few minutes several times a day practicing these experiential exercises and strategies, your sense of confidence and self-esteem will grow. Youll discover that you have a wealth of intuitive wisdom that can assist you in making wise decisions. In the process, youll discover what really motivates you. Youll find that inner passion that makes your life more purposeful and meaningful. In addition:

1. This book will show you how to better manage people, your business, and your time.
2. It will assist you to become a better salesperson, entrepreneur, and innovator within a larger company.
3. It will enable you to deal more effectively with toxic people in the workplace.
4. It will assist you in developing better relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.
5. It will improve your daily focus and increase your ability to be more productive and efficient with your time.
6. This book will help you to recognize which of your current thinking habits exhaust you and lead you in circles, and it will show you how to build new habits that eliminate emotional turmoil.
7. Youll also learn how to experience more pleasure and satisfaction, even when you are carrying out difficult tasks.

To get the most from this book, we recommend that you first read chapters 1 and 2 together as an overview. But read them slowly, and dont skim over the experiential exercises. Take the time to understand the theory underlying each of the Four Pillars of Wealth and make a commitment to integrate the eight principles of brain-based experiential learning. Think about how you can bring these pillars and principles into your work and home environments. When you get to chapter 3, take your time experimenting with each of the exercises, which have been proven to enhance the performance of your brain, and then practice a few of them throughout your workday, adapting them to your personal and professional needs.

The remaining chapters in this book alternate between theory and practice, first introducing you to the most recent neuroscientific discoveries in motivation, decision making, creativity, and awareness, and then guiding you through specific exercises designed to give you the inner experience of each of the Four Pillars of Wealth.

At the end of this book Chris Manning will share with you how he has personally made use of these NeuroWisdom techniques to enrich his life, and we hope that it will serve as a model and impetus for you, the reader, to take action and create your own NeuroWisdom strategies as you build greater inner and outer wealth.

Finally, we suggest that you do one more activity while reading this book. Share some of the principles with your trusted colleagues and teach some of the exercises to your friends. Youll discover even deeper layers of personal and professional intimacy that can increase harmony, cooperation, and happiness for everyone. After you have finished, keep the book on your coffee table and revisit your favorite exercises frequently, because each time you do them youll discover something wonderful and new as you create your own unique brand of success in life.