Hi, my name is Atul Gaurav. I am a Co-Founder of Pravegaa Education, Delhi.  I always encountered the question of how one should lead himself towards success full of confidence and self-motivation.

I’m trying to give an answer based on my knowledge gathered from reading books such as Working with  Emotional Intelligence by Danial Goleman, Human Design by Gregg Braden, and Sapiens: Brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.

But I will rely more on the source which is my experience and knowledge that I have gathered from the success/failure stories, their journey of joy and toughness with whom I have been also a part in some sense, my students. This understanding extends from when I was a student, then a teacher and entrepreneur.

In the present scenario of social and economic conditions hard work is the essence of success. It is also analyzed that hard work is not enough to establish yourself in a competitive environment. If hard work is endorsed by a smart and scientific approach to the problem, it can create a miracle.

Rational thinking and self-motivation are fundamental tools for smart work. So it is an important question that we must behave rationally and keep ourselves motivated so that our hard work gives efficient results.

How our brain work 

The answer to these questions is not simple, rather we need to try to understand how our brain functions.

Paul MacLean was an American physician & neuroscientist who made significant contributions to the field of physiology, psychiatry, and brain research through his work.

According to him, we can divide our brain into mainly three parts:

1. 1. Reptilian complex: The hindbrain includes the upper part of the spinal cord, the brain stem. The hindbrain controls the body’s vital functions such as respiration and heart rate thermal control of our body
   2. The Mammalian complex or midbrain was responsible for motivation and emotions like love, fear, and social behaviour. The efficiency of this part of the brain can be scientifically calculated by EQ level or Emotional quotient.

• Neo mammalian complex or hominoid complex or forebrain which is mainly found in present human Homo sapiens.

This part of the brain is conferring the ability for language, calculation abstraction, planning, and perception. The efficiency of this part of the brain can be scientifically calculated by IQ level or Intelligent quotient.

Although the functioning of the brain is very complex, two most important components are essentially important for a healthy brain: an optimal level of blood and water flow in the brain.

With each heartbeat, arteries carry about 20 to 25 percent of blood to our brain, where billions of cells use about 20 percent of the oxygen and fuel our blood carries. The blood flows first into the hindered brain then the middle brain and finally into the forebrain.

If there is some accident that happens to our brain, then the first forebrain, then the middle brain and the last hindered brain will stop functioning. In other words, first, your IQ level will hamper then EQ level and finally, you will lose your life.

After understanding the functioning of the brain now it is clear that only listening to a motivational story is not enough to keep ourselves motivated; rather it needs a scientific and rational approach towards life to Keep ourselves self-motivated and practicing smart work.

It is evident that people with high IQ levels and EQ levels are the most successful in life. So the main challenge is how we can improve our IQ level and EQ level and keep our brains healthy.

So, it is important that we must take care of our brains and practice a lifestyle where we can improve our IQ level and EQ level.

Step To Improve IQ level. 

1. Regular exercise only a healthy body can have a healthy mind so it is important that one should do regular exercise (at least 20 min daily) such that one can have efficient cardiac activity and that there is a sufficient amount of blood flow in the brain so that the brain has enough nutrients and oxygen.
2. keep hydrated and eat healthily – Water helps our brain cells communicate with each other, and clearly. out toxins and waste that impair brain function and carry nutrients to your brain. This all falls apart if our fluid level drops.

staying hydrated leads to

• Faster decision-making and improved performance on cognitive tests
• Better concentration and enhanced short-term memory.
• Higher test scores in an educational context
• Improved focus and decreased mental fatigue
• Stronger cognitive functioning across the board, including more alertness, less confusion, and even improved learning

French psychologist Alfred Binet argues that the IQ level of a person is mainly dependent on his social and economic condition, but it can improve by

• practice and perseverance  

1. Recalling activity and Memory Activity and Solving the puzzle
2. Learning a new language, Reading a different book on a different subject.
3. Playing a musical instrument and listening to a different type of music and playing different games. Enjoy game and music

IQ is important but EQ is essential 

Now let me ask a simple question: if we must choose between solving a differential equation and saving ourselves from a tiger naturally, we will save ourselves from the tiger.

So, it is always evident that our brain has two choices, one is from an activity from the hominoid or forebrain and activities from the mammalian brain or midbrain will give priorities second one first. so, in the modern social context, the EQ level has more priority than IQ.

It is seen that all great leaders in every field have more EQ level than IQ level. If you want average success, then a high IQ is good enough but if you want extraordinary success then one has to improve your EQ level.

Fear is good for our life; it makes us rational and disciplined. We are following traffic rules only because of fear of accidents.

But sometimes due to overthinking and irrational planning fear is transformed into a phobia and then it is converted to anxiety.

Due to anxiety most people lose hope and take drastic steps. so, it is most important that we must improve our EQ level. Improvement of EQ level is not easy, rather it needs a holistic approach towards life.

Step to improve EQ level. 

• Most important thing to maintain a high EQ level for a person is that must be Honest at least for himself. This honesty is not about money, it is all about knowing our weaknesses and strengths properly. If we are honest then only, we can take correct, natural, and quick decisions otherwise our decisions will be fake, and manipulated and they will be self-contradictory.
• Second most important thing is we must be empathetic. We live in a society where we need help from another person. If we take any decision with empathy, then we always take a rational decision. Due to this fact, we can strengthen our social bonding by always making us confident.

Activities which can  improve our EQ level. 

1. We must Do regular meditation so that we can self-realize.
2. Always make a simple plane which can be executable. Once our simple plan will be executed, we will get confidence and develop self-respect. It is important to avoid overthinking and overplanning.
3. Socialization is key to improving EQ level. Respect our relationship with family and friends.
4. Think positive and try to become a problem solver rather than asking an unscientific question or becoming a critic. Avoid broken tiles syndrome.
5.  Be communicative, if we need- ask for help, this world is full of good people
6. Try to manage ourselves rather than manage others and stay away from negative people.Believe in ourselves, which does not mean believing only as a person, it means believing in our family, parents, friends, our teachers, society, and country.
7. We should not be afraid of failure, failure is the first step towards learning and improving ourselves, and there is always a second chance to establish ourselves.
8. Try to live in the present rather than discussing the past or dreaming of the future. Follow the path of “Geeta” . Believe in hard work, enjoy the process rather than focus on the result. The result is the outcome of our present karma.

we at Pravegaa also follow the same philosophy of Geeta सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा which means Success is achieved through effort.”

Prayer whenever we feel weak and alone. And believe in God’s planning for us. God has always had a better future planning for us.

Proper rest control both IQ and EQ 

Finally, we must get good sleep and take proper rest. Sleep is important to several brain functions, including communication of neuron activity. In fact, our brain and body stay remarkably active while we sleep. Sleep plays a housekeeping role that removes toxins in our brain that build up while we are awake. It also helps our body to better calorie regulation. If we take proper rest then we can improve better memory and performance, and better emotional and social intelligence. Good sleep is also important for Preventing depression and maintaining body weight.

In very simple words if we attach ourselves to Nature and practice natural behaviour, we can improve our IQ level as well as EQ level.

Let’s practice these simple steps and we will find a positive change in life which leads to happiness and success in life. I hope this article will be beneficial. Let’s enjoy our  beautiful life .

Atul Gaurav

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