8 Bits of Wisdom to Create the Life You Want

Nancy Oelklaus
Self-Published (2003)
ISBN 9780979117909
Reviewed by Gayle Campbell for Reader Views (11/06)

Dr. Nancy Oelklaus is the founder of Brain Trust and has created The Success Accelerator as an executive coaching process designed to release and focus the emotional and intellectual power of the human brain and memory systems to remove blockages and create the success desired by us all.  Her process is designed to free people to be authentic leaders. This CD was developed to facilitate her work - which is to enhance team building and strengthen management.

Dr. Oelklaus believes that in human beings, “the engine that powers change is the brain, a powerful electrochemical processor. Yet, most people use only a small portion of their brainpower and completely ignore the power of emotional memory to influence their actions and behaviors.”  Her system is further built on the premise that “human systems are networks of brains, interacting. When one changes, the entire system is affected. Systemic change occurs.”  With that, all of her material is in support of this premise and the processes necessary to unlock energy at the individual and organizational levels and then to focus this released energy to create the success we all want.

The CD is, as the name implies, broken down into 8 very important parts:

1. Affirmation(s) – Generate very powerful and positive energy when “…kind, affirming words are spoken with sincerity from the heart…” and have been shown to produce a comforting sense of well being. 
2. Success – Accelerates.  Fun (enjoy – a sense of joy produces chemical hormones in the brain that are performance enhancing) vs. Worry (produces chemical hormones that weaken the whole body). 
3. Mirror Neurons – Phenomenon where the emotional state of one person can affect an entire group – sometimes referred to as “vibes”. 
4. Kitchen Drawer –This way of thinking – have you gotten so used to it being there, having to ‘stumble’ over it, allowing it to get in your way and making it so much more difficult to get where you really want to be. 
5. What We Focus On – This is the power and energy behind “Results” – consciously or unconsciously desired.  What we focus on is what gets really strong. 
6. Feedback – For real growth, feedback is so very important.  It is what helps us know: How am I doing?  Am I on the right track?  This is especially important as we make change in our lives. 
7. 3 Tools – To use to accelerate your success.  a.  Silence – the time for emptying, clearing the circuits of the brain.  There we can create space for new learning and insight to come in – a warm, quiet bath for the brain.  b  Listen – often our brain is clogged with so much of our own thinking that we miss important information because we just don’t have any more neurons left with which to listen.  Focus on what is right and listen to learn.  c.  Unanswered Question – Its power is to be asked and then wait for the answer.  Our only job is to accept the answer when it comes along; this appeals to the intuitive/Spiritual part of the brain. 
8. Safe Space – The first phase in the process of releasing and focusing the brain’s potential on learning.  Likened to a “clean room.”  People are far more sensitive than we would like to think.  Actions like blaming, judging, denying, withholding, criticizing are like damaging particles and interfere with good brain function.   Safe space is creating a space where everyone is simply accepted without any of the damaging particles/actions. 

Dr. Oelklaus has written a wonderful poem entitled “Simply Accepted” which is on the inside of her CD cover and she narrates it at the end of the CD, “8 Bits of Wisdom to Create the Life You Want.”

Make comment on weblog