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November 7, 2008 9 Comments

Mental Challenge: Spelling Words Backwards – It’s Tougher Than it Sounds!

We talk at lengths about challenging our minds and pushing our limits with brain games.  Now it’s time to walk the talk!  I’m going to begin posting a lot of brain games and mental puzzles and challenges.  I’ll include a great variety of puzzles and different challanges, I want them to work all the different levels of our minds, even the ones especially the ones that have been dormant for years.

I’ll make an image to put in the sidebar that you can always click on to access this series of posts. 

It should be up later today, complete with a great start of posts to go along with it.  You’ll also be able to get to this category by clickig on the category titled “Mental Flexation.”

To get things started, I have what has always been a really tough challenge for me – spelling words backwards.  I don’t know why, but somehow my mind just doesn’t like going in that direction.  That’s why I’ve been treating (treating? more like tormenting) it lately with this particular challenge.  Throughout the day, I’ll take special note of certain words.   When I hear one on the radio or read it in the newspaper, I’ll immediately try to spell it backwards.

It’s harder than it sounds, for me anyway.  Try it yourself.  To give you a taste of the challenge, I’m providing you with some perfect words below.  Read the word, then close your eyes or look away and try to spell it backwards.  Don’t write the letters down, keep them in your head.  When you first start doing these backwards spelling challenges, go ahead and write in the air with your finger or on your thumb with your finger. 

Eventually, you’ll want to attempt the challenge and be able to say, “Look, Ma, no hands!”  But if you need the finger at first, be my guest.  I did!

  1. Instant
  2. Maximum
  3. Southern
  4. Category
  5. Waltz
  6. Perfume
  7. Monday
  8. Other
  9. Because
  10. Science

I’ll give tougher words in the future, but for now, master these.  Remember, any time you take your brain cells in a new, fresh, challenging direction – you are doing yourself an absolute world of good.

Make challenging your brain a habit.  Subscribe to this blog’s rss feed or e-mail updates, so you’ll always know when new challenges have been added for you.

Make each challenge count double,

~ Joi

Filed Under: Brain Games Tagged: , ,
August 30, 2008 1 Comment

Sketching Out a Little Insight!


If I told you to draw a picture of a boy giving a girl a present, how would you draw it? Think about it for a second – picture where you’d place each, the giver and the receiver. Heck, even sketch a little picture if you’re feeling particularly artsy.

Don’t scroll down for the why‘s, when‘s, who‘s, or what‘s until you have a clear picture of what your picture would look like.

I thought this was pretty cute. In the always entertaining INSIGHTS section of the June 2008 issue of Psychology Today, there was an article called “Reading, Writing, and Rembrandt.” The author, Matthew Hutson posed the same question you read above. I grabbed pen and paper and sketched out the little scene. I put the boy on the right and the girl on the left (just like I arranged the couple above on paintbrush – don’t laugh!).

The interesting thing is what the article goes on to say:

Ask an adult to draw a boy giving a girl a gift and he’ll probably draw the boy on the left. Try it in the Middle East, and the boy will be on the right…. How we perceive and imagine the world is influenced by the direction we learn to read and write. Typically sentences list subject before object, so most Westerners automatically envision actions happening left to right, and the more powerful party situated to the left.

See? There’s the rub, your’s truly was bassakwards. Apparently, in the scenario given, I see the girl as the main star of the show – even though it’s our hero who’s making the grand gesture.

Since everything that comes from a Psychological standpoint fascinates me, I thought this article was very interesting. Then again, I find everything about Psychology Today mesmerizing. When we were first married, my young husband collected Conan the Barbarian comic books (I’ll bet he’d love to have them as collector’s items today!). He was so cute when he’d buy a new one, grab a Ginger Ale and hit the sofa. He and the comic book entered a whole other world! It’s the same with me when I grab a fresh new issue of Psychology Today. I’ve been known to start reading articles while in line at the register!

If you’re on this blog, you obviously share an interst in mental fitness, self help, and self awareness. If you’ve never “met” Psychology Today, introduce yourself on your next trip to the store. You’ll probably get as hooked as I am.

Make each moment count double and quit laughing at my little people – your joke about Rogaine just wasn’t cool,
~Joi

Filed Under: Brain Games Tagged: , , , , , ,
July 12, 2008 Leave a Comment

A Fun But Challenging Brain Teaser !

Here’s a great brain teaser from Braingle.com -

Which fruit comes next in this sequence:

Banana, Pear, Kiwi, Tomato

Choose from: Peach, Lemon, Plum, Guava.

For the answer, click the link below!

You should stimulate your mind daily with teasers and challenges like this. Brain games call upon parts of our minds that don’t get nearly enough stimulation. They need the wake up call!
[Read more...]

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Filed Under: Mental Fitness Tagged: , ,