Find Power Tools For Learning And Achieving Your Goals

Every New Year's, you vow you will do the right thing. You purchase workout clothes, crack open the cookbook full of healthy recipes, and pull out the exercise videos. You make extra time for your workout routine. This is the year, you think, when I will exercise, eat right, and be healthy.


And every year, by February, your entire plan falls apart. As you skim through what goes wrong, you can't really put your finger on it. Supportive family and friends? Check. The right clothes, information? Check. Motivation? Check.
You know this is exactly what you should be doing, yet every year, you stop doing it.


"Your body may not be working because your brain won't let you," explains Vickie Bockenkamp of Power Tools for Learning in Alameda.


Bockenkamp says that in some instances, a processing problem in the brain can account for that missing link that has you failing to get healthy every time. "Sometimes, the brain doesn't allow people to do what they should, and this can be mistaken for boredom or laziness," she explains.


Bockenkamp explains that the problem usually stems from less-than-ideal processing between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, which can affect both mental and physical processes.


In fact, a similar phenomenon can show up in children and affect their academic performance. "It shows up in kids' schoolwork, with kids who have difficulty getting stuff done. And the same problem can also hold true for an adult who has to finish a project or stick to a routine."


The good news is that such a processing problem is both easily identifiable and correctable. Bockenkamp, who has studied several learning and diagnostic methods, has created a system that corrects the situation, so the connection between the left and right brain works as it should.


In addition to this possible correction, Bockenkamp also works with her clients to help them understand their learning style, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in processing and evaluating information. These results, when applied, can help improve academic performance, stick to long-term goals, make better decisions, and achieve career success.