Because right-brain learners are visually oriented, it’s challenging for them to learn through oral or written instruction only. They need pictures and graphics to help them understand, and they learn best by putting ideas into action through creative experimentation.

Understanding left-brain/right-brain modes of thinking is one reason why working with the tools in your journal is so powerful, whatever your preferred learning style. Left-brain concepts are presented in ways the right brain likes to learn. For left-brained types, having to think and respond spontaneously and visually is a challenge; doing so gives the right brain a good workout, contributing new ideas and insights. Think of it as creative cross-training. The overall result is a more integrated individual, able to pull from a variety of tools and mindsets appropriate to the task at hand.

Understanding how your own thought process works helps you develop in ways not just critical to your business but relevant to the quality of your whole life. When you use capacities previously foreign to your experience, you’ll learn how to

• Become conscious of how you best learn, think, and solve problems.

• Identify your own strengths and weaknesses.

• Know whether the thought process you are using is appropriate to the task you are working on.

• Grow mentally and emotionally as you develop your nondominant side.