Luckily, college and living alone are “in the cards” for me, thanks to a clinical diagnosis by the school of psychiatry. So, I tell you about the day I remembered reading about B.F. Skinner, an American psychologist who studied “learning.” He was famous for demonstrating the concept of reward and punishment by placing a small animal inside a box. With this simple idea in mind, I pinned a sign on my door that read “Skinner’s room,” and I watched the process of my learning. By this time, I had trained my body in Ilchi Lee’s Tai Chi center, and it was time to reprogram my spirit by changing all of my childhood thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

First, I set up the room: I hung inspirational images, placed a pitcher of water and a selection of teas, created a sitting area with paints and an instrument, and designated a study space with a laptop computer. Second, a stopwatch would control the time, as all areas of the room had a purpose. Then, I walked around my room and challenged myself to play one more song, read one more chapter, paint for 30 minutes, and reward myself with soothing teas. I thought, “I physically exercise with a timer,” so “why would I not time my brain exercises?” Additionally, I discovered that punishment was the reason I struggled to learn as a child, whereas rewarding myself with warm tea and positive self-talk motivated me to keep going.

In conclusion, having a “Skinner’s room” was a brain-drill experience of a heavenly nature. Rewarding myself, plus having a timer, was “the way” to create new habits. I concluded that my brain can learn if my environment is clear and my body is comfortable. The entire project kick-started my brain, I’ve A’s in all my online courses, and my IQ score moved up from above average to intelligent.

    At the time, Jim Kwik was “hot” on YouTube and later wrote a book on his own personal brain recovery. He mentions the importance of “flow” and I applied his method to the room. Here are the 4 stages of “flow”: The book is called, “Limitless.”

1. Eliminate Distractions
2. Give yourself Enough Time
3. Do something you love
4. Have Clear Goals
5. Challenge yourself a little