<section><h2>EFYE: Study/Life Check in 3: Chopstick Ninja</h2></section><section><h2><h2><p><strong>Good job! You really must have practiced it</strong></p></h2></h2><p><p><strong></strong>You are definitely not born with amazing chopstick ninja skills, so you must have practiced a lot before succeeding. It has probably been time-consuming and a bit messy to try out, with rice all over the place, just to get a little bit to eat. The point is that over time and with practice you will succeed in cracking the infamous code. You have struggled and therefore lit up a new pathway in your brain.</p><p><strong>Not too easy, not too difficult</strong><br />Neurological studies show that the brain is plastic and creates new connections through experience. In a nutshell. We can develop and strengthen our brain through specific behaviours: The belief that we can learn new things and practice them. The brain is like a muscle that gets stronger when you choose the right dumbbells. Not too light, not too heavy – but just enough to break sweat. </p><p><strong>Drag out the heavier dumbbells. What would you like to practice now? </strong><br />Think about your studies. What are you finding hard right now – what would you like to get better at? No one is a true master at everything right from the start, so drag out the heavier weights and break sweat. Spend the next few weeks practicing it, then ask yourself how you’re doing now. You probably don’t master it yet, but you have definitely gotten a little better at it. </p><p>In the video, Trevor Ragan and Michael Merzenich talk about how our brains are plastic and can change when we practice.</p><p></p></p></section><section><h3><h2><p><strong>Good job! You have definitely been practicing</strong></p></h2></h3><p><p><strong></strong>No one is born with amazing chopstick ninja skills, so you must have practiced a lot before succeeding (somewhat). It has probably been time-consuming and a bit messy to try out, with rice all over the place, just to get a little bit to eat. The point is that over time and with practice you will succeed in cracking the infamous code. You have struggled and therefore lit up a new pathway in your brain.</p><p><strong>Not too easy, not too difficult</strong><br />Neurological studies show that the brain is plastic and creates new connections through experience. In a nutshell. We can develop and strengthen our brain through specific behaviours: The belief that we can learn new things and practice them. The brain is like a muscle that gets stronger when you choose the right dumbbells. Not too light, not too heavy – but just enough to break sweat.</p><p><strong>Drag out the heavier dumbbells. What would you like to practice now? </strong><br />Think about your studies. What are you finding hard right now – what would you like to get better at? No one is a true master at everything right from the start, so drag out the heavier weights and break sweat. Spend the next few weeks practicing it, then ask yourself how you’re doing now. You probably don’t master it yet, but you have definitely gotten a little better at it.</p><p>In the video, Trevor Ragan and Michael Merzenich talk about how our brains are plastic and can change when we practice.<br /></p></p></section><section><h3><h2><p><strong>You certainly haven’t practiced enough. But don’t worry ... you can just use a fork.</strong></p></h2></h3><p><p>"Absolutely everyone can get better at virtually anything". So if you bothered trying and didn’t mind a little mess you could learn to master the little sticks. The point is, it’s about practicing and not avoiding what’s difficult.</p><p><strong>The road to mastering something new is bumpy and hard</strong><br />No one is born with amazing chopstick ninja skills. It takes a lot of practice (and frustration) to master the chopsticks fairly well. It is time-consuming and a bit messy to try out, with rice all over the place, just to get a little bit to eat. But the point is that over time and with practice, you will get better step by step. When you work with something difficult, you are training your brain to light up a new pathway.</p><p><strong>Not too easy, not too difficult</strong><br />Neurological studies show that the brain is plastic and creates new connections through experience. In a nutshell. We can develop and strengthen our brain through specific behaviours: The belief that we can learn new things and practice them. The brain is like a muscle that gets stronger when you choose the right dumbbells. Not too light, not too heavy – but just enough to break sweat.</p><p><strong>Drag out the heavier dumbbells. What would you like to practice now? </strong><br />Think about your studies. What are you finding hard right now – what would you like to get better at? No one is a true master at everything right from the start, so drag out the heavier weights and break sweat. Spend the next few weeks practicing it, then ask yourself how you’re doing now. You probably don’t master it yet, but you have definitely gotten a little better at it.</p><p>In the video, Trevor Ragan and Michael Merzenich talk about how our brains are plastic and can change when we practice.</p><p></p></p></section><section><h2><p>Are you good at using chopsticks?</p></h2></section>