In the industrial-age economy that was known for mass manufacturing there were many people that were paid to do and not think too much. High paying jobs in areas such as manufacturing and the resource sector offered a trade in the form of high wages for jobs that were often monotonous. Many people punched into their shifts and punched out not being asked to think too much. Ironically, in a span of a few decades this paradigm for looking at work has been turned inside out. The ability to think has become accepted as a basic starting point for all types of employment.

For this reason the concept of mental energy has become an increasingly popular term. Just as regular exercise, proper diet and sufficient sleep are important for our physical energy, the ability to exercise our mind is critical for mental energy.

So, what is mental energy? On a basic level its being able to focus your attention on a task, think, reason, analyze a problem or issue, or solve a problem. As noted by the Franklin Institute we should consider the human brain a muscle and we need to exercise it by interacting with the world through perception and action. Quite simply, in an economy that values thinking we need to make sure we don't deny exercise to our number one asset; and that is our brain.

It's important to emphasize that mental energy involves more than learning in a formal setting such as a college or university, or bearing down to complete home work. It's the realization that learning can occur in a broad range of settings to benefit your career path. Building up mental energy should not be a painful experience rather it is something that should be easily incorporated into your life.

Marian Cleeves Diamond in her article The Brain... Use It or Lose It points out that one way to be certain of continued enrichment is to stimulate and maintain curiosity throughout a lifetime. Following are a few suggestions of how you can accomplish this goal:

• Read fiction and non-fiction books of interest;
• Engage in dialogue. Don't be afraid to exchange views on world events, politics and other topics.
• Play games that test your logic such as Suduko (i.e.-a numbers placement puzzle), crossword puzzles or Scrabble;
• Develop new hobbies. Not only are new hobbies interesting they demand that we learn new information and apply it. Hobbies can be as diverse as hiking, studying a new subject area, acting or ethnic cooking.

Interestingly many of the suggestions above are also commonly recommended to seniors to keep their minds active and avoid memory loss. So, the idea of building up mental energy simply allows you to engage in activities that occupy your mind. It doesn't require you to abandon many of the entertainment forms that may amuse you with only slight stimulation of the mind (e.g.-TV, video games). It just asks you to spend a little time each day working out your brain. With this in mind, let's close with a simple mental puzzle. Say silk five times. Now spell "silk". Now quickly say what cows drink.

If you said "milk" you may want to re-think your reply. Cows drink water. The important point is that you were open to trying a question that threw a curve ball at you. Indeed, the long term benefits in the mental energy game will go to those who are at least willing to try.

Tagged In: Career , Planning , Success Strategies , Transition