I was blown away the first time I heard about neuroplasticity—the idea that, no matter how old we are, our brain can continue to be better, to be sharper. I'll give you one way to do that right after this.

You will not get the benefits of neuroplasticity unless you take care of the basics: exercise, eight hours of sleep, and lots of water. I take vitamins and supplements, and there are amazing Strauss Naturals products for whatever your body needs. The most important thing is that you need to build a foundation for the rest of your life so that the other things we talked about this week will actually happen. Go to schoolforstartups.com/minutes to hear all of the ways that you can continue to get smarter, no matter how old you are.

All this week, we are talking about neuroplasticity, the idea that our brains are malleable, changeable, and that they can actually continue to grow, not get bigger. I will tell you one way that you can get smarter, no matter how old you are, right after this.

One of the best ways to continue to get smarter is to always challenge your views, your perceptions. Our brains work overtime trying to convince us that we are always right. Talking to other people, learning their ideas, and having polite disagreements are some of the very best ways to create new connections, new synapses in our brain. That is actually making us smarter. Neuroplasticity can happen when you challenge your views and talk to people you disagree with.

All this week, we are talking about how you can continue to get smarter, no matter how old you are. It's called neuroplasticity—the idea that our brains are still changing, no matter what our age is, and if we do things right, we can create new connections, new synapses in our brain, and actually get smarter. I'll give you one way to do that right after this.

It's time to get lean, healthy, and save America. One great way to continue to get smarter, no matter how old you are, is to spend time with people of different generations, particularly much younger people. If you can talk to someone 30 or 40 years younger than you, I promise you will be blown away by the way they think. I have two kids in their 20s, and every time I talk to them, my brain gets smarter because I'm exposed to their crazy ideas.

All this week, we are talking about neuroplasticity—the idea that our brains are malleable, changeable, and that they can actually continue to grow, not get bigger. I will tell you one way that you can get smarter, no matter how old you are, right after this.

One great way to make your brain smarter is to grow new synapses, new connections by literally making new connections, interact with more people, learn what they are thinking about, what they're interested in, and be exposed to all new ideas. Go to more events, hang out at a bar more, join a group or a club, take a class, join the Masons, do anything where you can go and meet new people, be exposed to new ideas, expand your knowledge base, and continue to be smarter.

This week, I'm going to talk about neuroplasticity, brain plasticity—the idea that we can really, truly make ourselves smarter, not better educated, but smarter. Every day this week, I'll give you a new way to achieve that! It's just like a stroke victim learning to talk or walk again. I'll have my first suggestion right after this.

First way to get smarter, no matter how old you are: seek new pursuits. Learn a language. Learn chess. Take music lessons. Learn how to do some art. Anything you're doing that is new creates new connections, new synapses. Is your brain actually changing? Remember, this is not crazy. This is scientifically proven. You can make yourself smarter, no matter how old you are.

This week we are talking about hidden superpowers, underrated skills that a lot of people have that aren't talked about every day, but lead to a huge part of their success. For example, they might not be a great leader and have leadership skills, but they're absolutely wonderful at something else, which makes them a huge asset to the business, society, and everyone around them. This week we are talking about those things. One of them was listing. Using listing as a superpower is one of the things that I and a lot of other introverts do. We also have great abilities to comprehend and follow up because of that. And following up is another one of the super skills. I'll introduce you to another super skill right after this.

Curiosity is a super skill. Every time you ask a question, a new opportunity arises. Why do we have to drive the video back? Someone said, and from that we get Netflix. Curiosity is great.

This week we have been talking about five underrated success skills-things that we may not know that we do, but may be your secret superpower. Things like being a great listener, or showing up on time, or keeping your word, or simply being curious, as that creates amazing new opportunities. I'll have one more thing to introduce to our list right after this.

Gratitude. You know it may not sound like a business skill, but if you do it right, it could be your greatest superpower. We don't get thanked enough, and we usually get thanked in really offhand, trivial ways. Imagine the superpower of having a handwritten note coming in the mailbox saying how grateful you are for their business, their friendship, whatever it could be, stand out by using gratitude, but make it sincere. Nothing's more valuable.

This week, we are talking about success skills that are often underrated. Sometimes we call them silent superpowers. Maybe you're not great at leadership or sales, but you're great at something else that's not as flashy. Those are the opportunities that you should pursue. Double down on what you are good at. So today, I'm going to introduce another underrated success skill. I'll do that right after this.

One business skill that never goes out of style is being honest, keeping your word, and doing what you say you're going to do. It's also completely free. Your reputation isn't built during great success or crises. It's built during everyday moments: calling when you promise, delivering on time, showing up, and admitting mistakes. It is an old-fashioned skill that people notice all the time. They also notice the opposite. Be honest and do what you say.

This week we are talking about silent superpowers, things that a lot of people do that are very underrated, and so we are coming up with a list of the five most underrated success skills. We've already added listening to the list. We'll add another one today. Can you guess what it is? I'll be right back to tell you.

Following up is a superpower. How many times have you sent an email or called someone and not heard from them for a month or so? So many opportunities are lost because no one followed up and did the basic grunt work. Following up isn't glamorous, and no one brags about it, but incredible things happen simply when you check in with people more than one time. Remember, it takes seven touches to get a sale. You aren't getting rejected. People are just distracted and forget about you. Follow up.

If I were to ask you what the most important business skills are, you would probably say leadership, selling, marketing, finance, and things like that. And those are all very, very true. But I think there are some other skills, some things we don't talk about, some things we underrate, that are just as important, too. This week, I want to talk about the five most underrated skill sets that you can have that will lead to success. I'll get started right after this.

One of the most underrated success skills is listening. I think it's such an incredible advantage, and it's something that we introverts do naturally. It's just a huge, great thing for us to do. But everyone needs to work on their listening skills because, when a customer calls to complain, the great listener is the one who makes them happy, and great listeners are the ones who hear the opportunities. The customers will tell you, "I wish it did this."