40 THE INVESTOR
posedly unable to remember his own phone number, and—when
asked about it—would simply reply that there was no point in
remembering facts that one could look up!)
What can our hypothetical investor do to strengthen her “S”
function?
As with strengthening a muscle, she can do some exercises or
activities that strengthen the sensing function. Any activity that
forces her to be in the present moment will do this. For example,
tennis forces her to be in the moment as she follows the flight of
the ball. Juggling or roller-blading or skiing would work, also. The
point is to focus the mind on what is happening right now. (Re-
member the mantra of the 1960s: Be here now?)
Another exercise is any activity that forces the investor to notice
and retain useful details. As an intuitive, I (should) practice this
when I play bridge. It takes a considerable amount of attention for
me to count cards. My intuitive preference loves surprises and new
possibilities. I don’t really want to know who’s holding which card;
it actually takes the fun out of the game for me to “know” what
cards are still left to be played. Contrast this with the attitude of
a good “sensor,” who loves to know with mathematical precision
the exact location of each card.
A final exercise for strengthening the sensor function is to follow
carefully the directions for setting up a new piece of electronic
equipment (e.g., stereo, VCR, computer). Rather than just tearing
into the box and guessing where the cords plug in, open the direc-
tions and read them, step by step. (At this point, sensing types will
be asking themselves, “You mean there are people who don’t do
that?!” Yes. The intuitive motto is: If all else fails, then read the
directions.)
Flip it around. What if you have a strong preference for sens-
ing? You are great at uncovering facts and reasoning in a linear
fashion. Here are some exercises for strengthening the “N” muscle.
Next time you have a business problem, pose it to five cowork-
ers. Listen to their suggestions, then find the common themes in05 ware 40 1/19/01, 1:06 PM