People sometimes ask me why I am listening to the exact same podcast, Ted Talk, or speech from YouTube, over and over. I used to call it “brainwashing myself”. There is a more technical and interesting answer:
In the brain, when we think a thought, complete a task, or do something repetitively, there is a transfer of energy. An electrical impulse literally, physically fires, and the neurons that fire together wire together. The more we think, say, or do something, the thicker the correlating neural branch becomes in the brain as the neurons continue to wire together because of repetition, in order to generate MORE of that thought or task, so that we get better at it. The REALLY interesting thing is that the thoughts we no longer think LOSE the neural connections, as the neurons the OLD thoughts USED to use are now being recruited to be used by the thoughts we continuously choose to think. Evolution has unfolded for us to be this way, and WE CAN USE THIS TO OUR ADVANTAGE!
This is why things become easier with repetition. Anything repeated or practiced often enough becomes an automated part of our subconscious and is habituated into our lives like a program being run on a computer.
I am constantly looking for alternate, different, improved ways of BEING, and ways to improve my thinking and way of living. When I find someone who has views, words, a mentality, a mindset, and a way of thinking which coincides and aligns with what I want to become MORE of, I tend to gravitate towards, or become attracted mentally and emotionally to, that person and what they are capable of teaching me.
I have learned that the more I listen to the things I want to adopt into my life, and adopt these things as my OWN thoughts and beliefs, the more likely those proper, correlating, effective, helpful neural branches will form and thicken.
Repetition and practice are the keys to becoming more of who and what we want to. When we know exactly what we want, and can envision the outcomes we want, we know exactly what to listen to repeatedly, what goals to consistently work towards, and what actions to constantly take.
When we fail to plan, we plan to fail. Having a morning routine and a plan for the day is useful and beneficial to our success, our personal growth, and our confidence.
Listening to and learning new things is a great way to stretch and grow one’s mind. It’s a great way to put one’s self out there and be exposed to different, more effective ways of creating one’s life. None of these new ways of thinking and being will ever benefit us, however, if we do not take consistent, intentional, repeated actions which will grow these neural connections from a baby tree into a Redwood.
Are our current beliefs and practices those we were taught as small children? Are our beliefs and practices really ours?
In this world full of distractions, it is increasingly important we choose our distractions wisely, or even replace them all with intentional activities.
Here are some sources of inspiration and information which have helped me the most to practice doing this in recent years:
YouTube Videos
Today’s challenge for myself: Today I will remember to think, say, and do things that I really want to stick, remembering to create truncated bundles of neurons the size of redwoods in my brain with the important things instead of just thinking of or trying things once or twice and growing a twig.
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Remember: Mindset matters. Character counts. That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives. WE CREATE our personal realities.
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