Creating new neural-pathways to improve yourself (part II)

Part II – mindset – grooving new pathways to make your life work better.

Neural-pathways are how our brains send messages.

I liken it to lightening – taking the path of least resistance.

Our bodies physically do that – it learns a movement pattern and runs with it, as I described In part I.

Today, let’s talk about how we can change our brains to improve ourselves and make our lives, and those around us, better.

According to Jane Ransom, author of One Brainy Book:26 Scientific Ways To Feel and Be Terrific, ​there is scientific evidence that doing a daily gratitude practice will make you:

• Happier
• More disciplined
• More able to achieve your goals
• Physically healthier
• Free you from emotional pain

Ransom says there are three keys you must use to unlock your brain’s neuro-plasticity or way to physically restructure your brain to create better brain cell connections (and ultimately create new nueral-pathways to improve yourself)

The three keys are:

1. Emote – it’s not enough to “think”​ gratitude, you have to feel it. ​Doing this fires up the learning and memory center of your brain, the hypocampus.

2. Extend – beyond yourself, include other people and you spark the social intelligence center part of your brain. This is the Frontal Lobes.

3. Exercise – practice gratitude daily so it becomes a deep belief. The new brain cell connections will only go into long term memory if your gratitude practice is done regularly.

But what if you’re not feeling particularly grateful, even if you “should?”

Here’s a tip I learned from my coach that really made sense to me, especially since I believe In God and that all things work toward creating His purpose and He always wants the best for me.

1. Think of something you are grateful for and trace it all the way back to a point where you didn’t have/feel it.

2. See all of the positive and negative or comfortable and uncomfortable events that happened along the way. See ALL of the dots that connected to be where you are today.

3. Notice that all of the dots along the way were necessary for you to get in this current place for which you are now grateful for. They had to happen for you to experience joy around a particular thing or event, etc. that you experience now.

4. Apply this to a current situation that you might not be feeling particularly grateful for and realize that this IS something to be grateful for so you can get to the next step. Without this current situation, you won’t get to the end.

5. Remember that life and God is ultimately working for us, not against us.

I ask clients to contribute to our Win Of The Week board because I know it can have positive brain changing effects.

What’s your win, what are you grateful for? 

Start creating new neural to improve yourself and those around you!