Neurons are the ‘thinking’ cells that make up our nervous system. They link up in trillions of different ways throughout our lifetime to form neural pathways, or networks of communication in our brain. These neural networks are organized to reflect everything that we’ve experienced in our lives thus far.
Every time we think a thought or have an experience, a neural pathway equal to that thought/experience lights up in our brain. The more that we practice that thought or have that specific experience (ie, our job, a relationship, a routine of any sort), the more engrained that pathway becomes in our brain. Because our brain is wired to reflect everything we already know in our life, we could think of its physical structure as a record of the past.
If you like where you are at in your life, great – keep practicing those pathways! If you want to change, a few things to consider…
What thoughts are you thinking on a regular basis?
What experiences are you having?
Are you engaging in routines that bring you ease or cause you to feel stress?
Our perspective of any situation is equal to the way our brain is wired. If we are trying to work towards a new goal, solve a problem, or pull ourselves out of a particular life situation, doing so can be difficult because we are usually operating from the level of mind (aka neural pathways) that is equal to our current situation.
For example, let’s say that you desire more abundance, but you keep complaining about the job you have, the amount of money you are making, and the fact that you can’t afford new clothes. You ruminate on these thoughts, journal about them, complain to all your friends, etc, etc. Every time you interact with this level of mind, the neural pathways associated with your current situation (which, in this case is not abundant) are being practiced, wired, and deepened in your brain. In other words, you keep hardwiring your brain to see the world from a place of scarcity.
If you are trying to change something in your life, here’s the key take home message – less focus on what is and more focus on what you want. Why? Our brilliant human brains can literally rewire according to our thoughts!! This is called neuroplasticity.
The challenge is, of course, maintaining a vision of our future independent of current life circumstances. Doing so takes some grit, because circumstances can be difficult! When we maintain commitment through visualization, increased awareness, and dedicated practice, we can actually change the physical structure of our brain so that it operates as if what we desire has already occurred (in this case, abundance). Then, our brain can subconsciously start to make decisions to lead us to our desire because of our new perspective.
Want to learn more? Check out my Science & Magic Curriculum, which offers thought provoking neuroscience behind how our perspective influences our reality. If you desire a deep dive into the curriculum, sign up for my upcoming Magical Mind course (starts May 1st!!), which is a 60-day experience that offers science-based education, discussion, reflection, yoga, meditation, and breath work to evoke more ease in every day life.