resources > how the brain works
How the brain works. Everything that matters in just 3 minutes.
Habit forming, habit changing, and muscle memory all rely on two very specific things that you don’t have to worry about because they’re automatic. And one thing that isn’t – consistency. This one is up to you.
What you *don’t* have to worry about are:
- Neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to change itself.
- Neural pathways – thought patterns, behaviors, muscle memory (and many other things that we’re not concerned with right now).
The long and short of it is, the more repeat an activity or thought, the better you become at it.
You know this in the form of muscle memory from having to learn to tie your shoe laces. You’ve done it so many times it’s become automatic.
Thoughts work the same way. The more you repeat them, the more automatic they become.
This is why negative thoughts and thought patterns become so entrenched. They become automatic. And even worse, since they’re automatic they shape how we view ourselves. They define our identity.
Are you a person who is “not good enough”? A “failure”? An “imposter”? Unsure of yourself?
That’s bullshit. You’ve gaslit yourself. Others have likely helped. That’s the bad news.
The good news is, you can undo that garbage.
Rewiring your brain takes time, repetition and a specific way to approach it but it’s not terribly difficult or painful. The above video explains how all this works and the below video explains what to do to make the change effective.
If you’re interested in a more in depth description of these concepts, wikipedia has plenty of info.
This article from the Cleveland Clinic is more concise.
Naturally, there are right and wrong ways to do things. In order to change your thinking patterns there is a specific method: affirmation, followed by the word “because”, followed by facts from your own life or about yourself. This is what it looks like in just 3 minutes: