I'm endlessly fascinated by the study and observation of human physiology.

When you consider that just thirty years ago, we could only study the brain after a person died, it's incredible that we're now able to study it in real-time using Functional MRI (fMRI). We can observe the brain as it responds and reacts and analyze the pathways it uses to process information.

Norman Doidge, a psychiatrist and researcher, has written two New York Times bestsellers called The Brain that Changes Itself, where he explains how the science of neuroplasticity overthrows the centuries-old notion that the brain is fixed and unchanging, and The Brain's Way of Healing, a book of stories of remarkable recoveries and discoveries from the frontiers of neuroplasticity.

In both books, Doidge takes us on a captivating journey into the brain's unique ability to respond to challenges and crises, proving that the brain's innate power can be harnessed to excel in areas we once thought impossible.

If this topic interests you, I highly recommend both books.

Remember Murphy's Law?

Staunch Murphy's Law believers prove its "truth" by anticipating and tracking every experience that confirms it, almost finding comfort in its predictability even though it doesn't bode well. Ever.

A student once said, "It's been a great week, but it's bound to get ugly."

Concerned, I asked why.

"Well," she said, "Two great things happened for me this week, and my experience is that when good things happen, something bad always follows."

I have a hard time understanding this outlook, but if she struggles to accept unmet expectations, it makes sense that she would try to insulate herself from disappointment. After all, if you expect the worst and something better happens, you're winning. At the same time, she is likely unaware of or unwilling to acknowledge the good things that happen, especially if she's convinced that good things are a precursor to bad. 

This is a complex but common thought process initiated by the brain, usually as a coping mechanism in response to disappointment or trauma.

The Science of Your Thoughts

As much as your thoughts feel like your own, they'll quickly morph into patterns created by the brain if you're not careful. Allow me to get nerdy about the science for a minute.

Messages are transmitted like electrical impulses, and they jump from neuron to neuron through a tiny channel known as the synaptic cleft. As the message is sent, the neurotransmitter serotonin ensures that the message is received clearly, lingering in the synaptic cleft long enough to pass on the message before being reabsorbed by the neuron. When this process is completed, you experience a feeling of calm comfort, like everything is okay.

But the process is interrupted when your brain is overloaded with information that causes stress, elevates your emotions, or heightens anxiety. The neurons become "frazzled," and in their rush to pass the message on to the next neuron, they quickly reuptake the serotonin. At this point, you may feel uncomfortable or on edge, which heightens the effect of stress and anxiety.

This is why many antidepressant medications act as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, slowing the message transmission process and holding the serotonin in the synaptic cleft just a millisecond longer, so you can experience that blissful state of well-being. Most antidepressants are simply brain stimulants intended to counter the effects of an overwhelmed brain.

Your thoughts follow a similar pathway, with neurons firing together to complete the thought process. The brain is highly efficient and quickly recognizes a regular thought process. When a thought is repeated, the brain constructs a pathway leading directly to the predictable completion of the thought. This is where the famous saying coined by brain researchers came from, "Neurons that fire together wire together." The pathway of the thought becomes faster because the brain coats the neuronal pathway with a myelin sheath, accelerating the speed of the message. Soon you're thinking the thought without even "thinking." It has become automatic.

You're the ONLY Boss of Your Brain

This automatic process I just described hugely impacts the way your life unfolds. If you've honed a blisteringly fast neuronal pathway that lives by Murphy's law, you'll expect and imagine how things could go wrong, often without even realizing it! Your lived experience becomes Murphy's Law.

But what if you could use the incredible power of your brain to create the life you want?

Let's say you dream about things you want to do or experience but never have the resources. Your thought process likely sounds something like this. 

"It's a great idea, but I don't know the right people. I don't have enough money. I wouldn't even know where to start."

You're signing up for a limiting belief you don't need, but you're the only one with the power to change it - by reprogramming your brain to expect and experience good things.

Your correcting thought process might sound like this.

"What a great idea! Hmmm, I wonder what resources I need to get it done. I'm not sure how to make this happen yet, but I'm excited to see what I come up with and where this goes!"

When you redirect your thoughts this way, the brain gets to create ideas and strategies to confirm your beliefs. Before you know it, you'll be thinking things like this.

"This is such a good idea! I have all the resources and skills I need to get started, and the rest I'll learn as I go!"

The Impact of Limiting Beliefs

We all have them. They're the stories we tell ourselves that keep us living small, even when we're brimming with potential. They come from meaningful life experiences that impact us, usually negatively, and we use them to manage expectations.

I don't have the motivation or discipline to start my own business.

I'm too old to start a family. I don't have the energy to keep up with kids.

I'll never make the team with this injury. 

I don't have time for self-care. I have too much work to do.

I don't have the skills to finance my dreams.

For many years, I believed I wasn't smart enough to pursue higher education, let alone have a professional career I could be passionate about. I would never have considered university an option without the encouragement of friends and family. I assumed my manual skills would have to support me for the rest of my life, regardless of how miserable I was doing them.

But, once I completed my first course, I was hooked. I knew in my core that I was exactly where I needed to be. It wasn't long before my self-confidence grew, and I no longer bought the story that I was limited in any way. I was on track to fulfill my dreams and pursue everything I was passionate about.

No More Brain On Autopilot (except for the basics)

How do you rewire your brain? 

First, acknowledge that your brain influences what shows up in your life. If you can't do that, you'll be stuck forever.

Second, find out where you've allowed adverse thought pathways to dominate. What negative experiences are happening on repeat? What do you believe about those experiences? Do you deserve them? Start there.

Third, when you're stuck in a thought loop, interrupt it and replace it with a thought that represents WHAT YOU WANT, not what you don't want.

Lastly, picture yourself having the feeling, result, or experience you want, and assume it's already yours - it's just a matter of time until it shows up.

Stop Managing Expectations and Take a Risk

Your brain is a powerful ally. You decide how it serves you. As you maximize your brain's capabilities, you'll learn that you are in control, and any limitations are of your own making.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH) defines the brain like this:

"The brain is the most complex part of the human body. This three-pound organ is the seat of intelligence, interpreter of the senses, initiator of body movement, and controller of behavior. Lying in its bony shell and washed by protective fluid, the brain is the source of all the qualities that define our humanity."

And you are the master of that brain!