How to Rewire Your Brain
Think Your Way to a Better Life
Humankind has always been fascinated by the power of the mind, and indeed the limits are most likely never to be known. Just imagine if it were possible to turn your greatest weakness into your greatest strength. If you could rewire your brain to reverse ingrained personality traits from procrastination to pessimism and improve everything from your memory to your grasp of foreign languages. Well, not only do neuroscientists now believe this is possible, but they can show us how. A great deal of attention has been paid to the extent at which our brains can perform, and the untapped possibilities within. It is known; however that there is a direct connection between our thoughts and our actions.
Here's how to increase your ability to change:
1. Be rigorously honest with yourself. You can only make changes when you accept yourself as you are.
2. Acknowledge that you are who you choose to be, not who you were yesterday.
3. Know that it takes about 14 days to begin to form a lasting habit. Those first two to three weeks are the hardest, physically and emotionally. Give yourself the time.
4. Write your life story. Literally. Explain why you are the way you are, and how and why you continue to convince yourself you can't change.
5. Write the truth about why you haven't made changes and what changes are possible. Be honest. Take care to evaluate the way you use language. If you find yourself phrasing statements in the negative - like "I can't" or "It's too hard" - consider how to rephrase these statements as things you can do and that are easier for you to stick with.
6. List the life values most important to you, and explore your purpose in life. Do your habits align with these values and mission? If they don't, you'll likely experience stress.
7. Now write the story of who you want to be. The truth is, people have tremendous capability to change. Write down what it will take to get you to make those changes. What will success look and feel like? How will you measure successes along the way?
8. Write down how you might undermine these goals. What should you do to avoid these pitfalls? The most common are 1) rationalizing, 2) denial and 3) minimizing the truth.
9. Announce the changes you plan to make. Ask for the help and support you need from friends and family or from medical professionals. Your commitment will be much more powerful if you do.
10. After six weeks, recognize that you'll probably miss the benefits of your new habit if you stop.
11. Celebrate milestones along the way!
