I recently heard, in an Audible book,¹ that you can instantly rewire the grey matter in your brain. Which obviously got my grey matter churning; After an experience, how can I instantly change the neural pathways in my brain? 

Science states that a lot of the programming of our body is “hard-wired” into us already, but we also create new neural pathways every time we experience something new and different.²

In the case of trauma, new neural pathways are created instantaneously at the time of the event. So, if traumatic neural pathways happen instantaneously, why can’t blissful ones be created just as fast? Well, they are. And, the key is in strengthening them. Participating in energy infusing activities in life (what we at THRIVE! call “being in your flow”) creates energizing pathways. So, doing fun things also makes their own pathways.

However, when you do something fun, there’s fanfare associated with it but, generally not as much. The hype in your mind tends to dwindle faster and doesn’t maintain enough consistency and oomph to build the stronghold.

Furthermore, the difference is, as humans, we tend to reinforce negative experiences. Think about it, after a challenging experience, an exorbitant amount of time, energy, and emphasis is placed on it. People sympathize with you and add that energy to your experience, creating quite the momentum. And with each replay, the neural pathway is strengthened to such an extent that it has a stronghold on your mind, body, and therefore, your life. I’m sure we’ve all met that person who within the first five minutes of meeting them has told us every major challenge they’ve ever experienced in life. Their replay loop seems to be highly activated.

But, don’t get me wrong, sometimes amazing experiences take hold of us and stick and even change our lives. The vast majority of us, however, live entrenched in the grooves of the past repeating nonproductive patterns and telling the same old page-worn stories. Rip these pages out! Get some fresh clean paper and write new ones! Long held thoughts aren’t just passing through your mind, they’re reinforcing the pathways you may be trying to escape.

I like the idea of thinking of my grey matter as a piece of art – a big fresh wad of clay that I’m about to start molding. Then I get to decide: What do I want this piece to look like? How do I want to shape it? And, do I want this thought to be included in my creation?

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¹   Stealing Fire – How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal

²   True Vitality – Creating New Neural Pathways