Our brain is really two brains. The New Brain (neocortex) and the Old Brain (Brain Stem and Limbic System). The New Brain has only been around for a few hundred thousands years. From a human evolutionary perspective, the New Brain is brand new. It is the CEO of the brain and houses our executive functions. Some refer to it as the conscious brain. The Old Brain has been around for millions of millions of years. From an evolutionary perspective, the Old Brain is very old. It houses all of our emotions and controls most of autonomic functions of the body, like keeping our organs working properly without any thinking required. Some refer to is as the subconscious brain.
Because our Old Brain, our emotional brain, has been around so much longer than our New Brain, it is infinitely more powerful than our New Brain. This can be a good or a bad thing. If we have been raised in a negative environment and thus, habituated or programmed at an early age with negative emotions, then our emotional brain becomes our enemy. It will undermine us during our entire lives with outbursts of anger that destroy relationships, tell us to quit when the going gets tough, fill us with a scarcity mindset using envy and jealousy as its tools and it will demand instant gratification every chance it gets. When your emotional brain is filled with negative emotions you have absolutely no chance of succeeding in life. You will fail.
If you were raised in a negative environment, or are filled with all sorts of limiting, negative beliefs, all is not lost. You still have your New Brain to rescue you. Your New Brain can be called into action to help reprogram your emotional brain from negative to positive. And it’s not hard at all. It’s just a three-step process. The first part of the process is to engage in something I call Dream-Setting. The second part is expressing gratitude every day for the things you have. Gratitude is the gateway to optimism and a positive mindset. The third part is to create daily affirmations around new beliefs you would like to have. Examples: “I believe I can accomplish anything if I put my mind to it,” “I am confident in myself,” “I will lose 30 pounds by May,” “I love to exercise”. Customize your affirmations to reflect the future ideal person you desire to be. These affirmations are programmed into the Old Brain as if they were goals to pursue. The Old Brain loves goals, so it will nudge you through that voice inside your head to take certain actions. As long as you continue to repeat these affirmations, the Old Brain will continue to nudge you. It won’t stop nudging you. It will nudge you in your sleep, in the shower, on the toilet, while your commuting to work, when you’re sitting on the couch or turning into a McDonalds.
As soon as you begin to shift your Old Brain from negative to positive, it will immediately begin to produce positive emotions and suppress negative emotions. It’s automatic. Stay positive my friends!
About Thomas C. Corley
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