— Find out more about how to become The Potentiator —
Hi, this is Mike Lipkin and welcome to this breakthrough moment.
Just as our daily activity literally shapes our bodies, our daily thoughts literally shape our brains. Our experiences are restructuring our minds as we learn and adapt to new challenges. This is called neuroplasticity – the “muscle building” part of the brain. Just as your pectoral, bicep or abdominal muscles respond to working out in a gym, your brain responds to conditioning in the same way.
With every repetition of a thought or emotion, we reinforce a neural pathway – the way our brain processes those thoughts or emotions. With each new repetition, we create a new way of interacting with the world. These shifts, repeated often enough, can change the way our brains work for better or for worse.
We become what we repeatedly do. If we are disciplined or inspired enough, we’re willing to do the hard things that develop our capacity. If we’re lax or lazy, we follow the path of least resistance. The choices are simple but they’re not easy: accumulate flab or build muscle. Use it or lose it. Grow creativity or become irrelevant. It’s that stark.
The danger of depression or indifference is that it impedes constructive action. It literally shrinks your neural network. Without the passion or optimism to power your motivation in the face of obstacles, courageous creativity will elude you. It’s chemical. Positive emotions create the endorphins, oxytocin and dopamine that enable extraordinary effort. If you don’t find a way, you fade away. As Bruce Springsteen sings, “You can’t start a fire without a spark. This gun’s for hire even if we’re just dancing in the dark.”
This is Mike Lipkin. I am the Potentiator. And I approve this message.
