As we approach the holiday weekends, think about the patterns that have developed in your life. Are there things you are doing that are 'blindly repetitive' and don't serve you anymore? Breaks and vacations are an opportunity to look at, and perhaps shift, patterns that do not serve anymore.
Growing up we learn about how we are supposed to 'be' in the world. We watch our parents go to work, come home, pay bills, interact with friends and manage the household. Our little brains are sponges...we absorb what we see with very little questioning or filtration. And so our lives become the patterns we learned to emulate.
If your parents saw work as frustrating or difficult, likely you have tendencies in this direction. When your mother or father reacted badly when looking at the bills, you may now feel similar sensations as you open the mail. Or maybe your family was joyful and happy during the workweek, resulting in a feeling of contentment in your own job. These patterns are not bad or good, they are simply the result of ongoing observation and repetition.
The human brain is very 'plastic' in that it can be programmed in many different ways. This is called learning. A 'habit' is merely a program that has caused specific neural pathways to become well-worn with use. Like a heavily used trail in the forest, future thoughts are likely to travel down a path that is familiar and easy. If we want to change we must become aware of our mental pathways and consciously choose what paths we want to follow. In this way we re-program our brains.
And this is where a vacation or break comes in handy. The holiday weekends are an opportunity to step away from your weekly patterning and try something new...to experiment with new mental pathways. Do you feel in a 'rut'? Then the holiday weekends resolve to do something completely different. See a pattern in your activities? Break the pattern and choose something totally unexpected and out of your comfort zone. When you do this you will generate neuronal activity and stimulate areas of your brain that are now lying dormant.
Shifting patterns and changing thought structures are like cross-training for your brain. You become more creative, more open to change and develop the ability to see things you would not normally see. Life becomes more interesting and full as you see new ways of being. Try it this weekend! Do something extra-ordinary!
“Dr. Sergey Sorin’s Daily Message” - The Transitional Thoughts for the day by Dr. Sergey Sorin are with collaboration from KC. Hildreth, an Industry Consultant.
See website for more information
