Visitors almost always comment on the track Rainbow MagnifiCat has made along her favoured route through the garden.
It always reminds me of neuroplasticity and the way we’re changing all the time. The first time we stop ourselves doing the default old behaviour or habit and try something new, it can feel like attempting to cut our ways through an overgrown jungle with a machete.
In time, with practice, that new pathway becomes easier. We literally, with time, rewire the brain so we create new neural pathways.
We might still crave the old, easy default but the newer behaviour gradually needs less thought, less psyching ourselves up.
It’s very important to replace any old habit with a new habit or behaviour because simply attempting to NOT do something is a recipe for disaster but once we have that replacement habit, we can start making tracks!
I have too many too mention but one example that sticks with me was quitting smoking in 2001. I used a clear quartz crystal wand and used to treat it like a cigarette (one time, I inhaled so deeply, by an open window, I nearly passed out – unused to getting so much oxygen). Sure, the patches helped but, foolish as I felt with this crystal wand, I don’t think I could have done it without that temporary replacement activity.
What have you quit?
What have you replaced it with?
At what point have you felt confident that the new way has become the norm and that you’re not going back?
I’d love to hear your successes (and things that you’re still working towards) below.
Big love,
