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Over the last year, I’ve seen the Habits of Hope at work changing me… and changing others who are applying these principles.
Getting healthier
Healed relationships
Better leadership
Unhappy people being happier.
But, is this just lucky? Hearsay? People saying nice things… OR is it real, measurable and even scientific? The answer: the latter! Neuroscience is now demonstrating this kind of brain change really works. And the implications are dramatic! Not just spiritually or even emotionally. BUT PHYSICALLY. It’s not “in our minds.” Real change happening to us physically “Jeff was just stubborn.” Or “Jeff was just depressive.” Or “Jeff was just anxious.” Or even… “Jeff was not organized.” “Jeff was scattered.” And, I’ll admit. I was! New scientific studies now using a process called SPECT (nuclear scans that evaluate blood flows, structure and activity patterns inside brains) see brains change. These scans now show that brains can change physically and functionally. They can go from sick, depressed, anxious and unable to focus to healthy, functioning and more effective!
Healthy brains (the way it’s supposed to be) are
Happier
Healthier
Wealthier
More Resistant to illness
Unhealthy brains (infected by fear, misuse and even abuse) are
Sadder
Sicker
Poorer
Less Resistant to illness
New vocabulary word here: “Neuroplacticty.” The brain can produce new neurons in certain areas of the brain that with the power of good can revive parts that are broken. Brains can come back to life… restore health and vibrancy.
You’re not stuck with a depressed, anxious or dysfunctional brain!
You dont’ need to envy somneone else’s “smart brain” and be stuck with “dummy!”
Your DNA is not your destiny!
You aren’t stuck as “moody’ or “sour.”
Your thinking tomorrow can be better than today!
You can become healthier by choice.
Studies now show that each thought you have creates a new neural and dendrite pathway inside your brain that looks like a tree. Good thoughts produce healthy “trees.” Negative, angry and depressed thoughts produce unhealthy “trees.”
Take a few minutes to watch the TEDX talk from Dr. Caroline Leaf
How does this relate to “The Habits of Hope?”
Just as 40 years ago, most didn’t run, lift or work out to build better bodies. Fitness wasn’t a thing. But that changed! We now KNOW that regulular cardio vascular exercise and weight training produces better health, longer life and lesser sick days. Even longer life!
The fitness industry is here to stay because it works.
Question: how about brain fitness? Habits of Hope? How about getting brains to optimal health?
NOW, we can see that by intentionally working on our brains we achieve better health, longer life and lesser sick days….
Add to that, less depression, dimentia and more creative leadership. Less anger. Better relationships. More days of happiness and joy even. Smarter us!
That’s not out of reach! And it’s even measurable!
More than three thousand years ago, a wise writer in Proverbs wrote,
"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”. (Proverbs 23:7)
In other words, you become what you think about. What you choose to use your mind on each day becomes your reality.
Roughly a thousand years later, the Apostle Paul wrote,
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