Extreme makeover for your mind

We have to master faith and gratitude and joy the same way we master cooking and golf and writing.

That’s actually a scientific fact now. A recent study shows that negative experiences imprint on our brains instantly. In order for positive experiences to make permanent impressions on our brains, we have to be intentional about holding them in our minds for at least 15 seconds.

What that means: Experiences are always–quite literally–changing the wiring in our brains. Negative experiences are wiring our brains for doubt, paranoia, suspicion, and worry. The change to our brain is instantaneous when we have a negative experience.

Positive experiences wire our brains for faith, hope, and love. Unlike negative experiences, however, we have to hold the positive experience in our mind. We have to meditate on it. Savor it.

Am I noticing my 3-year old using his toys to build an elaborate scene in some story he’s concocting in his imagination? Am I enjoying it? Relishing this moment watching his mind blossom?

All this means, of course, is your perception completely determines the health of your mind and your relationship to the world around you.

Perception is voluntary. It’s not like breathing or having a pulse. You choose your perception.

Therefore you choose to have a healthful mind and a positive relationship to the world around you. You choose it.

Because it is much easier to internalize what you perceive as negative experiences, you must work much harder to change to positive your perception of all experiences. Then hold that new, positive perception in your mind as celebration, gratitude, or meditation long enough for it change you.

This takes the same kind of effort and practice that it takes to learn an instrument, language, skill, or sport.

Guy Kawasaki says that practice is not something a few people choose to do once in awhile. In fact, we’re all practicing something all of the time. Some people just take control of what they practice while others give in to practicing their base reactions to life.

But we’re all practicing something…right now.

And what we’re practicing right now is literally changing our brains, making our minds, shaping our lives.

Who do you want to be? How do you want to live?

It’s simple: What are you choosing to perceive today? What are you choosing to practice?