The information presented in this section is scientifically based, often by people who have spent their entire lives accumulating just one piece of the puzzle. The beauty of this is, you don’t need an entire lifetime to acquire and integrate this information. All you need is a little focus and attention to truly absorb and integrate this knowledge. However what that realistically means, is that simply reading this, or any article for that matter, is just not enough, you will need to read, re-read and reflect on the information presented, because the simple fact is: Knowledge is NOT power.

This is another one of those many myths regurgitated by people who haven’t actually paid attention to what they are parroting. Knowledge is simply not power, knowledge is potential power, and only becomes true power when consciously and intelligently acted upon. The truth is, the real power has always remained with wisdom.

Ok, so what is wisdom?

Wisdom is a combination of knowledge and experience with reflection.

Only when these three areas have been integrated does the knowledge itself become of any use.

Remember:  Those who know and do not do, may as well not know.

So let’s take a look at the human mind in relation to growth and change.

It is widely understood that the only thing that you can create in your life is whatever it is that you focus on and give attention to for long enough. The mind does not care whether you sow weeds or roses, it simply takes its orders from the subconscious and therefore will produce whatever it is that you focus on with enough intensity, enough emotion and for a long enough period of time, as to drop from the conscious mind into the subconscious mind, which is primarily the engine room behind the achievement of anything that the human mind can either conceive or create.

So let’s look now at what we know about the human mind in relation to how it affects and contributes to our efforts to change and grow.

During the last twenty years, science has gained a much larger and far more accurate view of human nature in respect to behavioural change. This is primarily due to the integration of psychology, which is the study of the human mind and human behavior, and neuroscience, which is the study of the anatomy and physiology of the human brain. An increasingly large body of research has now been compiled linking the brain, the physical organ, with the mind, the human consciousness that thinks, feels, acts, and perceives.
      
We have known for over twenty years that the human brain is capable of significant internal change, or rewiring, in response to environmental change, however we now know that the brain will also alter and rewire itself in response to where an individual puts his/her focus and prolonged attention. Now this is interesting as it can actually work for you, or against you, depending on where you place your attention. Now, that means if you focus enough attention on a positive mental experience such as a thought, an insight or love for example, the brains state will actually elevate in response to that focus, and the neural pathways associated with those states will strengthen, the same way it would however, in response to fear, anger or any form of negative emotions. So the old myth, 'you are your thoughts' is actually pretty spot on. The power is in the focus, the power is in the thought. The result of this research is incredibly relevant for anyone looking to take control of their behavioral patterns and influence personal growth.
      
Only a few years ago the following statements were considered completely false, however with ever increasing practical research, we now know these statements to be correct and substantially effective in relation to human evolution:-

1. Change is pain.

Change is unexpectedly difficult because it provokes actual sensations of physiological discomfort, physical fatigue and “error signals” produced by the brain


2. Behaviorism doesn’t work.

Efforts to change based on incentive and threat i.e. the carrot and the stick, rarely succeed in the long term.


3. Humanism is overrated.

The outdated and conventional method of the empathy approach i.e. connection and persuasion, simply does not sufficiently engage people in the long term.


4. Focus is power.

The act of paying attention creates actual chemical and physical changes in the brains neural pathways, and therefore establishes the early stages of new conditioning.


5. Expectation shapes reality.

People’s preconceptions have a significant and substantial impact on what they actually perceive in their day to day lives.
   
6. Attention density shapes identity.

Repeated, purposeful, and focused attention can lead to long-lasting personal evolution, by solidifying long term associations with neural pathways.
   
So why is all this information so important?

We know that the human brain creates your internal and therefore your resulting external world through association, it simply connects patterns, patterns from your past that may or may not be accurate, and they are simply patterns established through your perception of your past and present life experiences. Now at the time, especially in your youth, your perceptions of your experiences are usually clouded. So much so that it may not necessarily be accurate. Emotionally overreacting to bullying as a child for example, will not serve you if that reaction has established itself as a long term conditioned response and you are still playing out that pattern against authority figures in your 30's & 40's.

A brilliant book that has assisted me in understanding this area is: Emotional Alchemy: How the Mind Can Heal the Heart by Tara Benett-Goldman

I found this book a little difficult to read at first, however a small amount of focus and reflection will create the potential power (knowledge) that will create the wisdom that will serve you for the rest of your life, highly recommended reading.

So that means the brain is automatically creating your life through the flawed perception of your past experiences. Keep in mind that the only reason it may be flawed is because you may not have integrated reflection throughout those experiences, in turn creating wisdom. This is highly likely in your youth.

For example:

If you have been physically or emotionally abused within the family unit, (and keep in mind that psychologists have recently discovered that 80% of people come from a dysfunctional family unit which means that you are on the normal side), a result may be a negative conditioning concerning love. So when most people feel love as a positive and uplifting state, you may experience it as a negative, draining or painful experience. This is nothing more than the brain automatically trying to protect you from going through that original painful experience again, by directing you away from what it considers the exact same environment. The human brain simply has no concept of time, an amazing revelation when first discovered. In your attempts to change and grow this can work in your favour as this discovery actually opens up options for the early stages of new conditioning through such things as guided meditation and will be discussed in a later chapter.

The brain does not have the ability to contextualize its current environment; it is simply connecting patterns from your past that then protected you. However if your desire is to fall in love when you have a negative condition concerning love in play, then this past response will kick in automatically without your consent and this will never serve you. You will immediately begin to sabotage yourself without you even knowing it. This is a good example of an evolutionary protection mechanism that is no longer required yet still in play.

We have all had our personal experiences with “self-sabotage”, I know I have (more than once). This type of conditioning is also evident, and the reason why, we keep falling into the same types of relationships, the ones that do not make us happy. This is why we keep falling into the same types of jobs, ones that do not fulfill us, and at times you can feel like a rat on a wheel.

So what does all this mean?

Your first step is to become self aware, to become the 'observer' of your own life, your own thoughts and how you actually, realistically react to situations in your life, this is where an honest and trusted friend will come in very handy, because if your anything like me you have developed the amazing ability to con yourself about who you truly are and what you truly do on a day to day basis. So getting 'real' is your first step and will usually be an emotionally challenging one. So begin now to honestly monitor your thoughts, I guarantee you'll be surprised at what you discover.

Now if your thoughts both positive and negative have created your current conditioning, and in turn your current reality, then that must mean taking conscious control of your thoughts, and your perceptions of your day to day life have the ability to create your future conditioning and therefore your future reality. I just want you to think for a minute about what it would mean to you to be able to consciously construct, your professional, your romantic, your future life, the way you've always dreamed of it. As this is what sets the so called 'leaders', the 'successful' people apart from those who dream and never achieve the discipline of thought control.

The trick here however, is that your future conditioning will be created anyway, whether your choices are conscious or unconscious. So please note, not making a decision here is a decision in itself and it always has been 90% of your brains reactions are unconscious, it has evolved to work without you, by using your past patterns and your past experiences as references. So in a time where you have refused or avoided to make a conscious decision the mind has made one for you. In cases like these the result will never be a move forward as the information used to automatically make those decisions will be taken from your past. Its time to take back control of your life, through developing the discipline of controlling and directing your thoughts. Now what that also means, is that you will have to discover and deconstruct some of the negative thought processes that have already become established in your life. These will always be the ones that are not working for you, these will always be the ones that are actually holding you back. Not an easy thing to do at first, I’ll admit, however certainly not impossible.

For example if you are overweight, quantum physics has already proven that thoughts have a physical effect on your cellular structure, in layman’s terms if you 'think thin' you will actually become thin. Your thoughts have the ability to rebuild your body from the inside out, starting at a cellular level. Obviously it will not happen overnight and action will be required, however the underlying 'thought', is the engine that drives the conditioning that results in the actual physical change. That is the reason for those incredibly annoying people who can eat anything they want and never gain weight, people of all ages. This is because they have developed a thought that in turn has created a belief that has become a conditioned response that in turn continually tells their body, that they are a certain weight.

Speak to any fitness fanatic or professional athlete and they will tell you, the key to their success, that extra edge that they are always looking for is thought, is visualization, it’s controlling and directing the mind. Personal Trainers have known for many years that the heart beat of the human body will actually rise by 10 beats per minute while an athlete is on their way to the gym. This is due to the athlete automatically visualizing what he/she is about to go through, running through the training session in their mind. The result being, the thought controls the body and warms it up. The most dominating thought physically affects the body. In this example it happens virtually instantly. The thought creates the belief and the belief alters the body to achieve the goal.

Another great example of this is the four minute mile. Scientists of time were convinced that the human body, mechanically, could never break the four minute mile. On May 6, 1954 Roger Banister proved them all wrong, by the end of 1957, 16 other athletes broke the four minute mile. How could this be? The thought created the belief and the established belief system physically altered the body to achieve the goal. Once the goal had been attained the other 16 athletes automatically believed and therefore achieved. Again, please remember this will work for you or against you. However it all begins with the underlying development, the focus and the attention density of thought.

If you would like to read further about this, I recommend that you read: The Secret Life of Water by Masaru Emoto

Masaru Emoto - An amazing free thinker who has discovered the effect that directed thought has on the molecular structure of water.

Why is this important? The human body is up to 65% water, highly recommended reading; this one will seriously shift your perspective.

The truth is, the only real freedom we have, is freedom of thought.

It is a freedom that very few of us make effective use of, or even truly appreciate the full power or potential of.

I highly recommend the following book: You Can Win by Shiv Khera

Be warned, I have found this book to be like a slap in the face, you cannot hide from the realities that this book will bring to your attention, the following exert has been taken directly from it.
      

"Thoughts are causes
You sow a thought, you reap an action
You sow an action, you reap a habit
You sow a habit, you reap a character
You sow a character, you reap a destiny
It all starts with a thought"

Now if your sitting there thinking that it can’t be that simple, does it really just come own to our thoughts?

The answer is yes, it is that simple, the key you've been looking past all these years are our thoughts, the difficult thing seems to be controlling & directing those thoughts in a constructive way so yes it may well be that simple, however it certainly isn’t easy.

The reason it isn’t as easy as it sounds is due to the fact that there are three main parts of the human brain that have evolved to play out its own game, primarily in an attempt to protect you. However you must become conscious and aware of how these areas of the human brain are influencing you from moment to moment, so when the signals come up, you are aware of what they are and more importantly you become aware of what they are trying to do for you. Then you will know how to use these ancient areas of the brain to work for you:

  1. The first one is the Prefrontal Cortex

This is known as the working memory or the brains 'holding area', for new incoming information, which can hold only a limited amount of information 'online' at any one time.
 
  2. The second is the Basal Ganglia
      
This is invoked by routine or familiar activity and acts like an automatic transmission, shifting amongst past patterns, mostly without your knowledge or consent.
 
  3. And the third is the Amygdala
      
This is the source of what is known as the 'amygdala hijack', the sudden and often overwhelming, fear or anger response.

These three areas are some of the oldest parts of the mammal brain, remnants of volutionary history.

In part 2 we will look at how these areas are influencing you, your thoughts and your esulting reality from moment to moment.

Please begin your new conditioning now by re-reading and reflecting on what has been written here, investigate the links that have been provided, as they are the doorway to a far more detailed picture, and a deeper understanding of the information being presented here.

Related articles: 

The Science behind Behavioural Change - Part 2