Tag: Silence

We are what we repeat

I’ll be putting this meme somewhere that I can see easily see it. I need the reminder.

Neuroscience tells us that what’s going on in this quote is a function of something called myelination. Myelin is a chemical that allows signals to travel faster in our neural pathways. We build up myelin by repetition. The more we do something, the stronger the pathways in the brain needed to get it done. That’s why “practice makes perfect.”

Myelination doesn’t just affect learning skills, it also shapes things like character and attitudes. Choosing to be positive will make us a more positive person, because we are strengthening the “positive” pathways in our brains. The same is true for negative thinking.

In the words of the 20th-century Eastern Orthodox monk, Elder Thaddeus:

Our thoughts determine our lives.