“The brain is a record of the past.”
Dr. Joe Dispenza has made it his life’s work to talk about the power of the mind-body connection. He is a living breathing example of it.
In 1986, he was participating in a triathlon in California. During the bicycle portion of the race, he was hit by a large truck, busting his spine in at least 3 places. Faced with invasive surgery that could render him a quadraplegic, Dispenza made an important decision: He knew the power of the body to heal itself. He would leverage his mind to fuse his spine back together. If successful, he would dedicate his life’s work to this.
For 7 weeks, he meditated and visualized. Nothing happened.
At the 10.5 week mark, something changed. He stood up on his own. At the 12 week mark, he was training for his next race again.
He concluded that most of us are unaware of how unconscious we are. Our brains are a record of everything we have learned and experienced in the past. More often than not, we are making decisions from this ‘past arsenal.’ But we have the power to create a new reality by mapping to a new future.
One of the ways I have ‘wired and fired new connections’ to create a new future is through the work of another doctor.
Organizational psychologist Dr. Ben Hardy advocates for journaling first thing in the morning. He counsels the subconscious mind is working through problems overnight. Writing first thing in the morning allows him to capture those solutions on paper before the day takes over.
BUT–here is the key.
Hardy recommends journaling from a certain perspective: As our ‘future selves.’ When I picture my ‘future self’ I see someone who is calm, a picture of grace, financially secure, and unbothered by most things.
In order to get into my ‘future self’ frame of mind, I answered these 5 key journal prompts. I keep the answers at the front of my journal. Reading the answers “PRIMES” my brain before I start writing.
This practice has helped me realize some major goals in 2023.
- Where are you right now?
- What are the wins from the last 90 days?
- What wins do you want for the next 90 days?
- Where do I want to be at the end of this year?
- Where do I want to be in 2-3 years from now?
Hardy calls it “strategic remembering,” I keep my goals right in front of me so that they are always at the top of mind. By reviewing them daily, I also design my environment to become my future self.
I host a business Mastermind for women leaders seeking to build a personal brand. It culminates in each delivering a Tedx style Talk on a New York City Stage at the end. I’m enrolling now for the 2024 class.
