If you go almost straight back from the spot right between your eyes you run into a small but enormously powerful brain center called the Hypothalamus.  As a connector between the nervous system and the endocrine (hormone) system, it's already got a lot to do.  But when you consider how this region works to transfer our thoughts and feelings into physical structures, it can reshape your entire understanding of our world.

Here's how the hypothalamus does this.  It is a constant monitor of what's happening in the body.  Taking in data related to hormone levels in the blood and neural circuitry it identifies and balances the physical environment by stimulating the release and development of hormones.  Its most closely related structure in doing this is the pituitary gland.  

As the hypothalamus picks up data, say the need for more thyroid hormone, it sends a hormone to the pituitary gland which instructs it to wake up the thyroid and make more thyroid hormone.  When the hypothalamus gets information saying that the thyroid has indeed balanced itself back out, the hypothalamus tells everyone to chill out.  

With our thoughts, we get a very similar scenario.  Under fear, anger, or stress we send information to the hypothalamus that will then create a physical (in the sense of hormones) based on that condition.  Those hormones then literally build the body based on that bit of data....fear, anger, or stress.  Your thoughts have now become "things" in physical form.  

Why is this important?  Well, do you want a body built of fear, anger, or stress?  Or would you rather build a physical form out of love, peace, and joy?  I bet the choice is easy.  And that's the best part of all, it's a choice!!!  

What are you choosing to create?

Do you sometimes feel like your just make the same mistakes over and over again?  Does it seem like all your good intentions for change are swept away into nothingness after a few hours, days, or weeks?  Why is that and why do we get stuck in these ruts?  Most importantly, how do we get out of it?

One of the reasons this happens on such a repeated basis is because of the brain circuitry we've set up to this point.  Your brain is built on experiences.  Whatever you experience or think about the brain uses to build its network.  After doing something for years, you develop a well-grooved neural pathway.  We usually refer to these things as habits.  You may recognize them in that you tend to do certain things without giving it much thought....you just seem to do it.

This helps us in many ways.  It helps us learn to walk, talk, read, and write.  Our ability to seemingly never forget how to ride a bike is due to the depth of brain circuits built around bike riding.  In order to ride a bike we had to engage areas of the brain for balance, coordination, vision, pedaling, steering, etc.  It took a lot of effort when we were just learning.  And all that effort is rewarded in our ability to "never forget."

But when we want to change something, these circuits make it tough.  Trying to get out of a habit of eating a super-sugary snack before bed is tough if your brain is wired for it.  Self-sabotaging actions, thoughts, and feelings can arise and block our progress.  Even after stating a true desire for change, it takes just a moment for the old circuitry to kick in and leave us once again....making the same mistake.

How do we get out of it?  Use the bike example.  Engage as many parts of you as possible in experiencing the "new" trait you wish to have.  We remember how to ride a bike (even if we're wobbly) because of all the areas engaged.  Do this with a new desired trait and you build deeper wiring in the brain to support it.

Do this by following some basic principles like the four Rs:  Recognize, Release, Re-frame, Re-train.  Notice the habit you wish to change, then walk yourself through the steps.  Engage more of your mind and body by feeling the success.  Create a blueprint for your brain to work from as it moves towards that new circuitry.  This is one of the big problems with most programs, they simply try to avoid old habits.  You will automatically go back to your old ways without establishing something new for your brain to grab hold of.  If you can get a sense of what your success would feel, taste, smell, look, and sound like then you give your brain a new image of possibility.  

And from there you build a network to support your new ideals, and stop making the same mistake.