In neuroscience we often say “what fires together, wires together.”
Imagine your brain is like a big network of roads. These roads are made up of tiny parts called neurons. Neurons are like messengers that help your brain send and receive information. When you learn something new or experience something, like riding a bike or learning a new word, certain neurons in your brain become active.
Now, here's where "what fires together, wires together" comes in. When those neurons become active at the same time, they start to form connections, like building bridges between the roads. This is your brain's way of saying, "Hey, we use these roads together a lot, so let's make them wider so travel is faster!"
Over time, as you keep practicing or learning, these connections between neurons get stronger and stronger. It's like those roads becoming wider and smoother because they're used so often. This is how your brain adapts and learns new things. Pretty soon your wiring is like a four-lane highway and you no longer need to even think about the behavior, emotion or thought. Things are automatic.
If you stop using those roads (or stop practicing what you learned), the connections can become weaker. Your brain says, "We don't need these big, strong roads anymore, so let's make them smaller."
So, "what fires together, wires together" means that when certain neurons work together often, they become better at doing their job, and this is how you learn and remember things. Neuroplasticity is the amazing ability of your brain to change and adapt by forming and strengthening these connections between neurons. It's like your brain's way of getting better at things through practice and experience.
In this episode, I speak with Sue Stock, an Executive Coach with expertise in neuro-transformation. She shares these two actionable takeaways:
Tip #1 Metaphors challenge the mind
Tip #2 Cross the river and shift your thinking
About Sue Stock
Sue is an experienced and respected leader and entrepreneur with an extensive background in the Design and Construction industry, Executive Coaching, and small business management. As an Executive and Leadership coach, Sue holds certifications in Neuro-Transformational coaching, EQi, EQ-360, and Shift Positive 360. Sue is passionate about supporting others on their personal growth journey.
Prior to starting her coaching business, Sue started and ran a small business, for almost 30 years, which built a reputation for assembling and leading strong teams to successfully design and build large complex hospital projects. The ability to create collaborative cultures of trust, lead with strong self-awareness, and balance wisdom with compassion is not only her unique strength but also her passion.
Bringing this passion into her coaching, Sue works with clients to create a connection based in trust and support the care and well-being of the whole self (mind, body, and soul), and to deepen self-awareness. She believes it is important to build self-awareness and self-acceptance, which is the groundwork for self-confidence. From here we live, and work, more effectively and collaboratively.
It is that grounded self-confidence that makes us good leaders of our own lives, and others.
Outside of her career, she enjoys open-water distance swimming, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. She has three adult amazing “kids” and two grandsons.
NEUROPLASTICITY
Neuroplasticity is the capacity of the brain to change throughout our lives. These changes occur as we grow and learn, through the challenges life brings, and as we age. Coaching can make a significant difference in helping us navigate these continual changes and challenge our brains to continue to grow.
One of my favorite coaching quotes is “Only Nuns can change HABITS overnight.” This is unfortunately true; however, the quote “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is NOT.
Research points to several key factors to support brain health and neuroplasticity. These include Exercise, Sleep, Nutrition, Novelty, and Focus.
I love this short video showing how are brains can change, The Backwards Bicycle Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFzDaBzBlL0
WHOLE BRAIN
We often hear people refer to themselves or others as a right-brain or left-brain thinker, rarely a whole brain thinker. Actually, both hemispheres of our brain are engaged in almost everything we do. The differences are how the right and left hemisphere bring in information and how information is processed. Regularly Integrating both hemispheres allow us to be more effective.
Another way to support integration includes paying attention to and shifting between our “Task Positive Network” of the brain, the more task focused area found in the prefrontal cortex, to the “Default Mode Network” which is our brain at rest. A simple example of this is the problem you have spent all day focused on trying to solve, and the answer finally comes to you the next morning in the shower. Your brain has switched from focus to vision.
Show Notes
Metaphors
Using Metaphors to shift our thinking.
A metaphor is defined as “a word or phrase applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.”
Metaphors are a great way to activate the right hemisphere of our brain, bringing in information in creative and open ways for the left hemisphere to process. The more we can intentionally use both hemispheres of our brain the more integrated they become maximizing the effectiveness of our whole brain.
Try using metaphors to intentionally engage and integrate both hemispheres.
“Crossing The River”
Crossing the River is a tool used in neuroscience-based coaching that shifts us from the “Task Positive Network” of the brain to the “Default Mode Network.”
If you find you are so focused that you become stuck, stand up and take two steps to the right, (across the river) and let your mind wander for a bit. Daydream, envisioning the future, thinking big. Then take two steps to the left, (back across the river) and put some structure around the visioning. Continue to go back and forth.
A final thought about building self-awareness and self-confidence is this quote by Charlie Wardle.
“A bird in the tree is never afraid of the branch breaking,
because it’s trust is not in the branch
but in its own wings.”
Neuroplasticity
To explore neuroplasticity, using your whole brain, and metaphors reach out to learn more.
My website is www.bevera.org
My LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-stock-chc-acc-cntc-51b93111/
Certifications
Through the International Coaching Federation, BEabove Leadership, Shift Positive 360, and Crescendo Inc.
Books
“Your Body is Your Brain” by Amanda Blake
“Neuroscience of Change” by Kelly McGonigal
“Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain” by Lisa Feldman Barrett
“The Extended Mind” by Annie Murphy Paul
“Mindsight” by Daniel Siegel
“Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker
“Metaphors We Live By” by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson
“Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff (my personal favorite)