Neuroplasticity is a physical function of your brain that engages when you begin repeating a behavior. As the behavior is repeated the brain is programmed to physically grow the neural connections responsible for making that behavior occur.

 Have you ever picked up a guitar and been baffled by the people who seem to effortlessly hit each string accurately in time with a song? Their skill is the result of their brain strengthening all the different neural pathways responsible for moving their fingers around the instrument accurately and in time. 

The Myth of Talent

I have written about the Myth of Talent before here, but to recap; the Myth of Talent suggests that we attribute skill and achievement to natural talent because it protects us from having to acknowledge that we are capable of the same achievements through effort. Basically, we don’t want to admit that we COULD do something but are lazy, so we convince ourselves skilled individuals have some natural trait we don’t. 

Neuroplasticity, a documented scientific phenomena, suggests otherwise. If you continue to chug away at whatever it is you’re trying to learn you WILL inevitably get better at it. I always tell people it is better to start something with no knowledge than to collect as much knowledge as possible and never start. 

Hoopin’

Consider this example; I have recruited 2 people who have no experience shooting baskets in basketball. I place one of them on the court with a bunch of balls and say you have 100 hours to devote to shooting free throws. I place the other person in a library with all the basketball books and access to the internet so they can research perfect shot form. I give this person 100 hours to learn as much about shooting free throws as possible. 

After the 100 hours pass I put them on the court together and have them shoot free throws. What is likely to happen? 

The person on the court is going to make significantly more free throws than the person who did research. This person has dialed in the mechanical aspects of his shot more. His brain has strengthened the neural pathways responsible for holding the ball, raising it, and shooting. His technique has been trained. No amount of knowledge will teach you the physical requirements of what you need to do. 

But there’s a benefit that the person in the library gets as well. While they need to learn the technical skills they have a base of knowledge that SHOULD accelerate their learning. They won’t make as many shots in the contest but I would not be surprised if the rate at which they improved was faster than the person shooting the free throws once they begin practicing.

This highlights something important. Knowledge is not useless, but it won’t make you skilled on its own. It’s the application of effort at what you are trying to do that generates improvement. If you just spend 100 hours learning and never go onto the court you won’t ever make baskets. 

The Mental Model

If I were to create a mental model for how to apply this knowledge it would look like this:

1. Begin whatever it is you want to do
2. practice regularly
3. As you hit roadblocks research how to improve
4. Use the knowledge you gain from research to adjust your strategy

Conventional thought often suggests you should learn first and then start, but I have found in my own experience that learning first instills doubt. I would learn the conceptual ideas around something I wanted to do and begin doubting that I had enough information. I would go look for more information to alleviate this. This would increase my doubt because I would find EVEN MORE information through my research. I was stuck perpetually never knowing enough. As I learned I would learn how much more there was to learn and always feel unprepared.

Instead, I suggest you get the bare minimum amount of knowledge necessary for you to know how to start what it is you’re doing and then just start. Allow neuroplasticity to kick in through practice. As you build a comfortable foundation of experience you can then begin researching to refine your process. 

Neuroplasticity is a simple concept to take advantage of. If you want to get good at something, do that thing repeatedly. That’s it. Your brain will automatically refine the process. However, there are two other areas of neuroplasticity I believe are important to understand. First, your thought patterns are also affected by neuroplasticity. Second, ALL repeated behavior activates neuroplasticity. 

Neuroplasticity at Work

I used a physical example of neuroplasticity in action because it is simple, but the process also works on your thoughts. The more you think a certain way the more likely that way of thinking will continue to grow. Thoughts use neurons just like shooting a free throw does.

 As you repeatedly think the same things those thoughts become more and more reinforced in your mind. They begin to sink into your unconscious and become part of your identity. The story you tell yourself in your mind becomes your reality. If you are consistently telling yourself you’re bad and not good enough you are strengthening the pathways that allow that thought to flow. It becomes easier and easier to think that until it’s automatic. 

The good news is you can choose to think something different. But you have to ACTIVELY practice thinking it over and over. You can grow new pathways. The great part about neuroplasticity is that when a pathway is not being used your brain trims it. It physically shrinks the amount of neural connections in that pathway to make way for pathways that are being used regularly. 

Neuroplasticity is Always Working

This highlights the last important point about neuroplasticity nicely. Neuroplasticity does not make value judgements on what is good or bad to reinforce, either mentally and physically. It is just a tool that increases the efficiency of whatever you repeatedly do. 

Most people are not considering their actions in this context. They go about their business with no thought to whether or not they could be doing things differently. They do not think about what they are reinforcing each day. If you understand neuroplasticity you understand that everything you do each day will get reinforced. 

This means while neuroplasticity is a tool we can take advantage of through repeated practice of things we want to be better at, it can also be a trap that strengthens negative behaviors and thoughts we are not aware of. Each time you decide to skip the gym you are slightly reinforcing the pathways that allow that thought to exist. Each time you eat ice cream instead of vegetables you are reinforcing that pathway.

Neuroplasticity works on what you DO, not what you want. 

In Neuroplasticity We Trust

So how do we fully take advantage of neuroplasticity and mitigate its downsides? Do what you want to get better at, stop doing what you don’t like doing.

Really, it’s that simple. If there is a specific activity or skill you want to learn how to do just begin and trust that neuroplasticity will take effect if you keep going. That uncomfortability we all feel when we begin to learn something new is due to not having experience in that thing, it’s a lack of confidence. We don’t yet have the skills to rely on, and therefore we don’t have the neural pathways built up yet.

The awkward beginning stage is necessary. Neuroplasticity only takes effect after REPEATEDLY doing or thinking something. If we want to take advantage of it we have to bear with that uncomfortable beginner stage for a while. Trust that you will begin to feel competent in time. 

Stop Thinking Bad Thoughts

Simultaneously, ask yourself what stories you’re telling yourself each day. Are you viewing yourself as good or bad, effective or ineffective? The judgements you make about yourself each day are being reinforced, so any negative judgements need to be actively challenged and replaced with better ones. Be careful not to become arrogant though. Base your judgements in reality. If you feel incompetent about something then begin taking action to correct it. That way you can back up your healthier thought patterns with action.

For example, let’s say you judge yourself for being unhealthy. Telling yourself that you are healthy without evidence is just deluding yourself. It’s a poor practice to get into. Instead, begin doing the things a healthy person does and THEN tell yourself that you’re healthy. Use your behavior to reinforce your thoughts and your thoughts to reinforce your behavior, in that order.

Replace, Don’t Subtract

Lastly, identify the negative behaviors you are engaging in and understand that each time you do that you are making it easier to continue doing. You are normalizing it. Begin challenging those behaviors by starting to do something new. You eat poorly? Begin shrinking your unhealthy food consumption and replacing it with healthier options. Go slowly at first. Consistency is key here. 

Replacing negative behaviors takes time. Do not judge yourself for struggling, the goal is that over a long period of time you will replace the behavior so completely that your new, healthier choices, are the new normal for you. 

I firmly believe that change is easiest with understanding. If you understand what the physical and mental mechanisms your brain uses are, where these mechanisms come from, and how they work, you are equipped to begin changing them and using them to your advantage. Hopefully this article has helped you understand a bit more about your brain and how to take advantage of this feature it comes with. 

My goal in writing is to help people understand not just what to change, but HOW to change it. If you find my writing interesting or helpful please share it on social media so that more people can see it and hopefully take something from it.

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