Think about this. When people have expectations that are met, they get a happy level of dopamine in the brain, a chemical critical to the ability to think clearly. And, when people aren’t expecting positive outcomes and get them, their levels get even higher. The reverse is also true. Positive expectation plus negative outcome equals lower levels of dopamine. Negative expectation plus negative result equals even lower levels of dopamine.

In order to think clearly, solve problems and make decisions we need to use our prefrontal cortex and this requires certain levels of dopamine and other neurotransmitters. So, when things like fear and uncertainly crowd our thoughts, our ability to make decisions and think clearly diminishes.

Has that ever happened to you? I can recall a time pretty recently when I was really struggling with an issue. I had certain expectations about something and they were not panning out at all. I was completely wrapped up in it and it was overwhelming me a lot of the time. My mom begged me not to make any decisions about it and just “sleep on it”. I thought I was making total sense but now that I think back on it, I wasn’t able to make sense of any of it. My brain was responding to feelings of fear and uncertainty.

Now when issues like this come up, I do a quick check in and get myself back on target before I even think about making any decisions.

The other thing our brain needs is to feel like it’s in control. Everyone always says that we only use maybe 5% of our brain. Well, that may be true when we’re getting information thrown at us when we’re watching TV or listening to someone talk. However, when our environment gets stirred up in a meaningful way and we teach someone something or explain a complicated concept, we may get closer to using 90% of our brains. So, if you spend your days constantly making decisions, learning new information, and teaching it to others like I do, that’s great news, good news for the brain and a good enough reason to do more of it every chance we get, right?

The brain also changes as a function of where we put our attention. So, every time you vent or complain or criticize, you grow new brain cells for that purpose and over time you get better at it. In fact, MRI’s have shown that the areas of the brain that control the fingers, tongue, and lips are larger in flute players. An accountant will have a larger part of the brain that controls math ability. It’s a good thing because he’s going to need it for my taxes!

So, the lesson here is that we have the power to rewire our brains. Knowing you have that power, doesn’t it make you want to generate only positive things in the world?

I know it can be a challenge to always stay positive and be grateful for the here and now when life shows up and it doesn’t always look the way you want; but, without a positive mindset, you’ll never reach the levels of success you know you deserve and are truly capable of achieving.