Thought Plasticity

I love creating and when I sit down to write this podcast , it just flows . I absolutely love it . So today we're going to talk about thought plasticity . Really , the science is actually known as neuroplasticity , defined as the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and recognition .

But I'm going to refer to it as thought plasticity because belief systems are just thoughts on repeat , and if you're talking about changing a belief system through neuroplasticity , you're really talking about thought plasticity , because to change a belief system , you have to change one thought at a time .

So it was previously believed that children have neuroplasticity , but after a certain age , usually in adulthood , it is lost . But , lucky for us , that has been proven to be wrong . Children , when they are born , are open for programming and are a blank slate , which is why they are so impressionable .

With adults , the difference is that they are already operating from previous beliefs . The more time you've spent on this earth , the more evidence you've gathered for your current thoughts , mistakenly believing them to be facts . Beautiful thing is that adults can change beliefs as well . The problem arises when they consider their point of view to be facts .

Possibility of learning goes out the window and you're left with the impression that adults don't have neuroplasticity . For example , if we believe that the world is a dangerous place , or money is hard to earn , or it is hard to lose weight , or my marriage is a failure , all of these statements seem like facts to you .

I'm here to tell you that every single one of these beliefs is a well practiced thought . You might be subconsciously practicing that thought , but you are practicing it , and when these thoughts run in our head on an automatic loop , they create their own momentum .

This is why we fail to see our own thought plasticity and we think that what we believe is a fact . I am telling you , most of what you believe is a thought on repeat . We have established that children have more neuroplasticity , but that's only because they don't have any previous beliefs .

If you are ready to drop your negative beliefs , or even if you're willing to question your previous negative beliefs , you're just as much of a blank slate . As a child , you have thought , plasticity and you can create any future you want . How can changing one thought lead to a different future ?

That's because the formula CTFAR shows us that single thought carries a snowball effect by the time it goes through feelings and actions and eventually arrives at results . It carries a massive weight and momentum and because of that it's hard for us to see that this massive result came from a single thought .

Implications of this concept are the result is I have a failing business because of a thought I can't run a business . Result is people don't respect my boundaries because your thought is I don't deserve boundaries . Result is I'm unhappy in my marriage . The thought behind that might be I am married to the wrong person .

Or the result is strife within a household because a thought that the house is not big enough for my family . All of these results are because of your thoughts . If you have a tendency to think that the thoughts are because of a circumstance , something outside of your control that life just handed you these cards you are very , very wrong .

Results are never because of a circumstance . You are having strife in your family because you think your house is too small . I will tell you , if we took your family out of your house and put a homeless man in there , he will be ecstatic beyond belief .

Same circumstance , same house , different thought , and he will create a result based on his thought which will be very different , and that applies to every circumstance . To create new thought pathways , meaning new neural pathways and eventually new results , you have to identify your thoughts , write down your thoughts and go back to the formula CTFAR .

Find out what thoughts you're having that are giving you the current result . If you can't identify thoughts because everything seems like a fact to you , then identify what feelings you're having and trace it back to a thought .

If you still don't believe me or are having a hard time creating a clean formula , then I invite you to schedule a free 30-minute session with me so I can show you the CTFAR model at work and show you how your thoughts cause your results . Identifying negative thoughts is the first step towards changing them .

At this point , I'll also offer you to just be a compassionate observer of all of your thoughts , at least in the beginning . This is a very important skill to learn and this means that you're able to observe yourself having thoughts without having judgment for yourself .

Now , more on the judgment topic later , but for now , practice observing yourself having a thought . It might look something like this I am thinking I can't run a business . I am thinking house is not big enough . It requires practice , but gaining a third person , outsider perspective about you , having your thoughts , is an extremely important skill to gain .

Even if , in the moment , it seems very fleeting and lasts only a few seconds , just observing them starts to change them , and just being a watcher of your patterns over time starts to change them as you go from being at the effect of your life to observing it . You are already in the process of changing it .

This observation from curiosity is extremely powerful , because in that space you realize that your thought is an option and you have a choice to think something else . When you are aware of the strong 100% connection that all of your feelings are due to your thoughts and not due to a circumstance , then you can attempt to create different thoughts .

So , then , the next step is that you can start to tailor your thoughts in a way that is more in line with the results you want . I offer that you practice a concept that I call thought shopping . Who doesn't like shopping , just like you , would go to try on a dress and see what fits and what complements your style best .

You can try on different thoughts and see which one fits your needs best . I mean , I love shopping . If this doesn't get your attention , I don't know what will . Okay , for example , the market is too saturated for my product , which will automatically result in a failed business strategy .

And that is if you even decide to take action based on this thought , based on a thought like this . You will most likely fail ahead of time and never try .

So as a thought shopping exercise instead of thinking market is too saturated for my product , think market is not saturated for my product , or my product reaches a different market , or I have to define a niche that my product appeals to . All of these thoughts are available to you just to try on . These thoughts are more likely to create a business .

Or even if you fail at creating a business , initially , at least you would have attempted and you learn a lot from your failures .

So try on each of these thoughts , like you're going to be putting them back on the rack if they don't fit your needs , if it seems too far-fetched to you , meaning you can't go from the market is too saturated to the market is just right . It just doesn't seem believable to you . Then I offer you some thought modifiers .

For example , instead of thinking I cannot make any money , try thinking I cannot make any money , and that's okay . Or I can't stand my brother-in-law , and that's okay . I hate my body , and that's okay . Or another modifier is I'm thinking I'm not good enough . I'm thinking I'm not a good mother . I'm thinking I can't make enough money .

This modifier of I'm thinking goes along the lines of observing your thoughts , as I mentioned previously . Another modifier is I might be wrong about the idea that I cannot make enough money . I might be wrong about the idea that I cannot be a good mother . I might be wrong about the idea that I cannot be a good mother .

I might be wrong about the idea that I don't deserve a good spouse . I might be wrong about the idea that I won't have any children . With this particular modifier , you're opening your brain up to a possibility that what you're thinking might actually not be a fact . This is what your lower brain feeds you that your negative thoughts are facts .

And these modifiers will help you open up to the possibility of seeing your own thinking . So now you had come thought shopping and you found a new thought . That's great . Next step is to practice that thought .

You'll have to balance the scale on these thoughts , meaning that you will have to think these thoughts for as much amount of time as your previous negative thoughts . Better yet , you'll have to think these thoughts for as much amount of time as your previous negative thoughts . Better yet , you'll have to think your new thoughts for a longer period of time .

Remember , you've been thinking a negative thought for a long , long time . For a new thought to become believable , you have to think it over and over again . You have to give it weight . You have to give it importance . You have to give it brain real estate . That is only fair , right . You're trying to create a new neural pathway .

That is not going to happen if you went thought shopping , brought a new thought home and put it away in the closet . You have to put it on . You have to give it airtime . You have to practice it . Some people write a new thought down on a paper or a sticky note and put it up where they can see it every time . You have to practice it .

Some people write a new thought down on a paper or a sticky note and put it up where they can see it every day . Other people do different things , but do whatever it takes to practice it . Otherwise , all of your effort of thought recognition , thought shopping will be wasted , and you'll say that Dr Kamal Akhtar at Islamic Life Course School lied to me .

You not practicing your thought is not up to me . Actually , none of this is up to me . I gave you the insight . It is only up to you to follow it . Oh boy , this has been a long podcast . My social media manager will have a fit . She's always telling me to keep it short , keep it concise . People don't pay attention for a long podcast .

Well , I try , but some things just cannot be put in a nutshell . But in all seriousness , I love my social media manager . It's because of her that I can actually create these podcasts and not have to worry about publishing them . I really appreciate you . Please don't fire me . So today we talked about that . Everyone's future is a blank slate .

You can create any future you want . It is easiest to project the past onto the future and think it will be the same , because our brains like to be efficient . No need for creation of thoughts . In this default mode , brain will do the easiest thing it knows how to do , based on the past neural pathways .

Just like any other machine , our brain is extremely efficient . It requires effort and work to create new thoughts , new neural pathways and to imagine a new future . If you can create it in your mind , you can manifest it in the world . Believing in a new thought comes as a shift in paradigm that is ever so slight .

Write down your thoughts on a piece of paper , identify the negative thoughts , add a modifier to it and start practicing the modifier . It's just like trying on a new dress . Keep trying until you find the one that fits your style and , after you've gone through that process and found a believable thought , stick to practicing it .

Do not expect the change to be overnight , but the change will come and new pathways will be created through thought plasticity . I promise you that Now , having said all of that , I recognize that Allah has created us with the highest intelligence and it is our duty to use that intelligence for our benefit .

When we are not consciously creating thoughts , we are rejecting his biggest gift to us . I pray that Allah SWT helps us find that higher purpose in a state of Iman , and I ask that he helps us create thoughts that get us to that result , so we can actually practice gratitude through our actions rather than just verbalizing it .

To me , the biggest form of ingratitude is throwing away the gift of higher intelligence and consciousness . May Allah protect us from all forms of ingratitude . I pray that Allah counts all of our efforts , no matter how big or small . I pray that this work becomes an avenue to show our complete submission to Allah . I pray that he helps me in this endeavor .

Pray that this work becomes an avenue to show our complete submission to Allah Azza wa Jalla . I pray that he helps me in this endeavor of helping you recognize your powerful thoughts . Please keep me in your du'as with tons and tons of love . I say goodbye for now . Until next time .