Change a habit and you’ve changed yourself
Some people believe that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” — meaning, people just don’t change. But the first and possibly most important tool for change is to know with certainty that you can change. You can change because your brain can change — all the way through your life.
“Neuroplasticity” is the term used to describe the flexible nature of our neural wiring. All that we have to do in order to change our brain is change our actions. Our brain can create new patterns that then help us repeat new behaviors, and we become “new people.”
Change is not only possible, it’s necessary. We’re alive only because Hashem believes that we can change. This is the purpose of our existence. As we learn from our morning prayer of Modeh Ani, Hashem restores our soul to us each day because He has faith in us, in our ability to learn, grow, and change.
Once you believe that change is possible, even mandated, you need to know how behavioral, mental, and emotional changes occur. Our three channels of expression — actions, thoughts, and feelings — are wired into our brains through repetition, becoming our habits.
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