Thought Pathways (#3 of 4‪)‬ The Purposeful Career Podcast

Managing your mind. It is THE key to not only a more rewarding and meaningful career. It’s the secret to living your best life.
Sounds a little woo woo if it’s the first time you’re hearing this. But it’s true. I promise.
Given the interest, I decided to go a little deeper into the topic with a concept I call Thought Pathways. And this one is relevant to every human on the planet because it’s about repetitive thoughts, which is where all thinking, feeling and behavioral habits come from.
Hate your job? I can guarantee there’s a thought pathway there.
Hard time sticking to a diet? I can guarantee there’s a thought pathway there.
Difficult relationship with your boss or anyone else? I can guarantee there’s a thought pathway there. 
Over spending. Over drinking. Chronic job hopping. Indecisiveness. I can guarantee there’s a thought pathway (or several) there.
This is super interesting, and I think you’ll find it relevant. Now as you know, I’m not a neuroscientist, but because the certifications I have are based on principles of cognitive psychology, positive psychology and neuroscience, I study this stuff and it’s the foundation of what I teach my clients. So I’m going to take fancy words and put them into everyday language so you understand exactly how that brain of yours works.     
So, let’s dive in.
The best place to start is by talking about our brain cells. They’re called neurons. 
Scientists say we all have about 100 billion or so. And their job is to send and receive information in your brain by connecting with other neurons.
A Thought Pathway happens when connections form between NEURONs in your brain, because of a recurring pattern of thought. Scientists call this a neural pathway, but I like to call it a Thought Pathway because that’s the part we control – our thoughts. The neurons just do what they do when we have a recurring thought. But we’re the ones who can CONTROL or CHOOSE the thought we have. 
Thought Pathways are the science behind learning. Like always associating the word apple with the visual of the fruit.
It’s the science behind your feelings about people, jobs, yourself. Here’s how it works. 
You have a thought about something or someone and your neurons light up and form a connection. Now, if that thought happens once and not again no pathway is formed.
But if the thought repeats itself over and over again, it forms a pattern. A Thought Pathway. 
For example, let’s say you have a challenging meeting and there’s one colleague in particular that (at least in your mind) contributed to the challenge. 
Let’s say you had a thought (or perhaps a series of thoughts) about that colleague that ranged from judgmental to angry. 
Now if it happens once and not again, the thought is likely to be dismissed.
But if you have a series of interactions with that person and your brain serves up a similar thought, the pathway is formed. Because your brain has now attached a meaning to that thing (your colleague). 
And now, every interaction you have with that colleague triggers that neural pathway you’ve associated with it. See how it works?
It’s also important to know that there are dominant pathways and lesser pathways.
The first time you have a new thought, it’s a lesser pathway. It’s not yet a habit. It’s one individual thought and a permanent association hasn’t yet happened. If you don’t think it again, a pathway is not formed.
But the more you think that same thought over and over and over again, the stronger and more dominant the pathway becomes. It’s like the path of a river or a highway. It’s there. It’s established. It feels
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