finance*
W
henever we make financial decisions, a complex set of neurons travel the neural pathways in our brains, winding and twisting their way through both the logic and emotive parts of our neo frontal cortex. Unfortunately though, as human beings we tend to favour our emotive neural pathways, and this is why we often override our own logic when it comes to financial decisions. Luckily human beings are highly adaptive creatures, and with a few tweaks and hacks we can learn to open up new neural pathways that will enable logic to supersede our primitive emotive cognitive reflexes through a process known as neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is basically the ability of the brain to adapt to changes in an individual’s environment by forming new neural connections over time. This explains how the human brain is able to adapt, master new skills, store memories and information. In this article I am going to explain five ways you can take advantage of neuroplasticity and rewire your brain to create positive financial habits.
Set
yourself a challenge Creating a really big challenge for yourself forces your brain to react and adapt differently as it tries to problem solve. The simple act of creating a challenge for yourself opens
36
up new neural pathways in the brain as it tries to figure out how to help you achieve these goals. Maybe you set yourself the challenge of paying off all your debt within a year, or maybe you challenge yourself to double your income in six months. Whatever it is, make it big, make it bold and then write it down somewhere you can see it every single day.
Take small
consistent steps The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and so does opening up
Rewire your
BRAIN
JUSTIN HARRISON (BELOW) EXPLAINS HOW WE CAN USE NEUROPLASTICITY TO CREATE POSITIVE FINANCIAL HABITS
your neural pathways. Choose small simple steps that you can consistently do to work towards your goal. Not only will this create momentum, but on a deeper level your brain will react by forming new habits around the actions you are taking. For example in the case of paying off your debt, creating a budget and tracking your spending is a great start, or in the case of doubling your income, make it a daily habit to look for income opportunities.
w w w . t h e c r e s t o n l i n e . c o . z a
Change
your circle of influence Our brains are very much a product of what we feed it. Negative news, social media and toxic friendships become the limitation of our thoughts, and since our thoughts become our actions, it all starts with controlling what we feed our brains. There is an old saying that says “Show me your five closest friends and I will show you your future”. And in the case of your circle of influence, this extends to everything you are stimulated by – including what you read and listen to. So start aligning your goals with people who will support you, expose yourself to positive input through what you read, watch and listen to and before long you will create a new reality.
