Learning How to Thrive

At the age of 19 I decided to leave college life in Grand Rapids, Michigan and join

the ranks of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Attendance at one of their

Discipleship Training Schools (DTS) was required and I chose the school in

Northern British Columbia called, “The Frontier Discipleship Training School.”

Sounds adventurous, doesn’t it? (Truth is, when I was 16 I fell in love with the

Rocky Mountains when, for three weeks, I biked through the rugged and take-

your-breath-away landscape of Alberta and British Columbia. Needless to say, this

experience heavily influenced my choice of where to do my DTS).

The Frontier DTS experience was amazing – no electricity, no running water, no

modern showers, toilets, wash machines, fridges, stoves, televisions, or any other

type of appliance or convenience you or I might be accustomed to today.

Why do I tell you this? Because I learned something very valuable about myself

during the five months I was removed from the love of those I knew and the

safety of what was familiar. While bunking in a small cabin in the northern outback

of British Columbia and eating black bear liver in the company of complete

strangers, who, over time became good friends, I began to experience personal

breakthroughs in my life.

I didn’t know it at the time, but introducing new experiences into your life is a

very effective way to learn new things, rewire your brain, and thrive in harmony

with your environment.

The Field of Neuroscience:

The relatively new field of neuroscience teaches us that our brains are malleable.

This means our brains can adapt and change by integrating new insights and

experiences, which in turn can lead to profound breakthroughs of personal

growth and healing. Old world thinking taught us that we were fixed, or

hardwired for life, like a machine with a specific set of abilities, talents, personality

traits, and genes. This was great if you were born a genius of great pedigree with

tremendous abilities and amazing personality.

But what if you were born with a learning disability, or you were sexually abused

as a child? What if, as a result of certain life events, you now experience post-

traumatic stress disorder, or as a result of anxiety and stress, you experience the

abyss of obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviours.

What if?

The old world theory that we humans are hardwired for life is a death sentence

for anyone who experiences deep pain and suffering in their life.

However, the good news is you can change, you can adapt, you can heal. You can

experience profound wholeness and love in your life, and therefore, no matter

where you might find yourself today, there is hope. The new world of

neuroplasticity is uncovering the brain’s natural ability to reorganize itself by

forming new neural connections throughout our lifetime.

At this moment you may be asking yourself, “How do I help my brain to naturally

reorganize itself so that I can experience clarity of purpose and wholeness in my

life?”

Good question.

Daniel Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine

and executive director of the Mindsight Institute, provides valuable insight when it

comes to nurturing change and breakthroughs in our life. Dr. Siegel states in his

book, Mindsight, that personal transformation becomes possible through

experience. “Experience” he writes, “activates neural firing, which in turn leads to

the production of proteins that enable new connections to be made among

neurons, in the process called neuroplasticity.”

So what kind of experience cultivates neuroplasticity in our lives? Four things we

know for sure: focused attention, aerobic exercise, emotional

arousal and novelty.

In a nutshell, experiencing breakthroughs is about introducing something new into

your life. Something that will encourage you to see life, feel life, your life, all of life,

through a new window. Something that might expand your present point of view

of self and shift your perspective on what you believe to be possible.

Gretchen Rubin, in her national bestseller, The Happiness Project, talks about

how challenging experiences and novelty are key elements to happiness. She

writes, “The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an

unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction.” So what did Gretchen

do to nurture the seeds of novelty in her life? She launched a blog, and as a result,

expanded her perception of self, which she admits nurtured a deeper sense of

well-being.

So there you have it. Choose to introduce new ideas and experiences into your

life, and to really hit it out of the park, do it with gusto! No, you don’t have to eat

black bear liver in the outback, or live without electricity or running water, but

you do need to be proactive about introducing new, life-enriching experiences into

your life.

Until next time...

Thrive in harmony.