Teach Your Brain

Small, consistent habits shape the brain in powerful ways. Each time you repeat a behavior—whether it’s studying for ten minutes, taking a short walk, or practicing gratitude—your brain strengthens the neural connections associated with that action. You are in fact, "teaching it" what to do.

Neurons that fire together wire together, meaning repetition makes these pathways faster and more efficient. Over time, the brain begins to recognize these actions as familiar and safe, which reduces resistance and mental effort.

However, the old saying "use it or loose it" also holds merit. Have you ever went back to an old game you use to play, like skipping rope, and you feel like you forgot how? Or a headstand, but your balance is gone. Maybe helping your child with fractions homework and you find yourself struggling to recall the method.

Whether it's physical or mental, you must keep firing those neural connections in order to keep them strong.

As these neural connections grow stronger, routines start to become automatic. What once required motivation and conscious effort slowly turns into something you do without thinking, like brushing your teeth or checking your backpack before school. This automation is the brain working smarter, not harder. When habits move into this automatic zone, they demand less willpower, making it easier to stay consistent even on busy or low-energy days.

This is where healthy momentum begins to build. Small habits stack on each other, creating confidence, discipline, and a sense of progress. One positive action often leads to another, reinforcing a cycle of growth. Over six months to a year, these small daily choices can lead to noticeable improvements in focus, health, confidence, and overall well-being.

What starts as something small may feel insignificant at first, but with time and consistency, it can create a huge and lasting impact. If you go to the gym for 20 minutes you won't all a sudden be in shape, yet you repeat that action and you will start to notice a change within a few short weeks.

Read a few pages or a chapter each day doesn't seem like much, but that's a book each month or so. Over a course of a year, that's roughly 9 - 12 books ( depending on the length of the book of course).

Every action you take throughout your day, leads to who you become. So choose habits that are aligning with your goals and creating a strong mental, emotional and physical connection to meet those goals. Not everyday will be easy and you are almost guaranteed to have a day where you completely "drop the ball". That is okay, that is natural, and you do not have to feel guilty about it.

The only failure is quitting. So when you have an off day, acknowledge it, allow it, and move past it. Get back up and do your best. Keep your promises to yourself and see how quickly your life can improve.

Small and steady wins the race, so what's your first small step?