How Changing Your Brain Can Change Your Life
Lessons from "The Source"
Imagine having the power to rewire your brain and unlock potential you never knew you possessed. What if your most deeply ingrained thought patterns could be transformed, not through years of therapy, but through intentional, science-backed practices?
Our last book club meeting centred around ‘The Source’, by physician, neuroscientist and MIT lecturer, Dr. Tara Swart. The book’s foundation explains the scientific basis of the malleable nature of our brain and our control over changing how it functions. Before the 1970s, the dominant scientific consensus held that the brain’s structure and function were fixed and unchangeable after early childhood. Updates in medical technology, through functional MRI (fMRI) scans, provide direct, visual proof of neuroplasticity. They show how the brain dynamically rewires itself in response to experience, injury, or therapy. As Dr. Swart writes, when we change our brains, we can change our lives.
Six Key Brain Pathways
My key takeaway from the book was how to utilize your brain to its fullest capacity. Dr. Swart details the six pathways your brain uses to process and support decision making. Logic, creativity and intuition are internal personal functions, whereas emotions, physicality and motivation are external functions because of their impact on how you relate to other people. Educated in health sciences, I knew I leaned towards more analytical thinking patterns. After completing a few exercises from the book, I realized how much I was ignoring equally important pathways such as creativity and intuition. When I reflect on creativity specifically, I have noticed how much society and classic education sucks this out from us. We are given multiple-choice tests to test our ability to regurgitate facts. Many of these questions are written to trick students rather than to examine their depth and application of key concepts. Instead of seeking the right answers, creativity shifts our focus towards asking the right questions. During the years of living with less awareness, I recall trying to convince others why my opinion was correct. What a waste of time and energy! Shifting towards awareness, I can catch myself and almost instantly shift my energy and attention towards listening to understand why people think the way they do and building connections.
Creativity is alive in young children. I see how my kids think of things outside the box, say the darnedest things. I have tried to quiet my corrective nature about what the ‘right’ answer is. Maybe they won’t be engineers or accountants - and I am ok with that. My transition in vocation from a predominantly left-brain thinker to someone who is tapping into writing and transformational breathwork has helped me look at situations and the world in an opposing way to my previous, strongly held thoughts. It is liberating and exciting to hear the internal voice that has been suppressed over the years, and I encourage you to tap into your kid-like tendencies. They are still within you and just need a tap on the shoulder to be awakened.
This poem from entrepreneur and fashion designer Angel Aubichon, illustrates how connecting with creativity helps rekindle our internal light.
I create to create.
Not for algorithms, not for deadlines, not for applause.
But because my spirit needs it.
Because when I’m in the flow—shaping color, light, texture, story—
I feel alive. Rooted. Grateful.
Creation is my ceremony.
It’s where I meet my ancestors.
Where my blood memory speaks louder than my inner critic.
Where joy comes not from the outcome
but from the sacred act of making something that never existed before.
This is the kind of creating that fills my cup.
That brings me back to myself.
That reminds me: I don’t need permission to be here,
just presence.
Your brain is your canvas
In a world obsessed with productivity and perfection, connecting to our innate wisdom is an act of presence. It allows us to expand not just what’s possible in our work, but the depth of our lived life. I once associated creativity with artists, musicians and designers—but it’s a skill we all possess. It drives problem-solving, innovation and personal fulfillment in virtually every profession. When we make time to experiment by doodling in a notebook or allowing our minds to wander, we tap into the birthplace of those “light bulb” moments that lead to new perspectives and opportunities.
The greatest limitation we face is often the one we impose on ourselves. Connecting to the source, we can begin to see our brains not as fixed entities but as adaptable, dynamic landscapes waiting to be explored.
What belief about yourself are you ready to challenge? What neural pathway are you prepared to rewire?
Action Items
To refuel your creative juices, try these simple activities
Reducing your screen time
Waking up a bit earlier for quiet reflection
bringing a creative twist to routine tasks
doodling on paper
Journaling by putting on some music and writing about whatever comes to your head with no judgment
Incorporating more walking and movement can also help you process your thoughts and improve your creativity. Research from Stanford University found that walking increases creative output by up to 60%.
Revisit that childlike version of yourself that is still inside you. Register for the upcoming Transformational Somatic Breathwork Journey. We had a full house last time, and this event is sure to reach capacity. Register HERE.
Manjit Hansra is the founder of Rx for Renewal. Through keynote speaking, 1:1 coaching, corporate workshops and curated retreats, I share evidence-based tools to help professionals prevent and manage burnout. Check my offerings HERE and book a complimentary call to improve your mental fitness HERE.