Cattle Paths

Cattle are creatures of habit and will follow the same path to the pond each day for a drink of water. They will walk head to tail on this narrow path, mindlessly following one another, day after day. These paths may have been started hundreds of years ago and are still followed by all of the cattle who graze there today.

Here is a picture of a cattle path on my parents' land in the Flint Hills of Kansas:

Our brain gets paths like this - they are called "neural pathways" by neurologists. When we repeatedly think the same thought, it becomes almost hard-wired into our default thinking. This is how we form our belief systems. The more we reinforce a belief, the deeper the path becomes in our brain.

The study of neuroplasticity has found that our brains can be rewired by thinking new thoughts. These old pathways can be abandoned and new neural pathways can be formed.

Here is an explanation of this by Dr. Andrew Weil, "Among other things, neuroplasticity means that emotions such as happiness and compassion can be cultivated in much the same way that a person can learn through repetition to play golf and basketball or master a musical instrument and that such practice changes the activity and physical aspects of specific brain areas."

And here is what the cattle don't know - if they would get off of this old path, they would find a breathtaking view to the left of this trail with acres of room to roam. They could spread out and enjoy their journey to the pond each day, discovering new grass and a gentle breeze on the hill. But instead, they mindlessly do the same thing every day and miss all of the things they could explore.

Sometimes, I can relate to the safety the cattle feel on this known path. My old thinking feels familiar and yet it leads me to feel stuck in a rut of redundancy. Maybe we could each assess our thinking patterns this week. Let's notice if we have neural pathways that sound like complaining, negativity, criticism, or frustration and make an intentional effort to try out some new thoughts.

Might there be a new way of thinking I want to practice? Might there be a new path worth exploring?

Long-held beliefs such as "I'm not good enough" or "I don't have anything to offer'" may have become a rut in your brain that is your default, but are untrue statements. Try creating a new path of "I am enough" and "I have something to offer here" and see how that feels. The view is much better from there!

Sending you love and new thought pathways,
Ginger

P.S. We were talking in our Compassion Fix Community Class yesterday about reviewing the stories of our life and seeing them differently. It is a powerful exercise to ask yourself: could this story be told in a way that is different than the way I have always told it? You might have formed a thought rut in how you see your life stories, try to view them in a new way and see what you notice.

Sending you love,

Ginger