How long does it take to rewire a neural pathway?

I had an interesting opportunity the last two weeks that created one of those awesome “ah-ha” moments.

You know the ones...

Where something you “knew” but was complicated suddenly clicked when a very concrete example suddenly made it simple.

It all started with an embarrassing moment when I, still not yet fully wake, started cutting a piece of sourdough bread to make toast for breakfast.

In one split second, I knew the mistake I’d made. My finger was not clear of the bread knife cutting the bread. I’m not sure if I felt it first or saw it first but instantly I knew it was bad. Too bad for me to even look.

Applying pressure, I stared negotiating with myself... 

Maybe it’s not that bad. 

It couldn’t be that bad, could it? 

I know better, how could I let this happen?

If only I’d been more alert or moved my finger one millimeter over.

But it was too late…

Now why is this story important? 

I didn’t realize it at the time, but this event would allow me an awesome opportunity to see an example of something I’ve studied happen in real time!

My Own Experiment!

I’ve spent years learning the neuroscience of human performance and the research behind the ways people think, feel, behave, do, be, and become.

I wanted to understand how our brains and neural connections come together to create our ways of being - living, working, loving, thinking, feeling, and behaving.

Even more importantly, I wanted to figure out what we could do about the past patterns and ways of being that we’d rather change. 

Could we change them? How much could we change them? And how do we do it?

I’d acquired a fairly advanced understanding of these scientific concepts. Including the complexity of our neural networks, how they form, how they can be created new, how they rewire in response to our environments and experiences, and how we can choose consciously to rewire them!

I’d also experienced the relatively slow and abstract process of rewiring certain past patterns and ways of being in my own life and working with clients. What I hadn’t experienced was a simple straightforward concrete example to really make me go “ah-ha.”

Which is where my injured finger plays a crucial role. 

Despite my desire to dismiss and downplay it, when my husband finally laid eyes on it all he could say was,

 “Yeah, it’s bad.”

A few hours later, with a wrapped and injured forefinger, I went back to working. I had articles to write, a chapter for a new book, my programs, emails, and the million other things we all do on computers all day.

But I was down a digit. 

I started typing without the use of the injured finger. As you’d guess, I made lots of mistakes. I had to slow down my typing and pay attention to my fingers so I could compensate for the missing member.

In the background, the neural connections in my brain were trying to use what they’d always used before. When they encountered the missing finger, my conscious brain had to come online to address it. I could type without thinking about it.

At the same time, new connections began forming around the absence of my finger. New pathways created to be able to type with only nine rather than ten fingers.

How long do you think it took my neural pathways to rewire such that I could be back to typing unconsciously and at my previous speed?

Two weeks.

Just as my finger was finally starting to heal enough that I could use a regular band aid, I realized I was typing full speed accurately without thinking about it.

My brain had formed a new fully functioning neural pathway to perform a prior function less the use of one finger.

Here is the really wild part, since my finger was doing better, I tried to use it again. But my hands no longer needed it and were typing without it anyway.

After only two weeks, I had rewired my pathways. 

Now I know my old pathways are still there and I’ll be able to return to them, but how cool are our brain and bodies that they can so quickly evolve and adapt to our experiences and environments?

What does this mean for human performance?

This example is a simple straightforward way to understand what we mean by rewriting neural pathways to break free of past patterns and practices.

If we consciously choose to do something a new way (or as in my case, are forced to do so), we can change anything we want about ourselves - how we think, feel, relate, do, behave, work, perform, and play.

I see so many examples of where people’s past patterns are holding them back from operating at peak performance or preventing them from having more capacity.

I also see how workplace practices create patterns and ways of being and working in a workplace that don't just hinder human performance but prevent progress and growth altogether.

In a world that’s constantly changing, where businesses need their people to be growing, adapting quickly, and where people are often at or over capacity, the ability to purposely pursue new pathways is more important than ever!

Imagine what you might be capable of doing in two weeks if you could break free from the constraints of your past patterns and practices!

Imagine what your business could achieve if you broke free from the constraints of past practices to better support human performance.