Chip away to reveal the best parts of yourself.

Michelangelo, a man so famous he needs no introduction, was an exceptional sculptor but a reluctant painter. He balked when asked to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Given no choice, he was forced to experiment and think of ways to prove himself as a painter too.  He was ashamed of his early frescoes and destroyed them. He took breaks and long walks in search of inspiration. The exquisite frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are the result of his painful and rewarding journey to sculpt himself into a painter. Today, they are among the most exquisite works created during the Renaissance. Michelangelo recreated himself through his paintings. He mastered neuroplasticity before the term was ever coined.

“A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.” – Michelangelo

The human brain, a remarkable organ with a hundred billion (discovered) neurons, continues to captivate and confound cognitive experts and neurologists. They agree that neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize its neural paths and create new connections – helps us live in a more conscious, joyful, and fulfilling way.

Lifestyle choices influence the brain’s optimal functioning and health. The basics are familiar – no (or reduced) smoking or drinking, moderate exercise, and a balanced diet. The fascinating part is that physical fitness alone does not guarantee brain fitness. For one, neurons are far quicker to react than our body muscles. They can rewire themselves constantly to create new neural connections and use hundred trillion – that’s 100,000,000,000,000 – networks to process information. What’s between our ears is the most intricate operating system ever created.

“The sculpture is already complete within the marble block,  before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” – Michelangelo

How is neuroplasticity triggered? Plenty of fresh air, natural light, being amidst nature, and optimal sleep help enhance neural networks. Perhaps this explains why great creators and innovators usually prefer nature and silence to refresh, relax, and discover new insights.

“The most perfect guide is nature. Continue without fail to draw something every day.” – Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy

Another intriguing discovery is that mentally rehearsing something stimulates these networks to react in the same way as being physically present in that situation or performing a specific task. Imagining a situation in as much detail as possible provides excellent practice and training when attempting to chip away at the non-functioning parts of your life or vice versa. A simple example would be the creation or elimination of a habit. For instance, if you keep thinking in vivid detail about never taking your phone into the toilet, you will eventually stop doing so. It also helps to know that multitasking does not help optimize or strengthen your neural networks and it pays to focus on one task at a time – in this case, answering nature’s call.

Once you build a positive habit, you feel ready to sculpt more of yourself. Maybe a specific part of your life is causing pain – how about chipping away at it? Or maybe you feel ready to hack a large chunk off with one blow? Unused connections weaken over time, freeing up the brain’s resources to create fresh networks. This makes room for new, vibrant connections. They also make you more alert, curious, and open to different experiences.

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” – Michelangelo

Apart from the basic habits necessary for our health and hygiene, rigid routines do not help enhance the brain’s health. A few networks become extraordinarily strong, but a large part of your brain remains a vast, unused space of nothingness. Your neurons, starved of newness, do not allow you to thrive. Isn’t that a sad waste, considering how much more joyful and fulfilled you could be if you create additional new connections?

How can we harness this sophisticated tool to experience life in the best way possible? First, focus on sculpting yourself and your life, instead of trying to change others or external elements you have no control over. You will experience some pain. Without it, you can never open yourself up to immense joy either.

“I am still learning.” – Michelangelo

Help your brain create new connections by learning something new – something different from what you studied in school or do every day.  You could try a short online course, read an unfamiliar book or change up your fitness routine. Challenging your brain by feeding it with new information creates new starbursts of neurons and connections. Apart from helping you focus better on tasks you are already good at, this rewiring also makes it easier to adapt to new life situations.

When your neurons rejoice, you rejoice. You take bigger steps to chip away at all your useless accumulated parts and sculpt yourself into a better expression of your authentic self. This authentic self – the one that makes us feel most at ease with our place in this world – is what we are all searching for. Once we start discovering it, life opens up in ways we have never imagined. Why don’t you start opening yourself up to this expansive experience today?

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” – Michelangelo