#25: The company we keep - how everyone around you is changing your brain.

Got negative people in your life who are trying to rain on your goals? Our first instinct may be to avoid them, but depending on how close they are in your life, that’s not always possible. So It’s important to learn how to deal with these kinds of people in a healthy way. 

The reason is because (you guessed it) neuroplasticity! Our brains respond to what we put in them -- not just books and education, but also the people and media in our environment. 

Our actual brain pathways are influenced toward more positive thoughts or more negative thoughts, and our environment also affects our drive toward goals. Meaning whatever your goal, whether it’s to run a 5K or save up for a cruise, having naysayers around you actually, literally does affect your chances of reaching that goal!

Sometimes it pushes us harder to achieve the goal. But other times, it extinguishes that fragile glimmer of a goal before it even has a chance to grow. 

This episode shares tips on how to deal with naysayers in your life. I also talk about how to clarify the naysayer’s actual intent: maybe they’re actually trying to push you forward, but don’t know how to do it. Either way, you’ll gain strategies on how to protect your goals, how to convey what’s important to you, and how to gain healthy space if you need it. After all, your brain is fertile soil; protect what grows in there! :-)