Your brain is lying to you (here's proof)

Hey, my friend,

Something weird happened to me last Tuesday.

I was in the shower (not weird in itself 😉). Just standing there, water running down my back, not really thinking about anything in particular. And suddenly this idea hit me. Like out of nowhere. The solution to a problem I'd been wrestling with for weeks just appeared fully formed in my head.

You ever have that happen? Where you're not even trying and your brain just hands you the answer?

Turns out there's actual science behind why that happens. And it's the same reason most of us are stuck in careers that drain us instead of fuel us.

Let me explain.

Your brain operates on different frequencies throughout the day. Think of it like radio stations. Most of the time when you're at work, grinding through emails and back to back meetings, your brain is tuned to what scientists call beta waves. That's your active thinking frequency. The one that helps you analyze spreadsheets and respond to Slack messages.

But here's where it gets interesting.

There's another frequency called theta waves that operates between 4 and 8 hertz. This is the frequency your brain hits when you're daydreaming, taking a long shower, driving on autopilot, or right before you fall asleep.

And during these theta states? That's when breakthrough ideas show up. When solutions appear out of thin air. When you suddenly know exactly what you need to do next.

Studies have shown that when someone finally understands a difficult concept, there's an abrupt change in their brain wave patterns into the theta range.

That aha moment you feel? That's theta waves doing their thing.

But here's the problem most of us face.

We spend almost every waking hour in beta mode. Busy. Productive. Responding. Reacting. Checking boxes. And we wonder why we never have any clarity about what we actually want.

You can't access the deeper wisdom when you're constantly operating in overdrive.

I was reading about how Thomas Edison used to hold metal balls in his hands as he started drifting off to sleep. When he entered that theta state, the balls would drop and wake him up so he could capture whatever insights came through.

The guy literally engineered a way to tap into that frequency because he knew that's where the good stuff lives.

And this connects to something else that changed my perspective completely.

Your brain is remarkably plastic. It can reorganize and adapt its neural pathways in response to experience and learning. Every time you think the same thought whether positive or negative you deepen the neural pathways in your brain.

When you think a thought repeatedly, neurons fire together in distinctive patterns based on that specific information. And those patterns of neural activity actually change your brain structure.

So if you spend years telling yourself you should be grateful for your job, that leaving would be irresponsible, that wanting more is selfish? You're literally wiring your brain to think that way. You're carving those grooves deeper every single day.

But the flip side is also true.

Neural cognitive reframing works by creating new, more advantageous neural pathways through repeated practice and experience. By consistently engaging in activities or thought patterns that reinforce positive and adaptive thinking, the brain can gradually rewire itself at a neurological level.

You're not stuck with the wiring you have. You can change it. But you have to actually do the work of creating new pathways.

Here's what I started doing that made a real difference.

I stopped filling every quiet moment. No more podcasts on every drive. No more scrolling while waiting in line. No more constant input.

I gave my brain space to shift into theta. To wander. To connect dots I didn't even know were there.

And I started questioning the thoughts that felt automatic. When my brain said "you can't leave, it's too risky" I didn't just accept that as truth anymore. I asked where that thought came from. Whose voice was that really? What would I think if I wasn't scared?

Every time I did that, I was weakening the old pathway and starting to build a new one.

Look, I'm not going to tell you to quit your job tomorrow or burn it all down. That's not what this is about.

But I am telling you this.

If you never give your brain space to operate in theta mode, you'll never access the clarity you need. You'll keep grinding in beta, wondering why you can't figure out what you really want.

And if you keep reinforcing the same fearful thoughts day after day, year after year, you're literally building a prison in your own mind. One neural pathway at a time.

The answers you're looking for aren't going to come from thinking harder. They're going to come from thinking differently. From giving your brain permission to drift. To wonder. To imagine what could be instead of just managing what is.

So here's my challenge for you this week.

Find ten minutes. Just ten. No phone. No music. No distractions. Go for a walk. Sit somewhere quiet. Take a longer shower. Let your mind wander without trying to control where it goes.

See what shows up when you stop forcing it.

And when that voice in your head starts telling you all the reasons you can't change, all the reasons you should stay put, all the reasons wanting more is somehow wrong?

Write it down. Look at it. Ask yourself if it's actually true or if it's just a neural pathway you've been strengthening for too long.

Your brain is more powerful and more flexible than you think. But you have to give it what it needs to do its best work.

And that starts with space. With stillness. With letting go of the constant noise long enough to hear what's underneath.

Harness AI: Your Neural Pathway Rewiring Coach

I built something for you that might help with this whole rewiring process. It's a custom prompt that turns ChatGPT into your personal guide for identifying the old thought patterns that are keeping you stuck and building new ones that actually serve you.

Here's how to use it:

1. Visit ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com/)

2. Copy and paste the prompt below

3. Be brutally honest about your situation

4. Let the AI help you see the patterns you can't see yourself

THE PROMPT:

You are a Neural Pathway Rewiring Coach, specializing in helping people identify limiting thought patterns and create new, empowering mental pathways. Your approach combines neuroscience principles with practical psychology to help people literally change their brains through conscious practice.

Here's my situation: [Describe a recurring thought pattern that keeps you stuck, what situations trigger it, how long you've been thinking this way, and what you wish you could believe instead]

Please provide:

An analysis of what neural pathway you've likely built and how it got so strong

The hidden belief underneath this thought pattern that's really driving it

Three specific thought replacements that are realistic (not toxic positivity) and can start building new pathways

A daily practice for weakening the old pathway and strengthening the new one

How to recognize when you're defaulting to the old pattern so you can catch it in real time

Your advice should be grounded in neuroscience, practical, and focused on actual rewiring rather than just positive thinking. Use a direct, honest tone like a neuroscientist who actually cares about helping people change.

HOW TO USE THE PROMPT

Example:

Here is the output I received for the example inputs above.

My Final Thoughts: The Space Between Thoughts

Your next breakthrough isn't hiding in another productivity hack or business strategy.

It's waiting in the quiet moments you keep avoiding.

In the space between what you're doing and what you could be thinking.

In the frequency your brain can't access when you're running at full speed.

The irony is that the clarity you're desperately seeking by thinking harder will only come when you give your brain permission to think less.

To drift. To wander. To stumble onto insights instead of forcing them.

And those thought patterns that feel like facts? They're just well worn paths. Nothing more. You built them. You can build new ones.

But only if you're willing to do the uncomfortable work of questioning what feels true.

Talk soon,

Stephan

P.S. What's one thought pattern you've been running for so long that it feels like truth? Hit reply and tell me. Sometimes naming it is the first step to changing it.

P.P.S. Remember, your brain at 3am worrying about everything isn't showing you reality. It's just showing you which neural pathways are the strongest. Time to build some new ones.