New Neural Networks
Knowing what is really happening in your brain fast-tracks the incredible process
I watched my nine year old grandson with the same curiosity and intensity of an eager scientist in a lab. My hypothesis was that he would struggle and admit defeat within a few minutes. He proved me wrong.
My grandson loves to build complex Legos and was undaunted by the fact that the box suggested one needed to be at least 18 years old for this complex assembly. He was confident he was up to the challenge - even with one hand tied behind his back. I do mean this literally, because this young guy has his left hand in a cast at the moment.
He did not get frustrated and give up even though assembling those tiny colorful pieces with just one hand had racheted up the complexity challenge. It dawned on me that what I was observing was what Jim Collins describes as “inner fire”. He is intrinsically motivated, fired up, by the ever-rewarding challenge of assembly. He loves the doing part of Lego building. He is in flow when he is building.
But there was even more going on. My grandson was proactively engaged in building new neural networks without any conscious awareness that this was organically occurring simultaneously.
His brain was also fired up and loving the challenge of having to figure out how to build with only one hand. His old neural network had been built on his ability to use both hands and he was highly skilled and energy efficient at it. Now, his brain had a new problem to solve — how to achieve a similar level of competence with only one hand.
I imagine that my grandson’s brain was as fired up and determined as he was. Our brains love novelty and welcome new challenges. Being put to the test and acing that exam is what our brains live for — prepare to be amazed!
What I know from many hours of keen observation is that my grandson works WITH his frustration in a positive way when he is doing something he loves. He uses those inner signals as fuel to engage in a challenge he finds stimulating and rewarding.
When he is frustrated about something that isn’t igniting a passion, he fights the feelings. This is true for all of us.
We work WITH frustration when it suits our goals and we resist working with it when we think it’s blocking our efforts. The truth is that frustration is rather benign. It is just a signal that we’ve encountered a challenge. What if we were to lean into the knowledge that frustration is a signal that our brain is preparing to build new neural networks?
My grandson became living proof that building new neural networks can happen at a rather remarkable pace when we are invested in a positive outcome. That little guy was undeterred by his physical limitations and quickly adapted to the change. He figured out how to hold pieces differently to get them aligned; he asked for help when he needed a base piece to be held securely; and yes, he sometimes used his mouth. He also took breaks when he felt it worthwhile. He was so enjoying the process that he didn’t want to work through it and feel miserable. Naturally his right hand would get tired and his busy brain would relish a rest.
Over the course of a late afternoon, he had made a lot of progress on that complex Lego assembly with one hand. His sense of accomplishment ad his love of the building process was so evident. He stepped back and observed how far he’d come with deep satisfaction. He was incredibly content to stop, knowing full well that he would return to the project in the morning - refreshed from a good night’s sleep and so excited to finish the job.
What I observed after each small break that he took was that he would return to the build with noticeable improvements in his one-handed process.
It was crystal clear that he had also built new neural networks that were aiding him in the best possible ways. I could almost hear his little brain declaring “don’t worry —we’ve got this. Just watch how adept you can be!”
Perhaps the most profound revelation came as I watched my grandson after a good night’s sleep return to his beloved project. He didn’t give it a second thought that he was actually building that complicated Lego with only one hand. I don’t believe he thought he was handicapped in any way. He was in a flow state.
And his new neural networks were up and running like silk. Fast, adept and energy efficient.
In short order, we were all admiring his finished project - a Lamborghini with moveable parts rotating on a silver platform. He offered that knowing smile of his — the one that conveys he never had a doubt in his ability to accomplish his goal. While we gushed over his Lego build, what was most astounding was how he’d quickly rewired his brain to overcome a setback. A hand in a cast was not going to throw this little guy for a loop.
I confess that I cannot resist teaching my family about how our brains work. I did share with my grandson early on that while he was busy figuring out how to assemble a Lego with just one hand and a little help - his brain was also building. And yes, he’s heard me talk about neural networks enough that he just nodded along, agreeing that his amazing brain would figure things out. I reminded him that each time he took a break and then returned to the build, his brain would be faster at helping him. He believed it — and he paid attention to the small improvements in his process each time.
If I were standing there with a clipboard, I would have taken notes on his own observations about those small incremental improvements over time. If I had a stop watch, I could have clocked how fast he was getting after each short break.
Who knew that we would get a neuroscience lesson all while cheering on a little boy with his hand in a cast building a complex Lego?
I am a firm believer that when we tell people what is actually happening in their most incredible brains, it fast tracks the processing.
This is true of the learning process when we feel frustration tugging at us. It is simply our brain’s spark plugs firing up — getting ready to learn, to problem solve, to make discoveries.
It is true of emotional processing when we take note of what we are feeling and glean valuable information that helps us make informed decisions aligned with our values.
It is also true of our mental processing when we filter out stories we tell ourselves that aren’t helpful, or worry about other people’s opinions, or recognize our body budget is low and we need a break before making big decisions.
What I have noticed is that young children love learning about their brains and bodies and can easily understand and integrate what is happening in real time for them. They are sponges for neuroscience and psychology.
It is us adults who struggle more with the knowledge and integration. What I am hoping you will extract from this story of a boy and his Lego build, is that we often make things a lot harder than we have to. Adopt a beginner’s mind — and be a sponge.
If you are struggling to learn something new or you have to tackle a problem slightly handicapped today — remember that your brain is on your team, loves to build new neural networks, delights in novelty and can process complex information in short order!