A synapse is the point of communication between one neuron and a neighboring neuron, muscle cell or gland cell. It is the site where virtually all important brain activity emerges. There are trillions of synapses in the brain: each one of our more than 100 billion neurons may be connected to hundreds of other cells by as many as 10,000 synapses. Together they form a complex and flexible instrument upon which the music of our thoughts, behaviors and feelings are composed.
When we learn something new, meet someone new, come to a vital time in our life, have a new experience and so on…these great moments literally “fire” in our brains and spark us with passion, excitement, learning and inspiration.
My play on this concept brings me to reference the “sparks” in our life that make us who we are today and who we have yet to become.
According to Dr. Phil, you can trace who you’ve become in this life to three types of external factors: 10 Defining Moments, Seven Critical Choices and Five Pivotal People.
We all know when we have a “spark” in life and moments we will always cherish and remember, they can even be small moments and seem less significant…but yet they linger on in our minds forever. Sparks can be subtle, hidden and unspoken, but catch like wildfire in our lives.
I reference these moments as sparks because of various feelings for which I associate them. Perhaps a moment that lit a fire under me to turn over a new leaf, a moment where I saw the light and was moved into a more positive direction or a brief glimpse of a true miracle that made me become more thankful for life and those around me.
For some…these moments are bright, but they can also be very dark. When you are asked to define your character by one of your “defining moments,” perhaps it was something very dark indeed. An unfortunate diagnosis at the doctor’s office or a negative relationship can somehow turn us on our heels and make us go toward a different path in life.
Our character can be sculpted by how we turn even our most hopeless days into the dawn of a new beginning in which we can see our own personal world illuminate even brighter.
Our brain is sending these signals into our body and spirit every moment and shaping our future and how we will feel about tomorrow. Often times it is hard to control what we conclude in our snap judgments, but we can always control how they shape our new day.
Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light. ~ Albus Dumbledore
