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Welcome to the Lead to Excel podcast, where faith, leadership, emotional intelligence and neuroscience meet. I'm Maureen Chiana, your host, and I'm here to help you think differently, lead boldly and live intentionally. If you're ready to unlock your potential and transform the way you lead and live, you're in the right place. Remember to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. Let's dive in. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Welcome to another Monday Life with Maureen.

Speaker 1: 0:42

Every Monday, I go live in the Mindsight Women's Network and I teach for a few minutes and then we switch off the cameras and we go deep, we start talking, we coach and we really apply the learning to our lives, basically. So the Mindsight Women's Network is really the platform where this is coming from. So, if you're meeting me for the first time, my name is Maureen Chiana. I'm the CEO of the Mindsight Academy and founder of Mindsight Women's Network. Mindsight Women's Network, like I said, is where I do this teaching every Monday, and someone has coined it Monday mornings with Maureen. So I'm going to just get into the teaching and then I'll talk about the network later. So today I want us to look at a topic and I've actually pulled this from my book which is Rewire your Brain with Neuroscience and Scripture Every Day. And this is a devotional, it's a 366 daily guide. You know there's everything in this book. It's your personal coach and I've pulled the teaching today from day 65 and 66. So, if you see me looking down, that's what I'm looking at. So, from day 65 and day 66, and I've titled it the Power of Expectations and Mindset Rewiring your Brain for Success. So I'm going to start with the quote that I used on day 65, which is the only limit to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the bots that you use today. So I'll read that again the only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the bots you use today. And that's by Les Brown, and I really like that quote. It's a quote that really resonated with me when I came across it. So that's the quote I've used on day 65, like I said.

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So I'm going to start by asking you a question have you ever believed something about yourself that turned out to be false or turned out to not be true? Maybe you thought that you weren't good at something, only to realize later that you actually could master it with effort and practice. We often hear the phrases you know when people say it runs in my family or I'm just wired this way, as if our genes have the final say, literally in our intelligence, in health or in our future. And I want to really bring in the concept of genes today, because what if I told you that your expectations and mindsets actually shape your reality much more than your DNA? And really that's what I want us to talk about today.

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Proverbs 23, 7 says as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So this scripture really aligns with what neuroscience is now teaching us, or neuroscience is actually confirming that our thoughts are powerful enough to rewire our brain, influence our emotions and ultimately shape our life, because the emotions that we have drives the actions we take or impact on the actions we take, which then shapes the way we live our lives and the way we even perceive life. God has designed our brains with neuroplasticity, so that is the ability to change, to adapt and to grow. So this means that we're never, never, truly stuck. No matter what your past is, no matter the experiences that you've had from your past maybe your family history or even struggles that you've had you can renew your mind and live in alignment with God's best for you, and that is such an encouraging thing to think about. That is such an encouraging information to have, because that should help you now shape your life based on the way God has ordained for you to live, the way God has created for you to live.

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Science has told us over years that our genes determine our intelligence, determine our health and potential. But modern research is now showing us and one of the areas, one of the places that I like, and it's a book I read a while ago, david Robson's book that I think it's called the Expectation Factor, the Expectation Factor. It reveals something really incredible that aligns with this concept of neuroplasticity what we believe about ourselves has a greater impact than our genes do. And let me share a fascinating study with you. Researchers told one group of people that they had a genetic risk of obesity and they told another group that they did not have that genetic risk of obesity, even though both groups had the same genetic profile. What do you think happened? The result was quite interesting because the group that believed that they were prone to obesity gained more weight. Over time they gained more weight. The expectations about their bodies shaped their behavior and ultimately shaped their results. So it shaped their behavior, which obviously impacted on their actions, the way they live their life, and then it resulted in the actual final result, which was the increased in weight.

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So this aligns perfectly with Mark 11, 24. Mark 11, 24 says whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and you shall have it. So, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it and you shall have it. So whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it and you shall have it, or it will be yours, depending on the version you read it from. So faith and believe activates the brain's power to reshape itself. So if you believe that you're stuck, you stay stuck. If you believe that, with God, transformation is possible, your brain will begin forming new neural pathways to align with this belief and you'll find that you'll be drawn or you'll be more open to see opportunities where you wouldn't have before.

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But there's a challenge Emotions can hijack our expectations, and that's why this book Rewire your Brain with Neuroscience and Scripture is so important and so powerful, because I integrate the neuroscience, the emotional intelligence and the scripture so you can understand how your emotions can impact on your actions. So, even though you might desire to do something, your emotions can actually stop you from doing them. But with going through this book, you would learn how to manage your emotions, which is the power of emotional intelligence. So the amygdala, which is the brain's emotional center, is designed to protect us from what our brain perceives to be danger or threat. If it's left unchecked, it can make you live in fear, in anxiety and self-doubt. However, the prefrontal cortex, that is, the frontal part of our brain, that is the part of the brain responsible for planning, for reasoning, for making sound decisions helps us regulate our emotions and align our actions with faith rather than fear. And a good question to just stop here and reflect on is are your expectations driven by faith or are they driven by fear? And that's something you need to just stop and ask yourself. Stop and ask yourself. So, when we train our minds to expect good things and align our emotions with God's promises, what you end up doing is unlocking at how to understand the brain, the mind and mindset. And this is now going into day 66 from the book Rewire your Brain with Neuroscience and Scripture Every Day, and it incorporates emotional intelligence every single day, because the book is, you know, it's split into days, days, so every day you've got content. So what content? Per day a page. And you've got 366 days, so actually put in an extra day there for you. Grab your copy from amazon you know, if you're looking watching this on spotify, I'm actually holding up the book but get your copy from amazon, from Barnes Noble, from Waterstones or from mindsightstorecom. Get your copy. It will truly help you and, like I said, it's like carrying your own personal coach with you everywhere you go. So let us break this down further.

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Many people use the words brain, mind, mindset interchangeably, but they're not the same and I want us to kind of look at what each of them does. So the brain is the physical organ in our head, made up of billions of neurons that send and receive signals. So information is coming in, they're sending information, or sending signals and receiving them. It's the control center of our body. The mind is not physical. The mind is where thoughts, where emotions and beliefs are formed. It's like the software that runs on the brain's hardware. So while the brain is the hardware, the mind is the software that runs on that hardware. Then you have the mindset, and I kind of describe the mindset as the lens through which you see the world. So it's that lens through which you see the world and I love that saying. You see the world not as it is, but as you are. And that's where your mindset comes in. So your mindset is shaped by your experiences, by your thoughts, by beliefs. So it determines how you react or respond to challenges, to setbacks and opportunities. And it's important to remember that when you react, you're reacting from your emotional brain, but when you respond, you're responding from that conscious brain where you're able to reason and make intentional decisions.

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Romans 12. Too tells us do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So that means that we have the capability and the capacity to renew our minds. And that is really what I keep talking about rewire your brain. Rewiring your brain is what would enable you to renew your mind. So this verse is a direct call to train your mindset to consciously rewire your thoughts patterns so that they align with God's truth, rather than fear, rather than self-doubt or past failures. And here's the simple way to understand this the brain processes information. The mind gives meaning to that information. Then your mindset determines how you act on that meaning. So if your mindset is fixed, you believe that your abilities, intelligence or circumstances cannot change. And this is where you find yourself being a victim of life, being a victim of situations, being a victim of family or upbringing. If your mindset is growth-oriented, which we'll call growth mindset, you see every challenge as an opportunity to improve and grow. So think of a recent challenge. How did your mindset shape your response or reaction to it? Write down one belief about yourself that you want to change today.

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As we wrap up, I want you to take a moment to reflect on these two truths. Your mindset determines whether you stay stuck or grow into your full potential, and the choice is yours, because you have the one who believes Everything, and that's why I always use the concept of become limitless. I am limitless, and there's actually a section in the book on becoming limitless. So this isn't just about wishful thinking. It's about aligning our expectations with God's promises and training our minds to live in faith, not fear. And some final reflective questions I want you to just think about is what's one limiting expectation that you need to let go of? Just take time and reflect and answer that question. And then, secondly, how can you renew your mindset daily to align with God's truth? Because when you align with God's truth. With God's truth, because when you align with God's truth, then you're able to live your full potential, you're able to live on purpose, you're able to live and fulfill the destiny that God has ordained for you. So some practical next steps and in the book, at the end of every day, you have practical tips and reflective questions. So I'm kind of just going through this the way it is in the book.

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So, first and foremost, speak life over yourself. Declare God's promises out loud each morning. Say them out loud so that your brain can hear them as well, because that is helping you to rewire or wire and rewire your brain. Reframe negative thoughts, replace limiting beliefs with scripture-based truths, because you know that scripture is the truth. So if you have limiting beliefs, that means that they don't align with scripture. So replace them, reframe them with scripture based truths and then, finally, regulate your emotions. So I hope this gives you something to really think about and my prayer is that God will really help you to design your mind with the ability to grow and change, because you've already got it. Use it. Use what God has given you, the thoughts you have today that are not aligning with the truth of God. You have the ability to change them, so make sure that you do.

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Don't forget to head over to wherever you buy your books and get your copy of Rewire your Brain with Neuroscience and Scripture every day. It's truly a mind-blowing book. It will help you achieve those things that you've been trying to achieve over years the goals that you've been wanting to achieve, the relationships you want to develop, those roles you've wanted to get into, helping you in your career and your personal life. Get your copy today. Helping you in your career and your personal life. Get your copy today. And if you want to know more about Mindsight Women's Network, I'm going to leave a link in the description so that you can get it. And if you're listening to this on Spotify, there will also be a link in the description that you can reach out to me or go to the website themindsightacademycom themindsightacademycom and there's so much information. There's information on the book and also information on the Mindsight Women's Network.

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Mindsight Women's Network is a network where women come together and we use neuroscience, we use scripture, we use emotional intelligence to achieve our goals, and God is doing phenomenal things in each of our lives. We've been walking through 60 Days of Rise. It's a program we call Rise, which is to do with goal setting, and it's just completely really changed people's lives. The difference in the ladies' lives that are in this network is unbelievable. So if you want to know more, I invite you to get in touch and let's discuss it and take back control of your life so that you live on purpose.

Speaker 1: 19:48

I look forward to seeing you in another episode of Lead to Excel podcast. Or, if you're watching this on YouTube, do subscribe to this podcast. In fact, subscribe to the podcast and subscribe to the YouTube channel as well. Look forward to seeing you next time. Stay blessed and stay limitless and keep soaring high. Bye for now. Thank you for tuning in to Lead to Excel podcast with me, maureen Chiana. I hope today's episode inspired and equipped you to renew your mind and lead with purpose. If it did, please you remember to subscribe, share with someone who needs it and leave a review. It really helps more people discover this message. Remember you are created to soar higher, think boldly and live intentionally. Until next time, stay focused, stay faith-filled and keep becoming all God designed you to be. See you in the next episode. Bye for now.