There Is No Muscle Memory

When we share our “Upgrade Your Brain” slogan with people, we often get the question, “okay, but HOW do I do that?” It feels like our brains are mysterious, secret places full of complexity, and we can’t just go in there and start mucking about randomly. So, people are naturally cautious about “doing it wrong.”


The truth, however, is that upgrading your brain is amazingly simple…and you have done it yourself many, many times! You just didn’t realize that’s what you were doing.


There is no memory in a muscle


You’ve probably heard the term “muscle memory.” It’s the way you can execute physical tasks like tying your shoelaces or riding a bike. You can do those tasks without thinking about them and also without being able to actually describe the steps involved. It seems like your body just executes the proper steps in order without your brain needing to be involved.


In actuality, of course, there is no memory in your muscles. What seems like “muscle memory” is just a set of procedures (similar to a computer subroutine) your brain has learned to the point where it can tell your muscles what to do without you needing to be conscious of the activity. A HUGE proportion of your life falls into this category: driving a car, eating a meal, typing on your phone, and so on.


You’ve upgraded your brain lots of times


All of those tasks you are able to execute without thinking are things you have trained your brain to do. Those are “upgrades” you have installed over the course of your life. You were not born with the ability to do any of those things. You decided you wanted to be able to do something, spent time practicing it over and over (clumsily at first), improved over time, and eventually, you could do it so easily it now runs on autopilot. You have upgraded your brain many, many times in your life.


So, why is this different?


The question, then, is if we all know how to upgrade our brains, why is the idea of doing it still scary? The answer is a little different for each person, but if you’re nervous about “upgrading” your brain, it is likely because of one or more of these issues:


  • New subroutines vs. changing existing subroutines – When you are a kid, you are “installing” everything into a fresh, new brain. You are learning everything for the first time. But as an adult, you are more likely to want to change or “rewire” something that already exists. The process is the same, but it can feel more intimidating in some cases.
  • You are out of practice upgrading – When was the last time you learned to do something new? Maybe it has been years since you last did any upgrading at all. That can make things seem like a big challenge.
  • What you want to change is scary – Usually, people who go through the Polaris ProcessTM want to upgrade something meaningful in their lives. Virtually no one comes to Polaris for something frivolous. The issue they want to work on is something emotional and deep. That can make the initiative seem extra daunting.


If any of those issues resonate with you, we have tools and processes to help you through them. Because, while there is no memory in your muscles, “muscle memory” proves you DO already know how to upgrade your brain anytime you’re ready to.


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Contact us to inquire about beginning your upgrade today.

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