Under New Management

“Under New Management” read the sign at the Conoco station on the corner of 14th and Leyden. I often see that sign on restaurants and other businesses.

Why is it important to know that the business is under new management? Was the old management awful and the sign invites customers to give it another shot? Was the old management great and the sign offers a warning that the new management might not be up to par?

My friend Steve wanted to make some changes in his life and decided that he was ‘under new management.’ He created ‘new Steve.’ When he faced a situation that brought up old uncomfortable feelings, he’d put ‘new Steve’ in charge and ask himself “What would ‘new Steve’ do in this situation?”

Using ‘new Steve’ allowed him to observe rather than react to what was happening and also gave him a different perspective. He talks about great changes that he’s made with the help of ‘new Steve.’

Joe Dispenza, author of Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind, talks about the equivalent of putting our brains under new management. He says that “nerve cells that fire together, wire together.” I used to believe that I could go on mental rants about something— an inner political tirade, a harsh judgment about someone’s behavior or a self-flagellation session—without consequence. I mistakenly believed that as long as I didn’t say it out loud, it didn’t do any harm.

But Dispenza clearly shows through brain research that those rants have a price. Those thoughts keep us trapped in ways of being and behaving that don’t serve us.
I no longer give myself permission to take those mental road trips and instead use a simple technique that Dispenza teaches. He says first we must become aware of those mental patterns. When we recognize the patterns, we then simply say ‘stop.’

Saying ‘stop’ interrupts the brain circuit that’s reinforced by repetitively thinking those particular thoughts. When those patterns are interrupted, we can take the time to create new patterns that are more loving and in alignment with what we want.

This seems simple but many of those negative thought patterns are so practiced they run through our minds without conscious awareness. I realized this many years ago after I finally started to meditate daily.

As I drove to an appointment shortly after starting my practice, I became aware of a parade of worries, fears and regrets running through my mind. My first thought was that meditation made me think negatively! I quickly realized those thoughts had been running for a long time.

Meditation allowed me to be aware of the thoughts and decide whether they were indeed the ones I wanted taking up space in my brain. By ‘stopping’ those thoughts, I can
replace them with ones that serve me better— I can place myself Under New Management.

What does being “under new management” mean to you?