Yes. No. Yes.

After reading my latest blog the other day, Stephane sent me an email suggesting I write a blog about how often we change our minds. I am pretty sure what he meant was, "Corrie, you should write a blog about why YOU change your mind so much." It is true: I change my mind regularly, even after I have made a decision following much analysis. Following my blog is probably downright confusing right? One minute we are going to Columbia, and then all of a sudden we are renovating a house in Oliver. Our plans have changed innumerable times in the past year. I have changed careers six times. Houses 20 times. I admit it, I change my mind - a lot.

Jeff Bezos, who is the CEO of Amazon, and someone I consider to be incredibly intelligent, says the smartest people he knows are those who are constantly reconsidering a problem they thought they’d already solved. It is because they’re open to new points of view, new information, new ideas, contradictions, and challenges to their own way of thinking. He says it’s not only perfectly healthy – but should be encouraged - to have an idea tomorrow that contradicts your idea today. Woohoo - someone smart who doesn't think I am a crazy person!

I think the world would be a better place if we all changed our minds more often. Think about how many problems might be solved by us coming out of our trench and letting go of our position - opening up our minds to thinking differently about something: changing our minds could possible change our relationships, our lives and our world.

Malcom Gladwell, another great mind and author of Outliers, Blink, and many other best sellers, said, "your responsibility as a person, as a human being – is to constantly be updating your positions on as many things as possible. And if you don't contradict yourself on a regular basis, then you're not thinking.”

When we settle into a set way of thinking, and think the same thing over and over, constantly reinforcing our beliefs, we basically train our brains - lay down neural pathways - that ultimately make it difficult to think any other way. Now that does not mean that holding true to positions of value is wrong. It is not. It is a legitimate position to embrace incremental change, in other words, to be conservative. Nothing wrong with that - unless of course it creates unworkable positions in life. The world is changing, and we must adapt - to a certain degree - if we want to survive. If humans continued to eat and live and think the way we did a million years ago - we would probably all be dead. Survival requires adaptation. And Adaptation requires we think differently sometimes.

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, is a fairly new understanding of how our brains work. Basically, it is the ability of the brain to change throughout an individual's life. We used to think that a child's brain was formed early on - and nothing much changed after that. Research has shown more recently that many aspects of the brain can be altered - even in adulthood. You can re-wire your brain.

Thinking differently about something, long enough to lay down new neural pathways, can change your mind, and thus your behaviour. I LOVE THIS! It means that with some diligence, we can change our bad habits. Conversely, if we remain open to new ideas, thoughts, and possibilities, we won't get entrenched into ways of thinking that hold us back - allowing us to adapt, and survive.

So, here's to change! I say, change your mind folks. Change it frequently. Change it for the better. And the next time someone says, "Man, you change your mind a lot," I suggest you say, thank you!