On the day you entered this world, you had a full set of neurons, the same as you do now! So why couldn’t you play a guitar, sink a basket, sing a song, or even walk?
Think of brain cells like a railway system. Each station, or cell, is useless if it isn’t connected to the rest of the system. Tracks connect the stations, just as pathways connect your brain cells. You start life with very few such pathways. Babies are so helpless because they have almost no pathways. But your brain creates new paths as you learn and remember. They work like shortcuts to help you think and act faster and better.
Suppose you’re learning to play the piano. The first time you touch the keyboard, your fingers are clumsy. You play slowly and make mistakes. Your brain has to actively think about moving each finger, reading the music, and hitting just one key at a time. As you practice, sets of neurons connect together to create shortcuts, and pretty soon you can play almost without thinking. The “piano path” is now wired into your brain. The more you play, the stronger the path becomes.
When you’re young, you can create new paths more easily and quickly. Now, while you’re still young, is the best time to train your brain, because it’s still moldable. You can even decide what kind of brain you want to create! If you love reading, your brain will create paths in the language area. If you play sports, the motor-control section of your brain will grow thick with connections. In short, you are what you think and do!
