Long practice teaches an artist to direct their gaze in an unusually focused way; it trains them to repurpose areas of their brain; and it changes the very structure of the brain’s neural networks. Ocean’s unusual patterns of thought – and his unusually developed brain – were normal in trained artists. Other neurological researchers have shown that

But the problem with mindfulness is more specific. It’s great for stopping negative thoughts, but it doesn’t activate positive thoughts. It helps you avoid an old pathway, but it doesn’t help build a new pathway. In fact, it undermines that goal with its assertion that thinking and doing are bad. This is not biologically realistic. Our brain is

This understanding is important because it provides a neurological foundation for why deliberate practice works. By focusing intensely on a specific skill, you’re forcing the specific relevant circuit to fire, again and again, in isolation. This repetitive use of a specific circuit triggers cells called oligodendrocytes to begin wrapping layers of