If you start from a position of I'm a no-hoper, in a paradoxical kind of way you are not risking being vulnerable.

As we get older it is our short term memory that fades rather than our long term memory. Perhaps we have evolved like this so that we are able to tell the younger generation about the stories and experiences that have formed us which may be important to subsequent generations if they are to thrive.I worry though, about what might happen to our minds if most of the stories we hear are about greed, war, and atrocity

Beginning a new habit, or ending an old one can feel like letting go of a rope that swings a mile above the ground. So we feel reluctant to let go, after all, we've survived so far doing what we've done, why risk it.

We don't have to have suffered brain damage to take advantage of the plastic nature of our brains.

If someone is depressed they tend to retreat within the inner circle of their comfort zone which in the longer term, may contribute to exacerbating a problem rather than soothing it and if not seeking to expand the comfort zone becomes the norm.

Neurogenesis continues throughout life and we have the capacity to establish new neural pathways and strengthen existing ones.

The trouble is if we take no new steps to try a new challenge, our comfort zone doesn't seem just to stay still, but retract.