Trained to Feel: Rewiring Your Mind on Purpose
Song Of The Week
Ah, “Wondering Why” by The Red Clay—a musical journey that’s as delightful as an ice cream on a hot sunny day! This track is a delightful concoction of heartfelt lyrics and earthy instrumentals that dance like fireflies on a warm summer evening. The moment those twinkling guitars kick in, it feels like you’re being wrapped in a cozy blanket of nostalgia.
The song delves into the swirling complexities of life—the questions that linger longer than a bad haircut and the feelings that stick around like that one friend who never leaves the party early. The vocals are both haunting and soothing, taking you on a rollercoaster ride through yearning and curiosity.
And let’s talk about the chorus! It’s as catchy as a hiccup after a fizzy drink. You’ll find yourself humming it as you make your morning coffee or while you’re pretending to know how to garden (we all have our struggles). The beauty of “Wondering Why” lies in its relatability; it encapsulates that universal feeling of searching for answers in a world that sometimes feels like a puzzle with missing pieces.
Dogs and Bells?
I would consider myself someone who loves to think about themselves—outside themselves, inside themselves, to the left, to the right—you name it. The brain is endlessly fascinating to me, especially the way our emotions and reactions seem to arise from such specific, sometimes invisible, cues. Every feeling, every habit, every sudden rush of anxiety or warmth feels like a mystery waiting to be solved—one that lives deep in our neurons, shaped by experiences we may not even remember. This week, I found myself drawn to Pavlov's theory of behavior—the idea that we can be trained, conditioned, even rewired in subtle ways without realizing it.
If you haven't heard of Pavlov theory I recommend watching The Office season seven episode one. But if that is not your jam here is a short synopsis. Jim (a character who loves to pull pranks) trains Dwight (a coworker, basically his best friend/nemesis) by using his computer reboot sound. Every time the computer makes its little chime, Jim offers Dwight an Altoid. He did this experiment for a week straight, using the sound to trigger a reaction out of Dwight. Eventually, it got to the point that Dwight automatically reaches out his hand when he hears the sound—even when there’s no mint. That, in a nutshell, is Pavlovian conditioning. It’s the idea that our brains can start associating two things that don’t naturally go together—like a sound and the urge for a mint—just through repetition. It sounds simple, even funny, but it also makes you think: how many little ‘reboots’ in our lives have trained us to react without question? And suddenly, I started to wonder: how much of what I do is actually me, and how much is just a bell I’ve been trained to respond to?
Repetition Conditioning
Pavlov’s theory reminds me a lot of what it feels like to start a new habit or try something unfamiliar—because you can, quite literally, train yourself to associate certain actions or cues with specific emotions. For example, imagine waking up every day to the sound of your alarm, and each time it goes off, you repeat to yourself, “I am beautiful.” Over time, that sound—originally just an annoying buzz—could begin to trigger a positive, affirming thought. In theory, even hearing a similar tone later in the day might prompt you to think or say, “I am beautiful,” without even realizing why. That’s the power of association—conditioning your mind to respond in ways that serve you.
If you can do that to yourself—and even to others—why not your environment or your aura? If repeated sounds or phrases can shape the way we think or feel, maybe the same applies to the spaces we live in and the energy we carry. What if the colors we choose, the music we play, or the scents we surround ourselves with are all part of a bigger conditioning loop? Maybe we’re constantly training our senses to feel safe, calm, inspired—or stressed, scattered, and closed off—without even noticing it. This can be happening without any acknowledgment and sometimes we have to shake it up to see what is conditional.
Once you realize how much your environment influences your emotions and behaviors, it makes sense to take a closer look at the people around you too. Family, friends, coworkers, peers etc. Your social circle is part of your atmosphere—I would say maybe even the loudest part. If you’re constantly around people who speak fear, self-doubt, or negativity, it’s easy to start associating those tones with your own inner voice. And leach out into your actions and your way of life. On the flip side, being around people who encourage you, challenge you, and celebrate your growth can rewire your emotional responses over time. And you'll start to notice a difference in performances and outcomes. It's like curating your life to condition your future self—through words, habits, spaces, and company. Yet, this is a double edge sword. If you are curating your own space/world, someone else is also curating their own space/world at the same time!
Endless Outcomes and Possiblities
This fills me with immense butterflies because there are endless amounts of opportunity to change and relies on me to activate it. I can curate my future self by conditioning my present atmosphere and behaviors. This conditioning is a constant cycle of leveling up; I imagine a cyclone type of trajectory. And let’s be real, this is a lot easier said than done. What I am talking about is breaking bad habits to form new ones or changing your entire point of view. It takes awareness, patience, and a lot of unlearning to create action. But that’s exactly why I wanted to talk about this—to bring awareness to the ways we’re already being conditioned, and to remind myself (and you) that we can use this psychological trick on ourselves. We can rewire, redefine, and retrain the way we think and feel—on purpose.
Therefore, lately I’ve been asking myself: what am I unknowingly responding to? What sounds, spaces, or people are quietly shaping the way I feel about myself and the world? Pavlov may have been studying dogs and bells, but the lesson still echoes—our brains are listening, learning, and responding all the time. The question is, are we training ourselves to feel small… or to rise?
A new rhythm found me this week—country-soaked and slow-burning. Wondering Why hums like thunder in the distance, gentle but persistent. It rolls with the weather, rain or shine, as if it already knows how many skies I’ve stood under, asking questions I couldn’t name.There’s something about this song that makes space for the ache and the wonder— like it’s telling me it’s okay not to rush the answer, okay to sit in the quiet, okay to just feel it all and let the wind do the talking. It reminds me: some questions aren’t meant to be answered, just carried— like in the back of your mind, or a melody you hum without knowing why.
Enjoy This Journey With Me
° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °
Enjoy This Journey With Me ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °
This isn’t the end—just a bookmark in the conversation. Stories don’t really close; they unfold, shift, and find new voices. If this one stirred something in you, let it breathe. Leave a thought, challenge an idea, or carry it forward in your own way. And if you ever feel like wandering through more unfinished thoughts, you know where to find me. Let’s keep the conversation alive. ~XOXO
