What is the main message of The Source?

The main message of The Source is the power of neuroscience and mindfulness to unlock your potential.

Who is the author of The Source?

The author of The Source is Dr. Tara Swart.

Personal Development

The Source Book Summary - The Source Book explained in key points

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The Source summary

Name: The Source
Rating: 4.4 (94 reviews)
Author: Dr. Tara Swart

Dr. Tara Swart

The Secrets of the Universe, the Science of the Brain

4.4 (94 ratings)

18 mins

Brief summary

"The Source" by Dr. Tara Swart is a guide to using neuroscience and spirituality to improve mental well-being, increase productivity, and achieve success.

Topics

Stress Reduction The Brain Self-Help Mental Health Confidence Self-Care

Table of Contents

The Source
Summary of 6 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 6

What’s in it for me? Get what you want by unleashing the power of your brain.

Stop reading for just a moment and think about what it is that you want from life.

Whatever it is you thought about, it probably includes something to do with your health, happiness, wealth, or love. And for good reason - these four things directly depend on how you think, feel, and act in your day to day life.

Gautama Buddha once said, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts.”

So, with that in mind, in this Blink to Tara Swart’s The Source, we’ll cover the meaning of visualization, what four-steps you can take to fire up your brain’s full potential, and even how to rewire it, if necessary.

Visualization and the law of attraction

You’ve probably heard people use the terms visualization and the law of attraction before. You may have even dismissed them as a bit of hocus pocus since they’re often discussed with reference to “thought vibrations” and “higher powers,” but actually, science backs them up.

The ideas are nothing new. The law of attraction can be defined as the ability to create relationships, situations, and material things in your life as a result of the way you think. Visualization means manifesting the life you desire by engaging all your senses – say it, hear it, smell it, taste it, see it, and feel it. By focusing your mind you make your dreams become more tangible and direct your energy toward them through your actions.

So what’s the science behind this? Well, there are two powerful processes going on in your brain when you practice visualization: selective filtering and value tagging.

Selective filtering basically means that you filter out the unnecessary while focusing on the important stuff. You do this all the time, otherwise, you’d be simply unable to concentrate.

Visual tagging is something that goes on in your brain in the background. It constitutes the importance your brain puts on a place, person, smell, or memory. For example, a green VW Beetle parked outside your house might bring back memories of your first car. You might even want to strike up a conversation with the owner. But, of course, if your first car was a red Mini, the Beetle doesn’t have the same value to you so it could sit there for days without you even noticing it.

These processes are important because if you focus your brain on what you want in life, this raises your awareness, which in turn results in opportunities coming into your life. You simply begin to see the possibilities in front of you in a way that your brain was keeping hidden from you before. You then “attract” these possibilities as a result.

But if you want to use your brain’s power to the fullest, you first need it to be healthy. Let’s find out how to get there in the next section.

Taking care of your brain

You may have heard that once you physically stop growing, your brain stops growing too. It’s received wisdom, right? Well, not anymore. Neuroscientists now know that embryonic nerve cells can be found in the hippocampus – an area of the brain where we store memories – and quite probably (although not yet proven) in other areas of the brain, too.

Despite the potential for your brain to regenerate and grow, it’s vitally important that you look after your brain to maintain, maximize, and optimize the way it functions. Here’s how:

Rewiring your brain for optimal performance

Let’s try a little experiment. Think about what you did one day last week, or last birthday or some other special occasion. What happened? Where were you and who were you with? Do you remember how you were feeling?

When you do this kind of exercise, you strengthen the neurons in the part of your hippocampus responsible for memory. Add in the dimension of emotion and the memory becomes even stronger. This neatly illustrates exactly the phenomenon of neuroplasticity – your brain’s ability to change and become flexible. It’s what enables your brain to create pathways between your subconscious and conscious parts of your brain. It’s key to your self-empowerment.

A whole-brain approach to thinking

Let’s kick this section off with an example. Fred worked at a bank. His decision-making was always logical. He even used spreadsheets with pros and cons listed for both business and personal decisions. How did that work out? Sometimes he’d make what he knew were likely to be bad decisions – ignoring his gut feeling – simply because it looked good on paper.

Swart worked with Fred on getting him to use what’s known as a brain agility model. He began to trust his gut more and think more creatively. He was determined to make it work for him. It took about three months to fully integrate the model and be confident that he could trust his “whole brain.”

A four-step plan to unleash the power of your brain

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” So said Carl Jung, the Swiss psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. This really sums up what’s required to unlock your future potential.

In the book, Swart offers several exercises for each of the four steps we’re about to cover, whereas we can only offer you a few suggestions in this Blink. But please remember that you should only move forward to the next step after you’ve attained benefits and insights from the previous one.

Final Summary

The science behind the law of attraction and visualization is real. But in order to unleash the full potential and power of your brain you must first take good care of it. Then, once you understand how you can rewire your brain and think using all of it, you can use the four-step process to build a more confident you and be able to attract the things you want from life using visualization. Opportunities that once passed you by will now only be a thing of the past.

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What is The Source about?

The Source (2019) reveals the secret to mastering your mind. It draws on cognitive science and the author’s coaching experience to provide a four-step plan to fire up your brain and get what you want from life by becoming a new, confident you.

The Source Review

The Source (2022) by Dr. Tara Swart is a fascinating exploration of the power of the mind and how to harness it. Here's why this book is worth reading:

Presenting cutting-edge neuroscience research in an accessible way, it provides practical insights into optimizing our brain's potential for success and well-being.
By integrating Eastern philosophy with Western science, the book offers a unique perspective on personal growth and self-improvement.
With its engaging case studies and interactive exercises, the book keeps readers captivated, ensuring that even complex concepts remain interesting and applicable.

Who should read The Source?

Personal Development seekers
Stressed individuals looking to improve their mental health and well-being
Entrepreneurs and business leaders

About the Author

Dr. Tara Swart is a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan and Kings College, London. She’s a neuroscientist and former psychiatrist and, as an executive advisor, she’s worked with many leaders in media and business. Previously, she coauthored the award-winning Neuroscience for Leadership.

Categories with The Source

Personal Development Health & Nutrition Psychology

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