Hello,

With a month under our belt, I hope your 2019 is shaping up to be the best yet. This past year, I completed the manuscript of my new book Outthinking Fear: A Neurosurgeon’s Secrets To Making Life’s Tough Decisions and had one of the most productive years in my career yet. This was a big reason to celebrate 2018, but has also given me so much to look forward to in 2019.

At the end of 2018, I reflected on the year and thought about my new year’s resolutions. As January approached and I finalized my goals, I started to really think through the brain’s role in determining if our resolutions succeed or fail. I shared my 4-step strategy on Business Insider – with each step I discussed how to create good habit formation with your brain. When we are pleased by the results of an action, dopamine is released, which makes us feel good. Over time, this association with feeling good can make a behavior automatic. The key to building these good habits is to establish a foundation that makes better behaviors automatic.

2019 will also be a huge milestone for me as it’s my 20 year anniversary of being a doctor. I’ve used my experiences, knowledge and reflections I’ve collected throughout my career to compose Outthinking Fear. During the book writing process, I had the chance to read several other great books while continuing my research. I rediscovered a great book, Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik, M.D., which I highly recommend.

I look forward to continue reading and sharing with you books that have brought me great value. In fact, reading more is one of my 2019 resolutions. I’m on a roll and have already read three books this month! 

As we wrap up January, let’s continue to hit our goals. If you think it’s too late to set resolutions – it’s not! You can start a new habit any time. Stay tuned for updates on the release of my book Outthinking Fear! My hope is that 2019 will be one of your best years yet.

Warm regards,
Mark