Book SummaryThe Source, by Tara Swart

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Source

In The Source, Tara Swart explains that to achieve the life you want, you must tap into the full power of your brain and all its different neural pathways. She describes how the brain changes itself in response to our experiences, the different modes of thinking, and the major principles of the Law of Attraction. Though the Law of Attraction is often dismissed as pseudoscience or magical thinking, Swart explains the neuroscientific principles that underlie it and make it work. She then offers a four-step process for how to utilize all this knowledge and brainpower—which Swart collectively refers to as “The...

The Source Summary Neuroplasticity: How the Brain Changes

According to Swart, understanding how the brain changes itself—a process known as neuroplasticity—is essential to harnessing the full power of your brain, which in turn allows you to achieve what you want most in life and shape your future. Swart explains that the brain consists of 86 billion neurons—or brain cells—which are interconnected, and these connections are responsible for all our brain’s functions, including all our thoughts and behaviors.

(Shortform note: With its 86 billion neurons, the human brain has as many as triple the number of neurons as the brains of other primates. However, while this number is staggering, research suggests that the number of neurons in a human’s brain isn’t a predictor of intelligence; rather, according to additional research, it’s the size and speed of neurons that determines intelligence. Additionally, while the brain’s neuroplasticity can...

The Source Summary How to Make Your Brain More Agile

According to Swart, it’s not enough to fuel your brain well; you also have to make a deliberate effort to tap into all its different functions so it can perform at its best and help you achieve the life you want. To get the most out of your brain functioning, you have to improve brain agility: the ability to focus closely on one thing at a time, consider a problem from many different angles, and synthesize ideas from multiple modes of thinking. Swart describes six modes of thinking that together comprise what she calls a whole-brain approach. These are emotional intelligence, motivation, physical attunement, intuition, logic, and creativity.

These modes of thinking are interdependent and influence each other. Swart explains that most people predominantly use two or three of these, and they often consider themselves “bad” at the ones they don’t use as much. But she argues that anyone can hone all six of these modes and develop their brain agility, thus making the best use of their whole brain.

Comparing the Six Modes of Thinking to Taylor’s Four Characters

Swart appears to use the “whole” in “whole-brain approach” to refer abstractly to these modes of...

The Source Summary The Principles of the Law of Attraction

Swart explains that once you’ve figured out how to properly fuel your brain and have maximized your brain agility, you can tap into the Law of Attraction to create the future you want. Many people are familiar with the Law of Attraction as a spiritual or faith-based concept, as it’s the focus of a lot of self-help books and programs, but Swart explains that there are actually neurological reasons why this law works. She explains six principles underlying the Law of Attraction. We’ll highlight the two most important of these below.

(Shortform note: Many people associate the Law of Attraction with The Secret, a book that popularized the concept. But the term first appeared in a book called Isis Unveiled by 17th-century spiritualist Helena Blavatsky and continued to appear in the work of such writers as Thomas Troward, Wallace Delois Wattles, and Napoleon Hill.)

Principle #1: Abundance

Swart explains that the first step to utilizing the Law of Attraction is to take on an...

The Source Summary The Four-Step Process to Change Your Life

Finally, Swart offers a step-by-step process for utilizing all the above ideas to put your whole brain into action to create the future you want. This is where you’ll apply everything you’ve learned so far.

Step 1: Increase Your Self-Awareness

According to Swart, self-awareness is what helps you identify and take advantage of opportunities for change. She describes several journaling exercises that can increase your self-awareness.

First, Swart recommends a journaling exercise to increase your awareness of how your childhood continues to influence you today. She explains that your upbringing, and particularly what you learned from the people you were attached to, strongly influences who you are today. These relationships served as models for you in childhood. They created neural pathways between triggers (like stress, poverty, and nourishment) and responses, giving you a blueprint for how to deal with the situations in your life. To keep these learned responses from controlling your life, you must be aware of them.

Swart recommends listing things like the roles you and other members of your family played when you were growing up, the secrets your family kept...

Shortform Exercise: Take Small First Steps

Swart gives many recommendations for how to tap into your brain’s potential and change your life. For this exercise, we’ll start small so you have an idea of the immediate changes you can make.

First, consider how you can better fuel your brain. Pick one of Swart’s tips for fueling your brain (for example, exercising more frequently, hydrating better, or improving your diet), and identify one small change you can make today to implement that tip. Maybe you can start carrying a water bottle with you or purchase some leafy greens to eat for dinner tonight.