Path settings constantly return to standard, how do I change standard settings?

Hi,

I'm having some problems with drawing paths in Illustrator. Everytime I draw a new path, this new path shows up in the standard settings. The 'brush defenition' turns back to 'basic' and the 'variable width profile' back to 'uniform'.

It would save me a lot of time if I could change those standard settings into what I prefer.

Can someone explain me how to do this?

Thanks in advance!