If you were guaranteed success doing whatever you wanted, what would you do?
Evolutionary psychology tells us that our brains like to sabotage us when we think about making changes in our lives. You see, our minds enjoy the status quo. They prefer situations that are “expected” and actions that “normal.”
According to evolutionary psychologists, this “risk avoidance” mindset helped us survive in the wild all those thousands of years ago. When we were chasing prey and we reached the edge of our known hunting ground, our brain would signal that we should stop because the Dangerous Unknown lay ahead. When some people’s brains didn’t fire a warning signal and they entered the Dangerous Unknown anyway, they were probably eaten by wolves or something. That’s natural selection’s explanation for why we fear change.
Well guess what? We really have little to fear now from venturing into the unknown (certainly not death or maiming), so why do we still listen to our brains when they tell us we can’t do something?
We listen because our brain is a tricky, tricky beast. Since it has access to our deepest feelings and our darkest fears, it exploits us and makes compelling arguments that on the surface appear logical.
“Who are we to do this thing that no one has done before?” your brain might reason.
“How can we possibly succeed at this when there are so many other people who are already more successful than us?” it might justify. (This argument is ludicrous by the way—there will always be more success stories.)
Guess what? These are just thoughts. Your brain doesn’t know if you’ll be successful or not. How could it? (Unless you are clairvoyant, in which case you could probably become a success by predicting other people’s successes.)
So how do you argue with your brain? Do you do your best “Rosie the Riveter” impression and proclaim to yourself and everyone, “We can do it!”?
No, trust me, this does not work. I can tell you from experience that you’ll never win an argument with your own mind. It always has a comeback and it always knows which blow will cripple you. You simply cannot fight evolutionary psychology.
Instead of arguing with yourself, simply recognize that your mind is up to its old tricks, and say, “Thank you, Brain, for letting me know that I’m thinking or doing something new.”
After all, you do want to do something new, don’t you? Isn’t that what life is all about, living and trying new things? Personally, I think we should strive to be defined by our choices, not our fears.
So, I’ll ask again:
If you were guaranteed success doing whatever you wanted, what would you do?
This time, when your brain starts saying, “No, we’ll never be a famous musician,” or, “I doubt we’ll ever become a successful writer,” just thank it for its comment and move on with your life and toward your success.
My bet is that despite what your brain says, you have what it takes, and with the proper amount of desire, effort, and determination, you will succeed.
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