I was watching a gymnastics TV series the other day. One of the gymnasts could not seem to stick a flawless landing, her body kept twisting in the direction it shouldn’t. She had a case of the twisties; her mind could not be convinced that her body was safe doing that move and so it sent a message to the department of internal security to twist a certain way to protect it.
We all have these moments, you know, the ones when try as we might, we just can’t bring the mind on board. We want to do something but the mind is not convinced that we will be safe doing it so it throws a coup on us, it conspires against us.
The thing is, sometimes the mind is right, especially if you are thinking of people who take maniacal risks like Richard Branson, your brain sends you memos to tell you it may not be well with you if you take a certain route. This becomes a problem when the brain tries to trip you up because you are moving out of your comfort zone and into the unknown. It is your job to notice when the brain is pulling the latter on you because let’s face it, we are wired a certain way, we have an all-ready defined cognitive map, we know what goes where, what follows a certain move and who gets us to be a certain way; all these have been etched into our brains over time by years of experience and socialization. The brain knows what it already knows, it feels safe that way, and why wouldn’t it, it is a sure map with certain results. It is safe, it is in the category of the known.
And then you grow up and come to the realization that as much as your experiences are good because they are tried and tested hence making this map very relevant and reliable, these experiences are bad too because they inform your brain to scream in fear every time you want and have to try something new, something unbeknownst to it. It comes out guns blazing, and trips you up when you try something new, all this in the name of safety and consistency. Don’t blame the map, it is doing what it is supposed to do; notify you at the first glimpse of a “threat”.
I am sure you are familiar with the saying, it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but that’s just it, hard, not impossible. Do you know how the gymnast overcame the twisties? Her coach advised her to give her brain a taste of its own medicine, to trip it up. So she practiced that landing over and over until her brain was convinced that her body is safe to stick that landing after a jump.
Go out this new year and show your brain who’s boss, kick the twisties in the butt and land safe on your feet.
Here’s to a happy new year.
