When you are making decisions about what your future should look like, do you look to your past for guidance? If you do, you might be suffering from one of the many perils of having a human brain.
What we need to remember is that the brain’s primary job is to keep us alive. And while that does spawn some feelings of gratitude, the brain, when left unattended will get oh so carried away with this job.
And as you may have noticed, the brain’s primary source of control is FEAR. And in order to overcome this overly protective parent, we must be aware enough to see what is happening.
Stepping into a life of true forward progress is like flying with just carry-on. There is only room for meticulously chosen items that are useful, pertinent and adaptable (oh and no liquid, gels or aerosols). The oversized bags you have packed with your limiting beliefs, the irrelevant stories about what you are capable of and the list of times you failed or fell short will not be allowed on the plane.
But oh how our brain loves to cling to our past. It spins a great story filled with a personal meaning about who we are. Quietly, subtly creating self-imposed restrictions and beliefs to fill a nice little cave to keep us safe.
Our past is significant. But our past existed for our growth and to create wisdom. When you find yourself living small it is always because you have become focused on what went wrong as opposed to what you learned.
The only way the past can have power over us is when we are unaware of the looping story that keeps running. When we give fear the wheel and allow it to drive.
What is holding you back?
Maybe you don’t have a college degree. Or enough college degrees. Or you don’t live in the right place. Or your family didn’t have money or maybe they had too much. Or maybe they were a bunch of whack-a-doodles. Maybe you are too tall, or too short, or just not the right body type. Maybe you are too loud or too shy. Didn’t work hard enough or spent too much time studying. Your mother was overprotective, or you dad didn’t love you. Whatever the reason, can you see the culprit lurking in the background? No matter how we try to dress it, fear is fear.
So many people use their past experiences and fails as a reason not to try. It is almost like a security blanket. And in that moment, the brain wins. What if you could just chose to do it anyways?
Listen to the story you tell about yourself and find the ‘gems’ you are holding on to. Things that sound a lot like observations about who you are. They are merely just sentences in your brain. And is this what you really want to believe?
It’s your life – make it a great one!
xopam
