Note: This article is by Tyler Tervooren, author and founder of riskology.co, who tells us about his life-changing adventure.
Accepting Uncertainty
Fear of the unknown is a common cause of incapacitation, but when it comes to living the life we truly want, there is no well-defined path to follow.
The normal response of the amygdala, known as the "lizard brain," is sensory perception and feelings. It is responsible for performing simple tasks such as love, eating, and others, and it is found in humans and animals.
When confronted with a situation of uncertainty, this brain constantly tells you to be careful through fear and immediate rejection. It does not want you to change, and the difficult part is that this fear and rejection typically do not appear as the heartfelt emotions you only see in movies but rather as something sneakier and more subversive.
Here is what that rejection is likely to look like:
- I will spend only 10 minutes on Facebook.
- I will go to work after watching just another show.
- I am so tired of going out and meeting people tonight.
- I will start my diet just after another day of junk food.
For a very long time, the lizard brain has been a very strong influence on our psychological states, and it is skilled at preventing you from experiencing anything that is not absolutely certain. It understands that it does not have to persuade you to completely abandon your plan; it can simply discourage you from doing something crazy now by delaying it a little.
- I will work on my music tomorrow because I am really enjoying this TV show right now.
- I will be working on organizing my finances so I can quit my job later because I need to come up with a smart tweet right now.
- I will look up a mentor later because I am really busy with this book right now.
It Is a Really Cool Trick
This trick can be repeated every day, and we are happy to stick to it because it is very convenient. I fall victim to lizard brain all the time and face it every time I want to write an article, even this one I am writing now.
The only way to get around this trick is to start working according to the problem-solving approach, which means flipping that complete rest on its head. At all costs, we must seek out uncertainty, embrace it, and actively seek out risk-taking opportunities.
We should constantly seek out new ways to be uncomfortable rather than looking for more of the same comfortable things. The best way to tell if the lizard brain is hurting you is to not feel it.
The lizard brain enjoys browsing Facebook, watching TV, and reading magazines, so rest assured. However, it will awaken when faced with a crazy idea like selling your art, starting a business, or climbing a mountain, and it will also wake up angry.
Face the Lizard Brain
Pam Slim, a great mentor, once gave me the best piece of advice I have ever heard about facing our lizard brain: “The best way to face the lizard brain is to give it a name and think of it more as a teammate than an opponent.”
Personally, I gave it the name Sal Mander and made it my pet. It may sound silly, but that is the point, and this made such a huge difference. By making it an imaginary pet, I can talk to it and thank it for taking care of my safety, just as if you were patting your dog on the forehead for guarding the door at night.
I can almost picture that pet sitting on the table in front of me, so frustrated because I am writing about it, but I know I have to write this. The more it gets upset, the more I get nervous and suspicious, and the more likely it is that what I do has some value. So I can use this pet as a gauge of the worth of my projects.
As you do this more, you will see how much fun it can be to face the unknown and try things outside your comfort zone.
In Conclusion
It is about finding the joy and pleasure that can result from the pursuit itself, rather than just acknowledging or accepting that you must put up with it to get what you really want. It does not matter where you end up as long as you are pursuing pleasure, and this is something you do not learn in school.
Despite what we are told, nothing in life is certain, even if it seems secure and comfortable. Since this is the case, we might as well be working on something that makes a difference to both us and other people.
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