Do Not Allow the Lizard Brain to Take Over — Unless Your Life Is In Danger


The lizard brain. The primitive brain stem. The one system that is the oldest portion of your brain. It is the location where raw instincts reside and flow from. This is where fight-or-flight lives. You feel aggression — it comes from the lizard brain.

When you feel fear, it comes from the lizard brain. The lizard brain is that tool your body is wired into that tells it to get the hell out of there and run away or fight to the end using a brick or a 2X4 to ensure you walk away.
“get out of your mind” photo by Alex on Unsplash
Fast forward to modern-ish times. The popular thing to do lately is to get your DNA sequenced to figure out who (or what) you descend from. I’m going to save you $250 by telling you who your ancestors are.

Ready?

We all come from a long line of liars, cheaters, thieves, murderers and cowards. Many of our ancestors ran away or hid in the underbrush. Our lineage comes from those predecessors whose lizard brains decided for them to let them live to see another day. The lizard brain motivated (or soothed) them to escape from what they were afraid of most.

Feel whole now? Have a better understanding of where you come from? You are $250 to the positive now. You are welcome.

Sure, there are those angry folks who want to fight everyone everywhere. Yet those types usually do not last long in this world. Deceivers, connivers and sleight-of-hand types are learning how to escape, and their generations live on. If we were all Conan the Barbarian’s or the Red Sonja’s of the world, there would be no one left. If we keep attacking the saber-tooth cat with a stick, eventually we will die.
“I told you not to use a stick” photo by Rubén Bagüés on Unsplash
For us to survive, we became smarter, yet fear remains.

Yes, we are smart, but afraid. We are rational even. We can use our more modern brains and our opposable thumbs to find the best way to approach and solve problems. Yet we are afraid of the result. Sometimes the best way to approach a problem (maybe) is to walk (run) away from it.

We think through a solution that is elegant, yet at times we would rather be smashing it into pieces. Hulk smash is not an appropriate response! Running away like Monty Python is often a better approach. Yet that is the lizard DNA flowing through your veins. We need to combat that apathy.
What is our defense against the lizard brain? What activity should we work on that allows us to overcome resistance?

First you need to recognize that the lizard brain is taking over. It is that action alone that you make a choice, to decide to make yourself uncomfortable. Leaning in, stepping up, leaping forward; these activities counter the lizard brain. The lizard brain lulls you into the comfortable, into the “safe” place. Away from the danger. Away from the scary stuff. Fight that lizard brain activity. It is okay to be one with discomfort, the scary stuff. The things that make you feel out of your skin.
“how fast can you run” photoby jean wimmerlin on Unsplash
Because of all the thousands of generations, we have evolved from our ancestors from the trees, most of us have the flight mechanism. We must reprogram it. Or ignore it. Most of us have that fear trigger that overwhelms us and we run away. We fear that we will fail. We fear that someone will judge us. We fear that people will see us as the Imposter. That is the lizard brain. That lizard brain tells you to run away from that uncomfortable space.

Learn how to do the following things that will smother the lizard:
  • Realize and recognize that you are stalling. That you are looking for excuses. Immediately and actively choose to stop allowing those excuses to happen.
  • Be open to new experiences, new ideas, new concepts that are not even remotely close to your head. If someone suggests you do something that is so contrary to your “normal” actions, then you should consider doing it.
  • Do not make excuses.
  • Did I say to stop making excuses?
  • No longer have the fear of failure. Failure is really a success. It is a badge of honor that you have the guts, the intestinal fortitude to try.
  • When the first recognition of fear or stalling begins to creep in, turn it into a bias for action. For overcoming that fear. Do an activity that counters that fear and just do it. Do not overthink it. If the fear is to walk away, turn it into an opportunity to run AT IT. Like Nike’s slogan — Just Do It.
  • Let your energy be your device to carry you to success. If you throw a boomerang, you must throw it hard enough to make it come back. You must to throw it with purpose. With energy! With conviction!
  • If you come to a path that seems less traveled, or that you are on the frontier. Embrace that gift. Take the next step and another. Have the discipline to stick it out.
  • Stop sandbagging. Stop playing safe. Reach for the stars.
  • Do not fear success.
  • Do not fear hard work.
  • Stop saying one thing and do something contrary to it. Self-sabotage sucks. E.g. I want to get fit. But I do not have time and I will start next week/month/year. OR I want to be successful — but I will start after I finish playing this
What are you waiting for? You must make a choice. You should choose to step up. You must decide to ignore the lizard brain.

Go.

 Do.

 Now.

Go forth and be brilliant.

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