The World's Greatest Lie

I've had a little time on my hands lately, bonded with the other 22 million unemployed Americans of the last 6 weeks. (For reference, that's basically eliminating every job that has been created in the last decade) * DOL weekly release

Within this crowd of job seekers, there is anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, and self-despair. I've also seen patience, optimism, faith, growth, and joy. The whole enchilada of emotions. (shout out Cinco De Mayo)

We all respond differently & we all have a different path riddled with a myriad of struggles, but one thing I can assure you, (and it feels good saying it to myself) is that there is a lie that's been swirling in this current of uncertainty.

The story of Santiago, the dreaming sheep herder, as told in "The Alchemist" (Coelho, 1993) is quite fitting for the 22 million of us, as well as any other human that is perplexed by how to react to the current events of 2020.

The humble Andalusian boy journeys from Spain to chase a vision of freedom, treasure, and hope. Along the way, in a common public plaza, he encounters an old man claiming to be a king named Melchizedek. The king earns the attention of Santiago to have THIS interaction:

"Hmm. . . " said the old man, looking at all sides of the book, as if it were some strange object. "This is an important book, but it's really irritating." 

The boy was shocked. The old man knew how to read, 
and had already read the book. And if the book was irritating, 
as the old man had said, the boy still had time to change it for another. 

"It's a book that says the same thing almost all the other books in the world say," continued the old man. "It describes people's inability to choose their own destinies. And it ends up saying that everyone believes 
the world's greatest lie." 

"What's the world's greatest lie?" the boy asked, completely surprised. 

"It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."

...at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.

Yeah, I went there. but don't misinterpret my view. I am not implying that this global pandemic was a choice, or that we are able to choose to keep our jobs, salary, security, and comforts. Nope. Not at all.

I am implying that we can not lean into the fallacy of fate.

I am an agent of choice. I am an agent of change. I am an agent of agency. I am an agent of action.

Say it with me now- louder for the people in back

• I am an agent of choice
• I am an agent of change
• I am an agent of agency
• I am an agent of action

Let's set this positive self-talk aside for a minute to get into some science.

Headline: Let's ensure we are enlarging our hippocampus through neuroplasticity. For 150 years, every new cab driver in London had to pass "The Knowledge", a rigorous exam that earns the right to operate one of the famous London black cabs. Interestingly enough, in 2000, researchers studied if you could actually 'see' the impact of the this test on the brain of these qualified drivers. They compared the hippocampus of successful taxi drivers to local London bus drivers, who had a simple predetermined route. Bus drivers have a skill set, but don't require choice and knowledge of all the roads of London. They are good at their one route. In the end, researchers learned that drivers who had mastered the London streets in fact did have a larger hippocampus than bus drivers. The drivers study of the routes had actually altered their brain anatomy. Our brains can be reshaped, in a a process scientists call neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a scientific process that indicates the ways the brain can modify itself in order to process and respond to external stimuli. Simply put, our brains have capacity to grow and learn.

Our brains are capable of so much more than we ask of them. Whatever we want to achieve in life, we can use our brain's ability to our advantage, we just need to reshape it. You just need to understand and apply the science.

The science equals a series of steps involving attention, reward, and reinforcement. A leading scientist from Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. Andrew Huberman says 'there are two ways to modify the brain. One way is high intensity, high attention events...' like running a marathon, giving birth, or falling in love. 'The second way is through small, consistent behavioral changes that's not associated with any kind of crowd roaring, finish line feeling that involve 1. Attention 2. Reward and 3. Reinforcement.

Since I am not in the habit of participating in a child birthing daily (so far my lifetime number is ZERO), I personally have to rely on the reinforcement loop of neuroplasticity. Or in plain English, I am creating habits, becoming bound to them, and dominating my future. This isn't rocket science, this is brain science. And guess what, my profession as an Human Resource professional intersects with this. (but it applies to people managers, as well as anyone looking to free themselves from the foreordained of fate)

Quick pivot to professional practicality: (PG-13 clip)

sidenote: I have literally been that HR professional. Well, at least given the task to 'control headcount' and 'analyze teams for inefficiencies', and it's a useful and productive exercise that can help an organization 'do more with less'.

In the clip from Silicon Valley, the HR professional uses the 'Reinforcement Loop' of

1. Attention: All that sass

2. Reward: In this instance, a negative reward to Gilfoyle with 5 employees

3. Reinforcement: The savory poetic and passive aggressive 'teaching moment'

I am not saying this is the right way of doing things, nor does it support the 'small and simple steps' process that Dr Huberman references. But what I am saying is- PEOPLE CAN CHANGE.

If you haven't read The Alchemist, do yourself a favor, and go read how Santiago combats the 'greatest lie in the world' that our lives are controlled by fate (hint- he ends up in a dessert)...

...and while you can't literally see if your hippocampus is larger than others, you can determine if you are (or want to be) capable of driving a London black cab, or if you are going to sit on the predetermined routes as a bus driver...

...and if you personally are struggling with how to cope right now, be an 'agent of action' by commenting on/sharing this post on what you are doing to 'grow your hippocampus', or 'combat the greatest lie in the world', or 'create your reinforcement loop'. I'd love to find some additional motivation from you.