YOUR BRAIN IS CHEATING YOU !!

Why is it so hard to get motivated?

Why is it so hard to have discipline?

Why is it so hard to get motivated?

Why is it so hard to have discipline?

Why is it so hard to keep calm in times of stress?

Why do we hesitate and double guess our own potential?

Why is it that we know what we need to do to improve our lives, but we choose not to do it?

Science explains: this is called the knowledge /action gap (you know what to do, but you cant seem to make yourself do it). We all have access to google and information… So why more and more people are lost, demotivated, sad and feel trapped in a life they don’t enjoy?

It is all about the . To understand why we find it so difficult to change habits, to motivate ourselves, to get out of the comfort zone we need to understand how our brain works to pull you away from something that is not known or perceived to be a problem.

Our minds are designed to stop you, at all costs from doing things that might hurt you, or that feels foreign or that takes you out of your comfort zone.

And the mind does that to protect you!

One of the ways your brain tries to protect you is by using the spotlight phenomenon where you brain magnifies the risk. This has been happening for thousand of years to keep us safe and make sure our  behavior is predictable in order to survive in times of uncertainty and scarcity.

We need to understand that:

-         Most of the time we will not feel like getting up early and exercising

-         Most of us will go back to the same pattern of behavior that we are used to and comfortable with.

Micro moments of wrong decisions can change your whole life and most of the time we are not aware of them. When we become more aware of our decisions behaviors and thoughts we understand that we are a lot more in control of our lives than we think. Which means, most of us react to life instead of making clear life decisions.

We do not wake up and decide : Today is the day I destroy my life; but we make little decisions everyday (or skip making them) and “check out” because it feels overwhelming, or we are afraid and full of self doubt. We make tiny decisions all day long without realizing it and these decisions can change our lives for better or worse.

Decisions to wake up and feel happy and healthy,

Decisions on how you will treat your kids or partner,

Decisions to eat the right food or not,

Decisions to start that diet next week,

Decisions to be a victim of life or a warrior,

So, when these decisions add up you realize you are so far off track and you think:

How the hell did I end up here?

And you have no idea how to get back where you want to be

So, how to find the power that is within you?

If you are in your head, thinking so much, looking for the motivation, trying to understand, looking for excuses you get stuck…

When you set your goals, set an intention and commit to it your brain will open a check list and your brain goes to work and reminds you of that intention that you set. When you set your goals you create a skill and if you commit to it no matter what, it will come a day you will change your habits and your brain will naturally accept that new behavior.

If you make a decision to wake up 6 am for a walk, make that a commitment, don’t hit the snooze button, don’t create excuses, go…. Go even if you don’t feel like it, go even if you are tired, go even if you have other things to do… go even if it is cold outside.

Make that a priority and part of your routine as it is to brush your teeth every morning. You do it once, twice, for a week and you realize that, on the third week that is part of your routine and your brain will push you out of the house.

We all have those moments daily when we feel like hitting the snooze button. You know what you have to do and if you don’t move in 5 seconds your brain will talk you out of it. Every human being has that 5 second window just before a decision is made. In these 5 seconds you can move from idea to action before your brain kicks into full gear and sabotages any change of behavior. Your brain is wired to stop you from doing things that are uncomfortable to you, uncertain or scary. It is your job to move from ideas to action.

When you understand the power of that 5 seconds decision and that you always have a choice to go from auto pilot to decision maker you will understand the amount of walls you put in the way of your hopes, dreams, potential, confidence.

We all know what to do!

Metacognition is a fancy word which basically means the understanding your own thought processes. That explain why some people in the same situation (for instance concentration camps and prisons) respond differently. The ones who survive and make their experience less painful are not luckier or gifted, they just have more control and understanding of how their brain can trick them.

When you awaken the prefrontal cortex it prompts you to move. That is the part of the brain you need that is ready when you are changing behavior, when you are learning new things and rituals. When you repeat an action everyday it becomes a new habit or a ritual and that triggers you to change gears and set yourself up for success. Count backwards: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and your brain will understand it is time for action. It does not work if you count up, because you can keep going, and counting up does not require focus. This technique is proven to work, and it has been used in the army services in order to get soldiers to align and exercise, it is used in schools for kids to stop talking and focus.

In the beginning all it does is to interrupt pattern of behaviors that you do on autopilot and it helps you to move from thinking to doing it.

Truth is, most of the time we never feel ready to make changes. We never feel ready to have kids, to start a new job, to change lifestyle… but we can always make a decision that is in our control. Staying at a job that you hate is a decision, staying in a toxic relationship is a decision, staying in a body that you are not proud of is a decision.

Is it going to be easy? No… it is not easy to change but it is simple.

Make the decision, make that a priority, use the 5 minutes rule.

Push yourself… your will struggle with self-doubt as everyone else does… The difference between most of us and the people we admire and find strong and successful is just that:

They do not hesitate, or procrastinate … They trust themselves; they trust their vision and they have discipline in times of success or ‘failure’. They keep going and they just DO IT!

Perhaps NIKE knew it already…. JUST DO IT! 

Why is it so hard to keep calm in times of stress?

Why do we hesitate and double guess our own potential?

Why is it that we KNOW what we need to do to improve our lives, but we choose not to do it?

Science explains: this is called the knowledge /action gap (you know what to do, but you cant seem to make yourself do it). We all have access to google and information… So why more and more people are lost, demotivated, sad and feel trapped in a life they don’t enjoy?

It is all about the mind. To understand why we find it so difficult to change habits, to motivate ourselves, to get out of the comfort zone we need to understand how our brain works to pull you away from something that is not known or perceived to be a problem.

Our minds are designed to stop you, at all costs from doing things that might hurt you, or that feels foreign or that takes you out of your comfort zone.

And the mind does that to protect you!

One of the ways your brain tries to protect you is by using the spotlight phenomenon where you brain magnifies the risk. This has been happening for thousand of years to keep us safe and make sure our  behavior is predictable in order to survive in times of uncertainty and scarcity.

We need to understand that:

-         Most of the time we will not feel like getting up early and exercising

-         Most of us will go back to the same pattern of behavior that we are used to and comfortable with.

Micro moments of wrong decisions can change your whole life and most of the time we are not aware of them. When we become more aware of our decisions behaviors and thoughts we understand that we are a lot more in control of our lives than we think. Which means, most of us react to life instead of making clear life decisions.

We do not wake up and decide : Today is the day I destroy my life; but we make little decisions everyday (or skip making them) and “check out” because it feels overwhelming, or we are afraid and full of self doubt. We make tiny decisions all day long without realizing it and these decisions can change our lives for better or worse.

Decisions to wake up and feel happy and healthy,

Decisions on how you will treat your kids or partner,

Decisions to eat the right food or not,

Decisions to start that diet next week,

Decisions to be a victim of life or a warrior,

So, when these decisions add up you realize you are so far off track and you think:

How the hell did I end up here?

And you have no idea how to get back where you want to be

So, how to find the power that is within you?

If you are in your head, thinking so much, looking for the motivation, trying to understand, looking for excuses you get stuck…

When you set your goals, set an intention and commit to it your brain will open a check list and your brain goes to work and reminds you of that intention that you set. When you set your goals you create a skill and if you commit to it no matter what, it will come a day you will change your habits and your brain will naturally accept that new behavior.

If you make a decision to wake up 6 am for a walk, make that a commitment, don’t hit the snooze button, don’t create excuses, go…. Go even if you don’t feel like it, go even if you are tired, go even if you have other things to do… go even if it is cold outside.

Make that a priority and part of your routine as it is to brush your teeth every morning. You do it once, twice, for a week and you realize that, on the third week that is part of your routine and your brain will push you out of the house.

We all have those moments daily when we feel like hitting the snooze button. You know what you have to do and if you don’t move in 5 seconds your brain will talk you out of it. Every human being has that 5 second window just before a decision is made. In these 5 seconds you can move from idea to action before your brain kicks into full gear and sabotages any change of behavior. Your brain is wired to stop you from doing things that are uncomfortable to you, uncertain or scary. It is your job to move from ideas to action.

When you understand the power of that 5 seconds decision and that you always have a choice to go from auto pilot to decision maker you will understand the amount of walls you put in the way of your hopes, dreams, potential, confidence.

We all know what to do!

Metacognition is a fancy word which basically means the understanding your own thought processes. That explain why some people in the same situation (for instance concentration camps and prisons) respond differently. The ones who survive and make their experience less painful are not luckier or gifted, they just have more control and understanding of how their brain can trick them.

When you awaken the prefrontal cortex it prompts you to move. That is the part of the brain you need that is ready when you are changing behavior, when you are learning new things and rituals. When you repeat an action everyday it becomes a new habit or a ritual and that triggers you to change gears and set yourself up for success. Count backwards: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and your brain will understand it is time for action. It does not work if you count up, because you can keep going, and counting up does not require focus. This technique is proven to work, and it has been used in the army services in order to get soldiers to align and exercise, it is used in schools for kids to stop talking and focus.

In the beginning all it does is to interrupt pattern of behaviors that you do on autopilot and it helps you to move from thinking to doing it.

Truth is, most of the time we never feel ready to make changes. We never feel ready to have kids, to start a new job, to change lifestyle… but we can always make a decision that is in our control. Staying at a job that you hate is a decision, staying in a toxic relationship is a decision, staying in a body that you are not proud of is a decision.

Is it going to be easy? No… it is not easy to change but it is simple.

Make the decision, make that a priority and remember the 5 seconds rule!

Push yourself… your will struggle with self-doubt as everyone else does… The difference between most of us and the people we admire and find strong and successful is just that:

They do not hesitate, or procrastinate … They trust themselves; they trust their vision and they have discipline in times of success or ‘failure’. They keep going and they just DO IT!

Perhaps NIKE knew it already…. JUST DO IT!