A Motivational Speaker Wonders: Is Your Brain Limiting Your Achievement?
September 3, 2009 by admin
Filed under Organic Business Trends
As a motivational speaker, (during my keynote speeches) I often inquire: How often do you notice the side of your own nose? And, if you wear spectacles, how frequently do you see the frames? I would guess that your answer to both questions is “not very often”. Am I correct?
This observation is actually surprising when you consider that both your nose and specs are well within your visual field. (My motivational speaker audiences are normally very taken aback.) Which raises the issue, since they intrude upon your visual field, how come your nose and glasses don’t become a visual distraction? Here’s the answer: It’s because your brain blocks them out.
In fact, only a minuscule portion of the enormous amount of sensory information detected by your senses ever impinges on your awareness. Attempting to assimilate all this sensory input would be utterly hopeless. Filtering out all the ‘unimportant’ information, (and that includes your nose and glasses), is a key brain function.
So why – as a professional motivational speaker – did I bring this wierd visual phenomenon to your attention? Answer: Because it raises an very important point. This biological oddity got me thinking, does a narrowed perspective mean limited success? It turns out several of the characteristics of our brain filter have a immediate bearing on our professional growth. Case in point, it focuses our awareness towards our expectations. In this article I’m going to consider a very important characteristic of the brain sieve, how it tends towards the pessimistic.
Your Negative viewpoint
Your brain sieve directs your awareness towards the negative elements of your circumstances. Need convincing? If so, attempt this straightforward assignment. (Incidentally I routinely suggest this exercise in my motivational health care programs.)
Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. Then, every time you have a upbeat thought, draw a tick on one side of the line. But, each occasion you have a downbeat notion, mark a cross on the other side. Which side do you reckon you’ll fill up first? Most test subjects cover the negative side of the pad of paper much faster than the positive.
What we need is a wider outlook, the aptitude to see the optimistic aspects of a situation so we can counteract our natural tendency to be pulled towards the negative. How come? For the reason that an optimistic perspective is prognostic of prosperity in many areas from sales to sports.
A Motivational Speaker’s Answer…
On the next occasion a pessimistic notion pops into your brain, try these practical steps:
Tip 1: Recollect your native propensity to focus on the negative
Tip 2: Then, look at your frustration from different outlooks.
Tip 3: Ask yourself simple questions. For example: Honestly, how awful this is problem really? Will I still care about it in three years time?
In conclusion, being aware of your brain sieve will make you less reactive and more effective. Take control of your thinking and observe what happens. Take it from a motivational speaker, you’ll be astonished!