Science vs. Real Life

I talk a lot about leveraging the natural power of our brain and being aware of our thoughts.

But how does it really translate into being better in business, feeling greater levels fulfillment, and achieving success?

Today I want to share a personal story with you about how this work has had a very direct impact on my life and business.

[SCIENCE] Our childhood experiences are recorded by the brain and stored away as data. Our brain is wired to keep us safe. What it learns in childhood get stashed away and influences our behavior as adults… without us even knowing.

[REAL LIFE] My earliest memories of being the center of attention was having to read a sentence out of a book in second grade. The teacher had us all put our chairs in a circle. She handed the first child a small, hardcover children’s book and asked them to read the first sentence, then pass it to the next child. When it was my turn I started to read out loud. When suddenly I came across something I’d never seen before: “had had” was right in the middle of the sentence. I froze. I didn’t understand. I wasn’t sure if it was a mistake. I realized I stopped reading and everyone was looking at me. I remember the room, where the TV hung in the corner and the wall of lockers. I remember my cheeks flushing and feeling of pure embarrassment. 

[SCIENCE] As a safety mechanism, my brain went into survival mode and recorded every nuance. I felt embarrassed, like an outcast, like I didn’t belong there, like I was a “bad reader”. My brain told me that that situation was detrimental to my survival. [Being an outcast would leave tribe member alone in the wilderness.] My survival brain decided to equate speaking—using my voice out loud and being center of attention—as super dangerous. As dangerous as touching a hot pan. And my brain was going to make sure I steered clear from any situation that might threaten me like that again.

[REAL LIFE] That was a root experience that continued to quietly influence my decisions and actions throughout my life.

But is being silent going to help me in business? No.

Is hiding behind the computer screen going to help more people transform their lives? No.

Is being the doer-of-all-the-things for marketing clients going to help them REALLY grow their businesses from the inside out? Not completely.

No! That lie needed to change so that I could step into the next version of myself and evolve my business. So that I could come out of the shadows and teach others what I’ve learned. So that I could fulfill a mission greater than me.

Being confident and comfortable speaking to a crowded [physical or virtual] room is a powerful and scalable way to make a difference—inspiring people to believe in their potential, to shift their perspective into one that is empowering, to create a ripple effect that could influence generations.

[SCIENCE] Once I dove head-first into learning how our brains are wired, I caught the belief (or lie) that it wasn’t safe for me to speak up. I made the connection to a root experience. I learned to appreciate to the benefits of that experience. More importantly, I BROKE the neural pathway that allowed that lie (bundle of energy) to travel down… the neural pathway that triggered my brain to go into fight/flight/FREEZE mode every time I had an opportunity to speak up.

[REAL LIFE] How do I know I broke the neural pathway? Because after three pretty fun speaking events this year, I’ve retrained my brain to believe “I’m safe on any stage.” I trained my brain to BELIEVE it so that it could SEE it.

[SCIENCE] It’s a simple and relatively quick process. I used NeuroCoaching^TM models combined with design principles to REDESIGN how I approached using my voice.

1. I defined the block: Being coached allowed me to be aware of automatic internal thoughts
2. I designed the goal: I intentionally rewrote the story I wanted to believe
3. I developed the dream: I took used a process called Brain Priming(TM) daily, and took strategic action steps toward my goal

[REAL LIFE] And when I had the opportunity to speak last week, I didn’t freeze. I didn’t turn red. I didn’t forget my train of thought. I didn’t need my notes. I don’t even think I broke a sweat.

As I started to speak, I started to feel myself slightly get a tiny feeling of judgment… and then I felt a wave of “I am safe on any stage” wash over me… and there I was—the me I wanted to become. The version of me I designed. A version of SUCCESS I defined. 

My invitation to you:

If you’ve longed to create a version of success in an area of your life, have worked your tail off to make it happen, and find yourself repeating old stories instead… book an introductory call with me. Let’s see if we can’t find you some clarity as to WHY it’s happening, and WHERE to start shifting. So that you can break the old, automatic patters recorded since your childhood and step into the next version of you... without breaking a sweat.