Think about this question: Do you have control of your brain?
Really give it some thought. Please donât move forward until youâve thought this through for a minute.
Now, our inclination is to answer something like: âYeah! Of course. Itâs my brain thatâs in my body!â or âWhoâs brain would it be?!â
Your brain assuredly belongs to youâŚbut do you have control of it? Many of the worldâs brightest neuroscientists say âNoâ to some degree or another. In fact, statistics show that most of the time our brain is sort of on âautopilot.â
The average human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds in 2000, or around the time the mobile revolution began, to eight seconds â a 33 percent drop. Goldfish, meanwhile, are believed to have an attention span of nine seconds. – The Telegraph (UK)
Here are a couple of examples:
- Youâre on a diet and exercise routine, but for some reason â despite your better judgment and best intentions â you canât wean yourself off of the glazed donuts at the local grocery store.
- Youâve promised yourself to stop with the negative, self-critical thoughts. But for some reason, theyâve seemed to proliferate even further.
These are just two off-the-cuff examples that you may or may not relate to. The underlying premise is this: weâve all had thoughts that we wish we hadnât. At times, weâve even acted on these thoughts despite our better judgment or knowledge.
The simple answer to the question Do we have control of your brain is âYes and no.â Itâd be foolish to think that we have no control â after all, we do some of the things that we intend to. But weâre on autopilot an awful lot of the time. Perhaps eating on autopilot, driving on autopilot, thinking mindlessly on autopilot, listening on autopilot, talking on autopilot, etcetera.
Why is this?
Quite simply, itâs because the brain is âlazyâ by default. The brain is incredibly complex and has evolved to find ways to operate more efficiently. The brain is also a pattern-recognizing machine â itâs designed to tie abstract things together in order to make sense of the environment. This is why itâs difficult to break out of habits once theyâve been established.
Without proper âtrainingâ the brain remains in autopilot mode a disproportionately large amount of the time. This is where our conscious mind comes in.
âRetrainingâ the mind doesnât have to be an elaborately complex process. In fact, by resolving to memorize four basic questions can simplify any challenge, problem or decision we face â big or small.
Asking Yourself These Questions Every Morning Can Change Your Brain
Every morning, commit to asking these four questions when facing a challenge/problem/decision.
Related article: This ONE Phrase Will Completely Change Your Life
1. What is really important?
Ann Hermann-Nehdi, CEO of Herrman International and guest speaker at multiple TED conferences, calls this the âpayoffâ question because weâre consciously programming why it is weâre doing something in particular.
For example, many of us decide we want to âexercise more.â This is an abstract concept that needs to be more concrete. What is important that makes us want to âexercise moreâ? Physical appearance? Lower cholesterol? To be a role model?
What is really important to you that makes you want to lose weight? Or get a promotion? Go back to school? Buy a home? Start a business? Etcetera. Donât allow the mind to lazily put this question off â providing substantive rationale for any challenge/decision/problem makes it much more likely that youâll see it through to the end.
2. How am I going to do it?
We have a tendency to say weâre going to do something without forming any type of plan. To do so is actually very common. It is common because our brain has a devious way of avoiding responsibility.
Hereâs another example: weâve decided to âlook for a different job.â Granted, this sounds simple enough â but how many people stay in the same job despite their misplaced intentions? Often times, the reason people do such is because they never had a plan.
So, how is this hypothetical person going to âlook for a different job?â Carve out an hour or two each Saturday morning? Research companies that are hiring in the area? Network with people on LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter? Freshen up the resume? Post to multiple job boards? Seek the knowledge of a recruiter/headhunter?
3. Who is going to be involved?
Itâs possible that the decision to take some kind of action wonât involve anyone else but you. If this is the case, so be it. But itâs advisable to at least contemplate the question of who is â or could be â involved in any decision and/or consequences of such a decision.
One mistake that people make when facing a challenge/problem/decision is overlooking those who are affected by said decision(s). Again, this is the brainâs way of shirking any necessary but unwanted effort. To understand who is potentially involved in either the decision or consequence of a decision is to bypass possible complications that arise from someone elseâs perspective.
4. What if _____happened?
In some instances, it is good to have a contingency plan in the event of the unfortunate. As an illustration, let us use the examples from earlier.
âI want to âI want to exercise more.â
What if I got injured?
âFirst, Iâd examine if some type of exercise would be possible. Second, in the event that I couldnât exercise, Iâd cut back on some food typesâŚâ
âI want to look for a different job.â
What if my spouse fights it?
âMy spouse deserves a rational explanation for why I want a different job. Iâll lay out my case and address any concerns.â
Usually, we can anticipate what or who may be potential âobstaclesâ for potential decisions. If we anticipate a potential obstacle, depending upon the situation, it may be worthwhile to come up with an appropriate response.
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