Most people tend to overthink things. We are guided by countless thoughts. This causes us to postpone things. Or we start something but don't finish it. Around this time, about 3 to 4 weeks after the new year, we see that the commitments made on January 1 are already failing. We were completely ON on January 1, and somewhere in recent weeks we set the button to OFF or SLEEP again.
The things we thought were important then are no longer so important. We have found excuses and excuses to stop going to the gym, or to stop eating healthy, or to start smoking again. We have stopped and are falling back into the old pattern.
You might think that the human rational brain (the neocortex) is the most active. Yet you make most decisions based on emotions (coming from the mammalian brain) and primitive instincts (reptilian brain). So your emotional brain and your reptilian brain often dominate your rational brain. In practice, this means that you know that you should not eat chocolate, but you do it anyway. The dopamine produced from your emotional brain wins over your common sense.
The interplay of forces between the 3 parts of your brain also explains why it is so difficult to change your behavior. As a human being you develop a certain way of life that fits within your comfort zone. Without being aware of it, you constantly repeat the same pattern. Your reptilian brain will also do everything it can behind the scenes to get you to walk in the same circle. The fixed pattern you follow may result in a few extra kilos, but it is predictable and therefore safe. And safety is top of mind for your reptilian brain. Everything that is new or different feels unsafe and your reptilian brain will initially want to reject it. Even though you know rationally that eating less and exercising more is better for you.
Are you on or off? Too much thinking, deliberation and deliberation only costs time and does not contribute to taking action or staying in action.
I myself admire one of the most beautiful qualities of my Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
This beautiful feature is called Gameness.
It is the ability to “renounce” to collect, get up and continue. Often for people to an unimaginable depth. It is a trance-like state in which the dog excites itself to continue. Accepting every painful stimulus as motivation and ALWAYS with a wagging tail.
A Game dog, when he does something with full conviction, will NEVER stop on his own.
Most adult Game dogs are very fanatic in their games with branches, Frisbee, a rubber ball or jumping pole. Mine just has to see the spring pole and it goes crazy and is completely ON. He will only stop when he is in that state, when he literally can no longer see out of his eyes due to fatigue. If I don't stop the game in time.
Game dogs do NOT need motivation to do anything. They don't think before they do something, they don't think about how they do something. Don't weigh anything against each other. They don't look for EXCUSES or excuses not to do something. They do what they have to do at that moment. And do so with full conviction. They only have 2 modes in their brain, ON or OFF. Yes or no. No middle ground.
We humans also have Gameness. Just look at the marathon runner who goes all the way to the finish line and then ends up vomiting because he wants to win. The boxer who, when he has had 8 seconds, simply gets up again and seeks out his opponent again. The purpose is clear. With full conviction. Crossing the finish line. Put down the opponent. They are ON.
We are constantly looking for excuses to convince ourselves that this is okay.
While we should actually do what we have to do to achieve your goal. It doesn't motivate you to start and then stop again.
What does motivate you is to fully support your goals. Growing into who you are, becoming a better version of yourself and doing this in the ON position. ON = GO with full conviction. ON = ACTION. And action produces results.
So how important are your goals? And am I completely convinced of this?
Learn from the beautiful characteristic called Gameness and tap your inner ON/OFF button.
Daniëlle de Jong-Roet
Enforce Franchisee & Master Trainer
danielle@enforce.nl
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