Why is it that when we try to achieve something that is really important to us, we get into an overwhelmed state and our brain seems to shut down?
We’ve all experienced this when we spend all night studying for that big test. But on the day of the test we seemed to freeze and couldn’t remember anything!
Why do we go into that same state of overwhelmed panic when faced with having to give a speech?
You can blame it on your amygdala. The amygdala is a part of your brain that developed about 500 million years ago. It is your fight or flight mechanism. Protects you from harm.
When you are faced with a life or death situation, your amygdala kicks in and shuts down all brain functions that are not necessary for your survival. Rational thinking, creative thinking, appetite, digestion and sexual desire are turned off so that your brain can direct all its energies towards your survival.
However, the problem is that the amygdala sees any new situation as a threat to its survival. So when you’re faced with the bewildering prospect of having to give a speech, the amygdala does what it’s supposed to do and comes to your rescue. In this case, however, your amygdala is doing you more harm than good.
At the mother’s idea of giving a speech you lose your appetite. You have an upset stomach. You certainly can’t even think about sex! Your rational thought process now results in thoughts of failure and shame, which is certainly not rational thinking. And creative thinking, the thing you need most to make a speech, shuts down.
I just know there’s nothing wrong with you. His overwhelm and panic at the prospect of having to give a speech is biological, physical, and chemical. Also know that there is a technique to quietly tiptoe through the amygdala and never wake it up when faced with an overwhelming situation. In our next lesson, the technique known as Kaizen.
Kaizen is a centuries-old Chinese technique used by psychologists and even by companies and industries. Kaizen is the art of taking small steps, so small that they may seem ridiculous and meaningless at first glance, the end result being the achievement of great things, one small step at a time. As many of history’s great visionaries have said, “You don’t have to see the whole ladder. Just the first step.”