Engage your Rational Brain- your key to Success
How often do you allow your story to stop you in your tracks?
Every day, life has its own way of throwing unexpected curveballs at us, and it's how we react to these situations that defines our day. This morning was one of those moments where life seemed to conspire against my well-planned schedule.
Commitments that had been made were suddenly undone, leaving me feeling tangled in a web. It wasn't anybody's fault; it was simply life. My mood started to shift, and it felt like I was on a downward trajectory.
In the midst of any chaos, there is one constant in my life that I cherish – my morning walk. This daily ritual is what keeps me calm, grounded, and in control.
Typically, a 40-minute walk is what I aim for, briskly through the park. But today, there was no 40-minute window in my morning to spare, and so I told myself that I couldn't go for my walk. I was almost justifying wallowing in self-pity and throwing a tantrum with myself.
Fortunately, I took a step back and decided to apply all the wisdom I regularly share with others to myself. Yes, a 40-minute walk wasn't feasible, but what was? If I could silence the internal turmoil, overcome my self-imposed barriers, and dash out the door promptly, I realised that 25-minutes was doable. So off I went, at pace...
Those 25 minutes turned out to be a game-changer. I returned feeling remarkably calm and grounded. The stress aches in my shoulders had melted away, and a professional challenge that had been swirling in my mind for weeks suddenly became much clearer. It felt like in the silence, the simple answer which had been escaping me for months surfaced from my toes!
So, what's the lesson in all of this?
1. Challenge Your Inner Saboteur: Our subconscious minds often revel in perpetuating the negative stories and the "I can't" narrative. However, engaging the rational brain can shift your perspective from focusing on what is not possible to what is. It's a reminder that even in the face of life's curveballs, you can find a way to move forward. So 40 minutes wasn’t possible, making it so easy to give up and stay at home but getting in the 25 minutes that was possible was key.
2. Nature's Healing Power: A brisk morning walk in nature works wonders for your mood. Focusing on the autumn leaves and towering trees has a grounding effect. As you increase your pace, release of the stress-inducing neurochemicals like Cortisol and Adrenaline is suppressed, allowing you to gradually feel calmer.
3. Nature as well as exercise stimulate the release of the feel-good neurochemicals like Serotonin and Dopamine. Dopamine is our momentum neurochemical so the natural release of Dopamine in the body through exercise can really help motivate you to keep going. Serotonin is our happy neurochemical and its release will naturally help lift your mood and help you to stay on top of your day.
Life regularly throws its share of unexpected challenges at us, but how we respond is entirely within our control. We can allow our stories to stop us in our tracks or, we can adapt, persevere, and find a way.
So, the next time life tries to throw you off course, don't allow it to. Instead, dig deep and find your own 25-minute solution to stay centred and focused on your path to success.