Written by: Sonia Guzman, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
When it comes to consuming the latest self-help book, business strategy, fitness approach or spiritual guidance, so many people find themselves at a loss for why they can't seem to motivate themselves to take action or incorporate their shiny new learning. This can sometimes become a spiral of self-berating thoughts or temporary motivational spikes that don't actually stick for the long term. With the mountain of knowledge and experts in all facets of life, how can we be certain if something is right for us? How can we consume information in a way that helps us integrate it to our benefit instead of just helping us become a wiki or walking dictionary for any specific topic of interest? Over the 3 articles, we will explore how our unique wiring can support us or detract us from obtaining the desired result when incorporating new behaviours, learning and tools.
Key 1: Understand where you are on your journey
I believe we all have a friend that after reading an impactful book will immediately be successful at putting that information into practice. Meanwhile, some of us may struggle to maintain the most basic desirable habits we've committed ourselves to for more than 6 months consistently. What makes the two scenarios so polar opposite? In the case of our consistent friend, simply put, they were ready for it. In our case, we may want to be ready, but there are underlying factors getting in the way. It's not always about discipline and consistency. You can be consistent and disciplined at something and still fail at making a neutral or even enjoyable part of your life. Which means that unless there are some dire consequences, there is a good chance, it's at risk of falling off the priority list.
How our brain is wired matters
We face common challenges based on our unique experiences. Our neuro-circuitry is made up of so many individual experiences throughout our formative years in life, whether we were encouraged to try new things or repeatedly cautioned to be weary of new and potentially challenging experiences. How we experienced life at the various stages of our development and growth and the circumstances surrounding us influence our unconscious and subconscious beliefs. We also have unique personalities and temperaments so our needs and tolerances differ despite how much our circumstances may look the same on the outside. Based on those experiences the wiring of our brains varies and plays a large role in how our bodies unconsciously respond to stimulus. If you've experienced any big T – trauma, the picture may look materially different than those who have experienced little t or smaller magnitude traumas that may not even be considered traumatic by many. Knowing where you stand in relation to a new behaviour can support you in figuring out how you want to proceed so you can do it strategically to achieve the desired outcomes.
Exploring where you are as you integrate the new learning
Understanding where you are in your season of life is a great set point when you learn something that you would like to incorporate into your routine. Here are some reflection questions to sit with or journal on when you feel the pull towards incorporating new behaviours. The why will help you determine how to use your unique experience to set yourself up for success.
What do I like about this new behaviour or idea?
How do I see this fitting into my life when I consider my current goals and objectives?
How do I see this supporting my long-term goals and objectives?
Am I clear about my short – and long-term objectives? If not, take some time to explore these and see how they relate to this new behaviour or idea.
Am I prepared to prioritize this new behaviour or idea?
How do I think I will feel when I prioritize this new behaviour or idea and follow through?
How do I think I will feel if I am not able to prioritize this new behaviour or idea?
Do I believe I will be successful at integrating this new behaviour or idea into my life and routine? (Check out Top Tips To Change Your Behavior And Create Your Best Success)
If not, what could get in my way?
How can I prepare myself to follow through despite the challenges that could get in my way? (Check out (How To Utilize Accountability For Success – Secrets To Success)
What can I remind myself of when I am feeling challenged to follow through?
On a scale from 1-10, how much do I want to add this into my life?
On a scale from 1-10, how much do I believe this will benefit me?
On a scale from 1-10, how important is it for me to prioritize this in my life right now?
Create a plan for yourself that will ensure you will achieve your desired outcome based on what you learned about yourself.
Welcome whatever these questions bring up for you without judgement. Noticing your patterns is important data to help you put useful strategies into place as you embark on a new journey.
Now take some time to practice the feeling of successfully prioritizing the behaviour or idea in your life. The more challenged you are to connect with the desired feeling, the more you can practice feeling the desired feeling of following through so you can prepare yourself to succeed.
Why does introspection help?
The purpose of understanding where you are right now is so you can make a conscious decision to prioritize this in your life. If now is not a good time, you could save yourself a lot of struggles by making a conscious effort to use what you have learned rather than be moved by a great idea without the bandwidth or understanding why or how it will serve you. It will also help you identify if it's even important for your objectives at this time. In a world where there is so much to know it's important to understand how this can be filtered into our own lives for our greatest good and benefit. Yes, the experts have lots of amazing things for you to benefit from, however, you are the ultimate authority on your own life and you get to choose how you integrate this knowledge to your benefit. The next keys we will explore in the coming articles in this series are:
Key 2: Removing shame from the equation
Key 3: Your relationship with yourself matters
Somatic awareness tip
When you work through the introspection questions but especially questions 12-13, tune into your body sensations and try to ignore what your logical or cognitive brain is wanting to respond and answer "from" or "as though your body is responding to the question". Doing this will help you tap into the subconscious and unconscious awareness helping you understand the not so obvious information within you. Need help with this?
Click here and sign up for the Somatic Awareness Attunement exercise to practice tuning into your body. Use Code BRAINZ0623.
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Sonia Guzman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sonia Guzman, based in London, Canada, is an Integrative Somatic Coach. She values continuous learning and creative expression; Sonia blends various coaching, somatic and neuroscience informed modalities as well as diverse interests to shape her multifaceted approach to life and work. As a creative she enjoys various artistic mediums and brings a unique blend of creativity and curiosity to her coaching practice, reflecting her adventurous spirit and relentless pursuit of expansion. Sonia approaches life with joy, appreciating the beauty in each moment, and believes in the power of collaboration and embracing differences for cohesive strength. Sonia empowers high-achieving entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders to upgrade their unconscious programming to achieve limitless potential.
