Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Always on

All things considered, we all have an equal chance at becoming succesful, rich, famous, powerful... whatever.

There are thousands of examples of people that are disadvantaged in some way that turn it around and become a champion in the very field that they have a disadvantage in.

Barabara Walters, with a lisp, becoming one of the highest paid tv reporters. James Earl Jones, a whispering stutterer, becomes "The Voice."

So, what keeps everyone from becoming everything that they dream about? It's the dichotomy in the brain, the split that somehow has You talking to You in betweeen your ears.

Sit quietly for 60 seconds and just listen to how that voice tells you things; how it describes the room to you; how it tells you that it's dumb to sit quietly for 60 seconds; how it says "Why would you do anything this guy tells you to do? Who is he anyway? And why are you so easily led?"

Well, that right there is the reason that so many people do not achieve their dreams. The voice says, "You couldn't..." "Who would listen..." "That person has an advantage and its unfair, so you can't..."

Listen. it's talking TO you. It is is you and it's talking To You.

It's whole purpose in life is to keep you safe. "Don't touch that stove! Remember when you were five and you did that and you got that scar and it HURT!" So, yeah. Staying alive and relatively unscarred is good.

But...
Safe, to this voice, also includes "Don't look bad." And if you would be willing to look truthfully and insightfully at why you do so many of the things that you do, you would probably find that at the root of them all lies some version of "Don't look bad."

You don't want people to laugh at you, belittle you, yell at you, be superior or be right more than you. All of those hurt a little; and sometimes hurt a lot, especially when you're young.

So, the little voice constantly coaxes, whines, wheedles and pushes whatever buttons it needs to push for you to act right, be smart, be quiet, be aggressive, be withdrawn or whatever else you can do to keep from being hurt emotionally, mentally and physically.

The problem is that it has no sense of scope or of future rewards.

To it, someone laughing at you because you answered a question wrong can be as bad being punched in the face. Something to be avoided at all costs. So, instead of taking a chance, you hold back. "Better to be thought the fool...." it quotes, reassuring you of your right-ness.

It doesn't understand that getting out of bed today and going running is good for you in the long term. It's says, "Run tomorrow. You were up so late." "Skip one day. What's it going to hurt?" It doesn't quite understand that the slight discomfort now is worth the longer, healthier life.

It's a different part of the brain that does those equations. This part just knows that the bed is warm and safe. "Running hurts and you could be more hurt, pull a muscle, get hit by a car!" Better to rest comfortably.

So, do me a favor. Go out today and do something you've wanted to do for a long time. Something you've been wanting to start, but have found just so many reasons why today is not the day.

Well, today is the day! Go now. Get prepared. Listen for the voice. Listen carefully. It's there talking to you, telling you all of the things that it knows will work on you. And they would have worked yesterday, but now you're listening and you can hear it for what it is.

It's the simple, primitive monkey brain that only wants the best for you... in the short term.

Listen to it. Hear what it has to say. (Telling it to shut up Will Not Work)

Then go out and scare and amaze yourself at your power!

You really can do anything. People do astounding things every day and they are really no better than you. They just did it!

Love you!

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