Towards or Away
In a recent conference hosted by the BC Organizational Development Network featuring David Rock, a specialist in the Neuroscience of Leadership, a concept that had resonated with me for years was now proven with science.
Our brain is wired to think Towards or Away.
Our biology is such that every 5 seconds our brain process's whether what we are exposed to in our environment is a threat or not.
Humanity has labeled this process in a way we can understand in our day to day by defining it as:
Good vs Bad
Us vs Them
Peace vs Fear
Reward vs Threat
The key to remember is that although have given much real estate to thinking threat, away, fear, them, evil... there is hope for us if we stop acting as if we are on auto pilot and begin the process of re-appraising situations.
Re-appraisal helps us with re-framing the world around us in a way that benefits us and pumps the right hormones in our bodies.
Think of it this way..
Fear = Too much cortisol harmful for us.
Happy = Serotonin & Dopamine great for us.
When we focus on the negative and away aspect and are on auto-pilot the capacity for deeper thinking, social intelligence, emotional intelligence is gone.
The more we know, the lighter the room becomes!
You may have read the following story but along with the information above it may help anchor this concept once again!
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
"The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
"The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?
"The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Altius et Fortius,
Rebecca
PS. Interested in Coaching and one on one information about situations in your life with a focus on results? contact me directly at rebecca@iamshero.comPS.
For further information on David Rock visit http://blog.davidrock.net/
For further resources on Neuroscience and Leadership visit Resources
For further information about the BC Organization Development Network visit BCODN
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