The Mind-Mechanics of Doubt
When I was young and envisioned myself as an adult, I pictured a radiant, glowing person who carried herself with compassion, grace, ease, and certainty. It didn't occur to me that doubt, fear, and indecision would be ghosts in the machine, casting their vote all along the way.
What happened? The brain forged and fortified neural pathways into superhighways of doubt-related 'chemical fixes.'
You were framed
1) Between the ages of 2-16, our brains were quite literally programmed by our families and society. Was your programming 51% empowering or dismissive? Are you hanging out with people who doubt themselves too? If you're not sure, remember actions speak louder than words.
It feels good to doubt
2) Doubt actually creates a reward response in the brain because it pulls the arousal out of the panicked limbic system and brings it into the Prefrontal Cortex, creating a sense of relief. This is how advertisers play us like a piano. For instance, they know that shame and pride wire together in the brain. Using our brains against us, they send these messages to our amygdala to trigger buying choices to meet their revenue goals.
We are all addicts
3) We are addicted to thinking. If you 'doubt' this, try to completely clear your mind for one full minute. You'll find many uninvited houseguests clamoring for your attention. What's worse, most humans are addicted to negativity. There is a pleasurable dopamine hit that comes when they can hold the attention of others, and trigger their emotional response system, in essence, sucking up some of their energy, (which is attention).
By understanding how your brain works, you can develop skills that have you to 'think masterfully'.
Up above your shoulders, sits the most powerful tool in the known universe and still, working at the fastest computer speeds to date.
Make this mighty force your ally by learning how to shape-shift it to create the life of your dreams.
