How Does a Sense of Inadequacy Make You Inadequate?
Where you look is where you go…
Somewhere deep inside, we all have big dreams or goals. Or maybe it’s that difficult task we want to finish this week, this month, this year. Or those steps we need to take toward the ambition that lies in our hearts. Only a few of us manage to consistently pursue these "big tasks" and persistent efforts, and many of those who do achieve the results they want, often surpassing their expectations. But most people struggle to reach the same level of success due to a fundamental "bug" in the brain. Let’s take a brief look at this "bug" and see what we can do about it.
One of the first rules you learn as a motorcycle rider is this: When you see a pothole in the road ahead, don’t focus on the pothole. Instead, fix your eyes on the path that will guide you safely around it. The reason is simple: Wherever you look, that’s where the motorcycle will go.
When you first hear this, it might seem strange, but if you understand the general structure of the body’s movement and decision-making system, you’ll realize it’s not strange at all—in fact, it’s an inevitable result. Our movements and decisions are almost never under full conscious control. Even the simplest motion, like moving an arm, requires a highly complex chain of steps and neurochemical reactions. Therefore, the body is directed toward the point where the mind and consciousness are focused. Wherever your "gaze" (your attention, your focus) is directed, the entire system, through the coordinated work of countless interacting complex systems, begins to "move" in that direction. This is the short explanation of the outcome.
On the other hand, the primary job of our brains is to "keep us alive." This is why our brains are naturally structured to focus on worry and danger. Throughout millions of years of evolution, brains that were careful and sensitive enough to anticipate danger in the harsh conditions of nature were selected, so our brains, as a natural inheritance from our ancestors, are tuned to first see and focus on the bad and the dangerous. This means that when riding a motorcycle, most people, if they haven’t undergone the necessary training, will lock their eyes on the pothole in the road or the gravel on the side that could make the tires skid dangerously. This is a natural reflex, but the result is often disastrous. Expert riders, on the other hand, are those who have learned to shift their focus away from danger and instead lock their gaze on the exit, the escape, or the opportunity, making this a habit through repeated practice.
Life is no different. It’s natural to see and notice the negative, the danger, and the disaster, but in the context of modern life, this instinct is rarely helpful. In today’s urban world, where we hardly ever face true life-threatening dangers, this "setting" is often our weakest point, causing significant problems. All minds can see danger—no special training is required for that. But only those with the experience to look toward the exit, the escape, the solution, and the opportunity can realize them. In this context, "training is essential."
If we spent as much time envisioning positive possibilities as we do worrying about our future, if we considered the unique opportunities and doors ahead of us as much as we think about how to avoid the potholes by "focusing on the pothole," things would be much easier. At least, that’s what our body’s operating logic (physiology) tells us.
It’s worth a try...