No B.S Friday: If you could only spare a minute a day, this is what I’d recommend.
“Anyone can turn their life around.”
“Anyone? Even busy people.”
“Yep.”
“What if they only had one minute a day?”
Hmmm. This one got me thinking. First up, if you only have a minute a day you need to invest in your time management.
But if you only had a minute a day, there is one thing I could recommend that I guarantee will change your life.
I don’t know what it’s called. I call it the Three Brains Affirmation:
I am safe.
I am loved.
I belong here.
Repeat that nine times (or whatever power number floats your boat) and I guarantee it will change your life.
Why?
Because this affirmation speaks directly to our three brains.
Didn’t know you had three brains? You do. Well, sorta.
Basically, as new organisms evolve, the old architecture is rarely replaced. It’s just repurposed as new extensions are added.
Our brain is like this. We have a reptilian brain stem, from back in our evolutionary history when we were reptiles. On top of that we have the mammalian brain, because we’re mammals.
And then tacked on to the front of that is the neo-frontal cortex – which is Latin for ‘new bit at the front.’ A large neo-frontal cortex is what makes humans human.
And so even though they operate as a single ‘brain’, structurally, you are running three separate pieces of hardware.
And so what the Three Brain Affirmation does is speak directly to the primary need of each brain.
The reptilian brain is concerned with safety. It just wants to know that the organism is safe. It doesn’t give a stuff about you actualising your creative potential. It just needs to know that you’re safe and warm and not about to be eaten by a tiger.
And so we speak directly to that brain’s need: I am safe.
The mammalian brain wants to feel it’s place in the herd / pack. It wants to know that there are others of its kind looking out for its needs. It wants to know that it is loved and cared for.
And so we speak directly to that need: I am loved.
Finally, the large neo-frontal context is so large because human social relationships, empowered by sophisticated language, are so incredibly complex. The human social realm is a massive mine field.
The neo-brain wants to know that it’s winning the social game. Belonging in the signpost of winning.
And so we speak directly to that need: I belong here.
And so that’s what the Three Brain Affirmation does.
It speaks directly to our brains’ primary objectives. It takes our three brains and kisses them softly on the forehead and says, “Hey. It’s ok. Take it easy.”
And in doing that, it down-regulates our entire nervous system.
Rather than carrying around a brain that’s in a state of near-panic because it’s overdosed on news (so it doesn’t feel safe), unrealistic media comparisons (so it doesn’t feel loved), and toxic social media (so it feels like a hopeless outsider), your brains starts to think that maybe everything is actually ok.
Maybe it doesn’t need to freak out after all.
And once that happens, massive shifts can occur.
Rather than meeting the world in panic, you can rest, deep-seated in your power, and meet the world that way.
And believe me, when you do that – when you show up as a relaxed and empowered being (rather than needy and panicked) – you will get massively different results.
And all it takes is a Three Brain Affirmation and less than a minute a day.
JG.