How to Overrule Your Brain and Push Your Limits
I paced nervously behind the stage. In a few moments, I would be expected to deliver a presentation at our annual company conference. A voice in my head warned me, over and over again: Do not get on that stage.
The warnings triggered physical alerts: A quickened pulse. Short, shallow breaths. Tightened muscles.
Ten years have passed, but I remember my next move as if it were yesterday. Despite all the warnings, I chose to walk onto that stage and deliver the presentation.
When do you hear the voice that tells you not to go forward? Does it tell you you’re not smart enough, not physically capable, or not emotionally able?
That voice is well-intentioned, but it’s probably wrong about you.
In his book Endure, Alex Hutchinson chronicles the running world’s pursuit to break the two-hour marathon. Through the fascinating narrative, he explores the elastic limits of human performance, telling the stories of people who broke previously accepted limits. Those feats include:
- Summiting Mt. Everest without oxygen
- Surviving for weeks without water
- Breaking speed barriers in cycling and distance barriers in running
- Diving to the depths of the ocean without oxygen
His conclusion: The human brain is designed to stop us from doing things that might jeopardize our survival. But it’s over-protective. We can usually survive well past what our brain advises.
Talking Back to Your Brain
Recently, I thought I was going to throw up while exercising with a group of friends. The pain of the workout was so intense my brain told me that I had to stop. But… having just read Endure, I coached my brain to back off.
“You’re not telling me the whole truth, brain! You’re wrong about my limits!” I told it. And in response, I pushed through the pain.
What does your brain tell you not to do that you know you should or could do? Where has your brain convinced you that you’re not capable of going further, stepping out, taking the risk, or getting uncomfortable?
Try talking back to your brain.
The next time you’re exercising and your brain tells you to stop, try saying, “Thank you but you’re being overly protective. I can do more.”
The next time you’re doing something hard at work and your brain says “you’re not good enough,” say back to it, “I appreciate your concern, but it’s important for me to do this.”
When you’re feeling the inhibition to hold back in a meeting, remind your brain of what Dale Carnegie said: The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.
The more you overrule your self-protective brain, the more it adjusts its protection zone. Neuroscientists call this neuroplasticity — the ability to change your thought patterns. The warning signals fade away. The mental boundaries push out further. You step right through your previously accepted limits.
Last week, I returned to that same stage where my brain had tried to convince me to bail ten years ago. Once again, I was there to present to my colleagues. But this time, I couldn’t hear more than a faint echo of that old warning voice. Calm pulse, breathing fine, relaxed muscles, it felt so good. And it reminded me how glad I am that I didn’t listen to that warning voice ten years ago. That I decided to talk back to my overly protective brain.
Your brain is built to keep you alive. But sometimes, it just tries too hard at the expense of your growth. The only way to move beyond pain and fear is to think of your brain as overprotective — and elastic.
Which self-imposed limits do you need to challenge?
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