I have become a Seth Godin groupie. In the past two weeks, I’ve read The Dip and Linchpin, the book that’s inspired me to finally take the plunge and “ship”.
I’ve thought about it, read about it, downloaded “how to” ebooks about it and so on. That’s just a few of the many distractions that have stopped me in my tracks. Each time, I’ve rationalized and come up with what I thought was a valid reason to wait. The lizard brain won each and every time.
Until NOW.
As I’ve immersed myself in Seth-land, I have felt challenged, called out and energized, all at the same time. In The Dip Seth says,
“Quit the wrong stuff. Stick with the right stuff. Have the guts to do one or the other.”
My wrong stuff (procrastinating & obsessing, wasting hours online “researching”, etc.) has been exhausting. My right stuff (hanging out with my writers’ group, even though I was barely writing) has fed my soul, however inconsistently.
Seems like an easy choice, so why has it been so damn hard to quit the wrong stuff?
Enter the lizard brain.
liz-ard: 1 : any of a suborder (Lacertilia) of reptiles distinguished from the snakes by a fused inseparable lower jaw, a single temporal opening, two pairs of well differentiated functional limbs which may be lacking in burrowing forms, external ears, and eyes with movable lids; broadly : any relatively long-bodied reptile (as a crocodile or dinosaur) with legs and tapering tail
The lizard brain (aka: amygdala) is an almond-shaped mass of grey matter whose sole purpose is to keep me alive, keep me safe.
Unfortunately that safety has had a cost that’s recently become unbearable – it’s kept me from expressing my creativity through writing, something I’ve wanted to do as long as I can remember.
Seth also says ,
“If you continue to do the work, the lizard brain will give up.”
This is it then. The first day of the work.
Bye, bye lizard breath.
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