Fire Your Brain. Hire Your Heart.

Fire your brain. Hire your heart.

Too often, the stories in our brains hold us back from new experiences that might be life-changing. We are approached with a new opportunity and, almost immediately, thoughts of fear and confusion arise, leading us to make the conclusion that we should not take the opportunity in front of us.

This keeps us in our comfort zone. It keeps us doing what we are used to doing when sometimes we really wanted to try something new.

What we don’t realize is that those thoughts are, well, just thoughts. They are not real. They are created by our brains to give us every reason, excuse, and justification necessary to not go after something we are not familiar with. It’s human nature. We all do it. I know I do.

I have found, in my life, that the times when I’ve experienced the deepest happiness, and my greatest moments of growth, were the times when I decided to take a plunge at something in spite of my thoughts. The first time I went to a party even though my brain was telling me I was tired, I can’t dance, I can’t hold my liquor, and I was shy, I discovered how much I love making new friends, I enjoyed being around all their smiling faces, and that no one there can really dance, anyway. When I decided I would start a network marketing business when I had no experience in that industry, I did not know much about it, and so many of my friends told me it was not legit or it would not work, I transformed my life and ended up quitting my 9-to-5 job. I now live the life of my dreams.

Now, this obviously does not apply in all situations. If you’re thinking of jumping off a building (I’m assuming you’ve never done that before), your brain will probably tell you not to. Don’t do it. You might die.

In both the examples I gave, there was something deep down inside of me that wanted to do those things. My initial thoughts were positive. I found myself thinking, “That sounds fun. Maybe I should go to that party.” Even after all the excuses jumped in, there was still something inside of me saying, “But, what if I went?” Those are the situations I’m talking about. When you feel that little urge to take action. That’s when you should go for it.

So, think about the things that you’ve been meaning to try that you have been putting off for whatever reason. Maybe you’re thinking of starting a business. Perhaps you want to ask someone out on a date. Or you want to try skydiving. You probably have several reasons why you have not acted on these things. You know nothing about business or you think people will laugh at your idea. You’re afraid that person will turn you down for a date, or people are saying he or she is too good for you. Skydiving is way too dangerous. There are so many reasons one can come up with.

I invite you to ignore all of those reasons. Ignore all the chatter in your head that is making you procrastinate. There will always be reasons and excuses to not pursue an opportunity. If you really want to get out of your comfort zone and try new things that may lead to new passions and adventures, then acknowledge those reasons and excuses, pat them on the head, and then just take action and go for it anyway.