If you’re like me – and why wouldn’t you be – then you have a healthy level of suspicion over really short phrases that are supposed to make all the difference in the world if you Just Do It.\u00a0 Life isn’t that simple, because we have big giant complex brains, and emotions and we have to deal with nurture and nature.\u00a0 Experiences leave their imprints intellectually a well as emotionally.\u00a0 Then our filters change how we even perceive things let alone learn them.<\/p>\n
So, I’m going to need more than three words.<\/p>\n
My social media feeds are filled with pretty pictures and phases, most of which are just versions of “here’s why you should give me money \/ here’s why you should do it now.”<\/p>\n
However.\u00a0 Wait, however? Yeah, however.<\/p>\n
However I would cation that there are actually some phrases and sentences that really do contain some wisdom.\u00a0 In spite of the reason some people use them\u00a0 – e.g. to motivate you to buy their services – they still contain a lot of wisdom.<\/p>\n
Let me expand on them for you, and then focus on one.<\/p>\n
Just do it – Though it sounds like you should not think about anything and just take the plunge what it actually means is this:\u00a0 Don’t over think the thing you want do do, don’t consider all the reasons you shouldn’t as excuses, don’t overplan and allow the fear of doing it overcome you before you even take action, instead just do it.\u00a0 Get it?<\/p>\n
You usually see this on police cars, and there is a very interesting reason for that.\u00a0 You see, when your brain hears\/reads “everything” it doesn’t listen.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because it’s too big of a concept.\u00a0 \u00a0Any phrase ever said to you that included that world was met with disbelief, with the minor exception of it being said by your partner in the height of passion.\u00a0 \u00a0Nothing is everything, and we are not going to fill up the spot in our brain that truly understand ‘everything’ with whatever it is you just said.\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 Everything is green, everything is blue, everything is bad, everything is good.\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 Everything will be different now, this changes everything.\u00a0 No it won’t and no, by purchasing this car everything is not going to change.\u00a0 In fact the amount of change that will occur by this selection of automobile is so tiny that it is more accurate to say “This will change a very tiny, almost unnoticeable, neglable part of your day.\u00a0 In fact it is such a small impact that we probably shouldn’t have mentioned it.”<\/p>\n
I digress; let’s get back to your attitude, mister.\u00a0 So then if attitude isn’t really everything then what is it?\u00a0 It’s your perception of reality and it colors your memories while you are having them and also when you remember them.<\/p>\n
So I don’t retell the same story of the salesman crossing the meadow I’ll give you a different example.\u00a0 Think back to when you have gone through something – something repeatable – like a party, or a task.\u00a0 It can even be something as mundane as going through a drive through or picking up groceries.\u00a0 Think back to when you did that but were in a really bad mood.\u00a0 Maybe someone just cut you off and almost made you slam into a poll – your heart was racing and you wanted to strangle them.\u00a0 Or you just had a huge pointless and infuriating fight with your spouse or boyfriend or teenager.\u00a0 You were really upset, riled up, etc.<\/p>\n
Most likely when you went through the event or process you remember that people didn’t really move fast enough, the service was slow or rude, people were kind of mean.\u00a0 You were in a hurry and no one got that – they asked dumb questions and clearly sucked at their jobs.\u00a0 You felt like you went to the wrong location (the other one downtown is probably better), or they definitely had an off day.\u00a0 Pretty bad.\u00a0 They were.\u00a0 Most of them.\u00a0 Ugh.<\/p>\n
Now since this task is something you’ve done a number of times think back on other times.\u00a0 Think about a time when you were exceptionally happy – you just had a fantastic date or you just had a great dinner, or found out some great news or were kind of tosty from a few drinks.\u00a0 \u00a0 How was the service?\u00a0 How about the timing?\u00a0 Service was good?\u00a0 The checkout person was sort of funny?\u00a0 Timing?\u00a0 Huh, didn’t really notice and definitely moved fast enough, right?<\/p>\n
You can argue that these were two different visits and we don’t have the luxury of winding back time to try both under the exact circumstances but chances are you get what the true variable was.<\/p>\n
Your attitude.<\/p>\n
So, since I’m a pragmatic person, who likes tangibles and doesn’t necessarily believe in magical manifestations from nothing let me tell you what my take on this is.\u00a0 Do I believe that if you just think happy thoughts happy things spring into being?\u00a0 Well, no, not because of the happy thoughts<\/a>.\u00a0 So then why tell you to have a good attitude – it’s just an attitude?\u00a0 Because as i demonstrated above it alters your perceptions and your memories.\u00a0 And, as I discussed in Time Compression and Productivity\u00a0 – Mindfulness of Moments<\/a> it alters your perception of time.\u00a0 In addition being in a bad mood can tie up higher brain functions, while being in a good mood puts you in a sort of autopilot.\u00a0 Think about being “blissfully ignorant.”\u00a0 Your lower brain will experience this bliss while your higher brain will feel free to dream.<\/p>\n