🧠Weekly Mind Sweep #94| Manage Your Mind | Failure
October 2023
Week 92: Curated Conversation; Failure
Week 93: Mind Your Business; Failure
*Week 94: Manage Your Mind; Failure
Week 95: What’s On My Mind; Failure
New to the Weekly MindSweep? Past issues live here.
Let’s sweep the brain…
"When we win, our brains release endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, which motivate us to do the same thing again. When we fail, our brains release cortisol, which does not leave us with sentiments of acceptance and safety.
Cortisol is the body's principal stress hormone, and it works with specific sections of your brain to control your "mood, motivation, and fear." It is also renowned for enhancing your fight-or-flight response, which is a psychological reaction in your brain in response to a very stressful or dangerous circumstance. " [*1]
Let’s sweep the brain…
When we fail, our brains go through a complex process, analyzing the situation, regulating our emotions, and determining what to do next. Our negative response to making errors automatically triggers the release of epinephrine (which plays a vital role in fight/flight mode) and acetylcholine (uh-seet-l-koh-leen — a chemical that carries messages to your brain.)
A failure is a universal experience, and how we respond to it determines our growth and resilience.
I'm not suggesting that we don't feel our feelings; I'm suggesting that after we process our emotions, there is value in re-framing failure to an opportunity.
We learn from the outcomes of our actions.
If you choose to internalize the experience and interpret it as a personal failure, you'll increase the stress response and strengthen your brain's involuntary reactive neural networks. When you train your brain to do this, it becomes your automatic go-to network, making the brain less successful in regulating your emotions and your problem-solving abilities. The negative self-talk becomes a subconscious habit.
If you mindfully label the outcome as a new door of opportunity (releasing dopamine - a feel-good chemical that increases your neuroplasticity). Your brain will be more likely to succeed, improve outcomes, and ultimately lead to positive change. Errors lead to learning. This option increases motivation and resilience when things don't go as expected.
Failure enhances our brains!
You can train your brain to see the gifts and opportunities in the situations you experience.
"Errors are the gateway of plasticity," Andrew Huberman.
Remember:
You are a human. We all make mistakes.
Feeling and acknowledging feelings is a normal part of the process.
Successful people fail. They can only find success through the gifts and opportunities of trying something new.
Looking for the gifts and opportunities in things that don't go as expected improves our mood, our experience and future success!
What some may call a failure, could become a billion-dollar product!
Determining something has been a failure is subjective. Your definition will likely differ from your colleagues, friends, and family.
The most successful individuals swiftly rise after stumbling, brushing off setbacks, and taking action.
Success and failure are a matter of perspective. Which one do you choose to align with?
Are you ready for support in building a business you are proud of?
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What I’m reading
Anchored
An intense conversation, a spat with a partner, or even an obnoxious tweet—these situations aren’t life-or-death, yet we often react as if they are. That’s because our bodies treat most perceived threats the same way. Yet one approach has proven to be incredibly effective in training our nervous system to stop overreacting and start responding to the world with greater safety and ease: Polyvagal Theory.
In Anchored, expert teacher Deb Dana shares a down-to-earth presentation of Polyvagal Theory, then brings the science to life with practical, everyday ways to transform your relationship with your body. Using field-tested techniques, Dana helps you master the skills to become more aware of your nervous system moment to moment—and change the way you respond to the great and small challenges of life.
What I’m listening to:
The Brainy Business
Overcoming the Focusing Illusion to Make Better Decisions
Melina Palmer dives deep into the concept of the focusing illusion and its impact on our perceptions and decisions.
Melina introduces the concept by explaining that the focusing illusion is a cognitive bias where we give disproportionate weight to one specific aspect of a situation while neglecting other factors that matter and may have a greater impact.
This bias can lead us to make decisions based on a distorted view of reality. The discussion moves on to how the focusing illusion affects individuals and businesses alike.
Did you miss our month on the topic of Decisions? Read more here.
Collaborations!
Coworking, Collaborating & Community
Bring Your Laptop & Coffee to this Unique Coworking Session with Shannon & Me!
Limited to 12 Spots
Friday November 3rd, 2023
9am-11am
Free to Attend; Registration is Required
Sudbury Chamber
Marketing & Branding Workshop
Wednesday November 8th, 2023
Time: 3-6 pm
Location: Sobre Mesa
Join experts:
Stuart Beeby of Stuart Beeby Photography
Jamie Chapman of Chickbook Creative
Shannon Giordano of Serendipity Social Media
Bring your laptop and any marketing materials for a hands-on review! Bring your questions and receive advice and support!
Members $20 / Non-Members $30
Refreshments and snacks
Thank you to our Sponsor, Harbor One Mortgage in Sudbury!
In other news…
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