“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
One of the life-changing discoveries in neuroscience is that human beings are evolutionarily wired to have a need to belong. This is not surprising because humans are social creatures.
Times are different! This wiring, let’s call it the brain software. As you know in the world of computers the operating system and software don’t last forever, they must be upgraded to meet the needs of the current, so as the brain’s software.
In the savanna days, millions of years ago, our ancestors relied on hunting for survival and this required that a group of men had to come together to ensure safety and strength.
Numbers meant strength and safety which is still true today depending on the activity at hand. This was more appropriate then because our prehistoric ancestors were faced with physical threats like saber-toothed tigers, lions, and so on.
Today, however, the set-up is different, yet, the brain’s software still operates the same. This means that from the brain’s perspective, real and imaginary threats are processed the same way unless you give a proper perspective.
So, without updating this old brain’s ‘software’, you’ll find yourself living other people’s opinions of you and miss out on expressing and living the best version of yourself.
As the greatest essayist that ever lived, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said: “To be yourself in the world that is constantly trying to make you something else, is the greatest accomplishment.”
This means unleashing your potential and gifts requires some element of madness. It means you must rebel with a cause. Being yourself is hard but it is the right and best thing to do! Don’t blindly follow every clear path before you, it’s not yours, chart your own.
