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Arete Warriors – spirit, mind, body strong
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Attention Grasshoppers
This past summer I dropped Izak off for conditioning at Valor & I’d have an hour to kill. I would often go for a walk/run while I waited.
Highlands Ranch has an elaborate “trail” system (sidewalks) that goes on for miles.
I quickly learned they also have an extensive grasshopper population.
So. Many. Grasshoppers.
These little jumpy freaks were everywhere. And they didn’t just sit there—they launched at me. Randomly. Aggressively. More than once I screamed mid-stride, arms flailing like a cartoon character.
I’m sure passers by would look twice at the site, wondering what sort of ailment that poor woman has.
Naturally, I became obsessed. I crossed the street if that was an option, but often it was not. I would dart, bob & weave around the tiny creatures begging them to stay put.
It was ridiculous.
Running is hard enough for me without this nonsense.
I’m not sure how long it took me to realize the trick, but I did eventually figure it out.
If I just set my gaze on the path ahead of me, & quit focusing on the obnoxious little pests, I barely noticed them.
Yes, sometimes I would feel one hit my leggings but my body did not convulse into a seizure-like response.
This is the secret to managing your mood & manifesting what you want in life.
Putting our attention on something is like watering it. What we focus on grows.
Don’t believe me? Let’s talk about the brain.
Let’s Prepare – the warm up
Fun Fact: The human brain requires 20% of our energy, despite it making up only 2% of our body’s weight.
It’s main function is survival so it is
- constantly on the lookout for threats, &
- very interested in conserving energy.
The brain does not decipher well the difference between real & imagined danger.
When athletes visualize performing their skill they improve almost as much as actually physically practicing it. The neural activity is similar between a real & imagined experience.
If you want to try something new, your brain will sometimes perceive that as a threat to what’s known & comfortable, which can prevent you from being brave enough to try it.
It takes conscious effort to overthrow the brain’s default resistance to taking a “risk”.
We are wired to cling to the familiar. Even if the familiar isn’t working.
Our brains function in 2 modes – subconscious & conscious.
Babies are born with a fully-functioning subconscious, but their conscious brain doesn’t fully develop until adulthood. So they take in the world without filters.
A little one sees a negative response when they make a mistake & accepts the “truth” that they caused it, when in fact, it could have just been a gas pain flashing across mom’s face.
They lack the analytical decision making required to make logical assumptions & since the brain is interested in conserving energy, it is very good at putting itself on autopilot… creating habit loops.
Unfortunately, the subconscious brain is not so good at deciphering which “habits” serve us, & which do not. It doesn’t really care, as long as it keeps us “safe”.
And once our brain puts something into “autopilot” mode—like fear of failure, people-pleasing, or thinking you’re not cut out for something—it takes real intention to shift that.
But it’s possible.
Let’s Work – the exercise
As I’ve mentioned before, it all starts with awareness.
What grasshoppers are you so focused on that’s keeping you from enjoying the beautiful view in front of you?
How many seizure-like responses are you enduring because you’re focused on the wrong thing?
What we believe—deep down in that subconscious—is running the show more than we realize.
If we want something different, we have to DO something different. In order to DO something different, we first have to THINK something different.
Start with one. Pick one grasshopper you are focused on. Let that little pest hop away. You don’t have to dodge it, scream at it, or wrestle it to the ground.
Just take your eyes off it. Look up mama. The view is beautiful ahead.
