In today’s hectic and competitive world, one that our ancestors could have never dreamed of, fear is self-inflicted and chronic, the by-product of our mind running rampant, chattering and creating virtual fearful situations … fear of failure, injury, sickness, loss, humiliation, pain or loss of status.
You see, we humans inherited a magnificent ability to respond to life-threatening situations through our “Fight or Flight ” response triggered in the amygdala of our brains. Great, great, great-grandpa Bruno is walking along and a lion jumps in his path. His body is immediately flooded with substances that make him able to perform like he’d been in boot camp all his life. He has strength and speed he didn’t have a few seconds ago, and he can either take down the lion or try to outrun him. Grandpa survives, and you’re here today because he did.
In his book, One Small Step Can Change Your Life, Dr. Robert Maurer discusses the two factors that hinder our ability to effectively change: 1) our innate “Fight or Flight” response and 2) our culture’s tendency to only value large change. To counter this, he advocates kaizen, the Japanese technique for making small changes – small enough where they do not trigger the amygdala.
The truth is that small steps lead to great change. When you observe nature in its slow and steady progress toward growth, you’ll understand that baby steps are enough.
Live long. Live well!
By Dr. Roger Landry, MD, MPH
President of Masterpiece living and award-winning author of the book, Live Long, Die Short: A Guide to Authentic Health and Successful Aging.
Be inspired, click the book for purchase information.
(Reprinted with permission of Masterpiece Living (MPL). Originally published in MPL’s bi-weekly “Fireside Conversations.”)
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