• Quote of the Month
• Upcoming Speaking Engagements
• Slow Down and Think Less
• Diffuse Your Focus
• The Power of Uncertainty
• A Little Bit of Knowledge Goes A Long Way
• Inspired Leap Reminders
• Final Thoughts on Thinking Less
October Inspired Leap™ "Ah-Ha!" Newsletter
October 15, 2006
Topics Covered This Month
This month I'll share some thought-provoking ideas psychologist Guy Claxton offers in his fascinating book, Hare Brain Tortoise Mind. Using scientific studies and historical information, Claxton explains how we have lost sight of the critical importance of slow, meandering, and nonconscious "tortoise mind" thinking and knowing. In our rush to win the competitive races of our lives, most of us only work with our rapid, quick thinking, conscious "hare brain."Read on to be inspired to set aside time to think less and daydream more to achieve the success you want.
Quote of the Month
The modern mind has a distorted image of itself that leads it to neglect some of its own most valuable learning capacities. We now know that the brain is built to linger as well as to rush, and that slow knowing sometimes leads to better answers. We know that knowledge makes itself known through sensations, images, feelings and inklings, as well as through clear, conscious thoughts.
—Guy Claxton, Hare Brain Tortoise Mind, p. 203
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
- Envision 2007: What Will You Create For Your Business, Career, and Life?: October 17, 2006, 11:00 am – 1:00pm, at The Work Shop, Austin, TX. RSVP to Patti DeNucci REQUIRED. (email Patti at DeNucciandCo@aol.com to sign up immediately.)
- The Power of Intuition at Lake Austin Spa Resort: October 22, 2006, 8:00 pm – 8:50pm, for overnight guests only.
- Intuitive Intelligence: A Critical Component of Success, a short presentation at Round Rock Chamber of Commerce Women’s Luncheon: November 14, 2006, (Visit Round Rock Chamber of Commerce to sign up.)
- Intuitive Intelligence: A Critical Component of Achieving Excellence in the 21st Century, a workshop at Executive Women in Texas Government Conference: November 20, 2006, (Visit EWTGto sign up now.)
- An Intuitive Intensive at Lake Austin Spa Resort: late January, 2007, 9:00 am – 3:00pm, with spa treatment immediately following. (Visit Inspired Leap to sign up now.)
- Laws of Attraction Inner Intender Circle: offered by my friend, Jen Blackert. As I mentioned last month, I strongly believe in the power and importance of understanding and working with the Law of Attraction. Jen’s program is a complete belief troubleshooting program hosted by herself and another expert LOA coach. It’s designed to teach you how to attract what you want. (Visit Vibe Coaching to learn more.)
Slow Down and Think Less
Last month, I wrote about our cultural emphasis on being dynamic and how most of us feel compelled to spend our time actively working to achieve our goals. Similarly, psychologist Guy Claxton reflects that society has almost exclusively come to see quick, conscious thinking, deductive reasoning, and analysis of data as the superior way of thinking and knowing. In his book, Hare Brain Tortoise Mind, Claxton uses research to support what many poets, artists, and philosophers have always known: many decisions and challenges are best made and addressed with a more intuitive and slow thinking process.
Recent scientific evidence shows convincingly that the more patient, less deliberate modes of mind are particularly suited to making sense of situations that are intricate, shadowy or ill defined. Deliberate thinking, d-mode, works well when the problem it is facing is easily conceptualized. When we are trying to decide where to spend our holidays, it may well be perfectly obvious what the parameters are: how much we can afford, when we can get away, what kinds of things we enjoy doing, and so on. But when we are not sure what needs to be taken into account, or even which questions to pose — or when the issue is too subtle to be captured by the familiar categories of conscious thought — we need recourse to the tortoise mind. [p.3, emphasis added]
When we face a complex problem, Claxton suggests that we take the time to ruminate on it. All of our upbringing and training may tell us to think harder, longer, and more focused about the issue at hand, but simply meditating on or observing the problem may be the best next step.
Perhaps we need to explore whether or not we even have the right problem or question. Perhaps we need to simply be quiet and let our nonconscious mind search its vast databank for potential answers. Or, we may need to daydream to give our minds a chance to access that "ah-ha" or brilliant idea.
Despite all of the external—and sometimes internal—pressure to race to the finish line with a quick answer, we need to remind ourselves of the fable of the tortoise and the hare and slow down.
Diffuse Your Focus
Usually the notion of being focused is regarded as a virtue and something to strive for in our daily lives. However, when faced with a challenge that is complex, with unclear next steps, it can sometimes be better to soften our gaze, pull back, and take a broader view.For example, when thinking about the solution to a problem, we can try to force an answer out. We’ve all had the experience trying to think of where we left the keys or of how we know someone, only to have the answer pop into our minds a few hours later while we’re concentrating on something else. This is a perfect case of your nonconscious or tortoise mind having the answer stored in its vast databank and your attempt to quickly think your way to the answer doing you no good.
Finding your keys may be a simple example of this idea, but it applies equally well to trying to think your way to a solution of a complex challenge. It’s easy to believe that focusing exclusively on the issue, reviewing all of the data at hand, and talking about it with peers is the way to get to the right answer. However, the optimal answer is likely to come about by walking away from the problem for awhile, broadening your perspective, or simply daydreaming to give tortoise mind a chance to do its work.
The Power of Uncertainty
One of the reasons so many of us jump into "hare brain" mode of thinking is that we can’t stand not knowing or being uncertain. Rarely are we rewarded for saying, "I don’t know. Let me think about it." We are usually encouraged to "think on our feet" and quickly come up with a solution. However, rapid responses rarely allow our tortoise mind to do the work it needs to do to explore all of the possibilities and access all of its knowledge.Uncertainty also comes into play when we have to make a decision on little, if any, accurate information. Claxton shared the research of Malcolm Westcott of Vassar College on different people's abilities to make good decisions and judgments on inadequate information (a situation most of us are faced with on a regular basis!). Westcott found that some people were better at making decisions (using their intuition) with little information with which to make those decisions.
Perhaps the most significant of all these interesting findings is that the group who are most at ease with uncertainty and doubt, the most able to 'live with it', are the group who are most able to make successful use of the inadequate information they have. They can use their unconscious resources to help them make good guesses in uncertain situations, and are willing to do so. [p. 74, emphasis added]
Are you willing to make decisions despite uncertainty and doubt? Do you have to know something "for sure" before you take a step? Practice making educated guesses before looking at any data and write down those guesses. Then, do your normal process of analysis and make a decision. Check to see how closely your intuitive decision matches the analytical one and which decision is better more often. The goal is to be able to confidently make important decisions using the intuitive, but not always explainable or visable, knowledge of your tortoise mind when you need to.
A Little Bit of Knowledge Goes A Long Way
One of the challenges for many of us as we grow older and more experienced is to stay open to new ways of seeing and doing things. Our brains can create ruts—powerful neuron connections that immediately leap to a conclusion—that cause us to seee a problem, issue, or image only one way. That’s why many important discoveries are made by young or inexperienced professionals. They don’t know better and so they are willing to see a challenge in a whole new way.As Claxton points out, we need to have enough knowledge to intelligently explore a situation, but not so much that we blindly see only one way of solving the problem.
Seeing through an existing, invisible assumption, which is often the key to creativity, requires a mind that is informed but not deformed; channeled but not rutted [p. 72]
When you are faced with a challenge, or need a new idea, try to look at the situation from the perspective of a new recruit or a child. If you can’t pull back enough to do that yourself, consider bringing in relatively inexperienced coworkers or friends to help you explore the situation.
No matter what the challenge is, take a moment to discern if slowing down to give your tortoise mind a chance to offer up the solution is the key to solving the problem. By first checking to see what kind of thinking mode is optimal, you acknowledge and access the full power of your mind. You will ultimately end up a winner, as too few people understand and use their brain’s full potential.
Inspired Leap Reminders
Inspired Leap Reminders are areas of focus and part of the Inspired Leap Approach to maximizing productivity, creativity, and morale. In each newsletter, we take a look at how the topic of the month might be viewed in the context of these important areas of focus.Responsibility: You are the only one who can access the vital knowledge within and available to your tortoise mind. Imagine the gifts you have to offer your company, your family, and your world when you take responsibility for actively choosing to ignore hare brain for a moment and give tortoise mind a chance to give you the insights and wisdom you need when you need it.
Creativity: People comfortable with being creative have always understood the need for honoring and accessing tortoise mind. They are the ones who appear to be goofing off and wasting time; yet, will—seemingly at random—sit down and rapidly create a work of art or solve a problem. How can you begin to incorporate more of that way of working into your day? Even leaving a project for a 30 minute walk in a park can allow the creative spark to ignite and tortoise mind to work its magic.
Detachment: Studies have shown that when we want something too much, anxiety sets in and shuts down access to our intuitive abilities and nonconscious mind. Try practicing using a playful, detached perspective when trying to come up with a breakthrough idea or to solve a difficult challenge. Do what you can to relax first, then play with the problem.
Forgiveness: Trying to honor tortoise mind can lead you to make guesses that turn out to be wrong. Because we can’t control and know for sure how our intuition works, we can be led astray. Forgive yourself and others when what you thought was intuition wasn’t or when someone else’s intuition proved wrong. There are many examples of data being misleading or analysis being wrong, so don’t walk away from the power of your intuitive mind when mistakes occur.
Kindness and Compassion: Patience is certainly related to kindness and compassion, and patience is an important attribute of tortoise mind. Our impatient, "I want the answer now" hare brain can’t stand the thought of ruminating on a problem or tinkering with an idea to see what comes up. Consider cultivating the art of being patient, especially in the most pressure-packed situations.
Resistance to Change: Studies show that we will block our intuitive knowing when it conflicts with deeply held beliefs and attitudes. When you find yourself stuck and unable to access the wisdom of tortoise mind, look at your beliefs about the problem and the potential solutions. Could you be blocking intuitive wisdom because you don't like the answer?
Final Thoughts on Thinking Less
As you begin to ponder ways to make 2007 an even better year than this one, consider accessing that powerful, slower, meandering tortoise mind within you. It has much to offer and has likely been getting little attention or use in your annual planning and daily thinking.How might your life be better if you were to honor and actively use, when appropriate, your tortoise mind? As the days rapidly pass by to bring 2006 to a close, I challenge you to purposely slow down and call upon your tortoise mind to guide you to your vision for a remarkable 2007, and to the optimal solutions to any professional and personal problems you face.
With encouragement to leap ahead,
Dianna Amorde
President,
Inspired Leap Consulting Inc.Comments or questions about this newsletter? Email me at damorde@inspiredleap.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.. . .
If your company needs help with inspiring employees to reach new heights in productivity, creativity, morale, and integrity, please contact us at inspiredleap.com or 512-236-0090. If you need some more inspiration or more regular nudging to practice these steps, check out our website to see what’s new to inspire you (a visit to The Quiet Room may be just what you need!).
