What To Do When Your Reptilian Mind Takes Over Your Job Search

I've been reading, thinking and talking a lot lately about how our frame of mind so dramatically affects what we accomplish, and of course how we feel when we're accomplishing it.

One fascinating bit of brain science I've been learning more about has to do with the "reptilian" part of our brain - how it helps us, how it hinders us, and how it's not going to stop doing its job (broadcasting fears related to our survival) anytime soon.

Most job seekers are intimately familiar with the urgent and constant messages issued by their reptilian brains:

• "Better not blow this interview, because you're just a hair's breath away from financial ruin!"
• "You know you don't have the experience they're looking for, so who do you think you are applying for this job?"

Definitely not inspiring thoughts, and often paralyzing ones.

The bad news: the reptilian part of our brain is hardwired to believe that we lack what we need and that something terrible is about to happen. Those are its jobs, and it's not interested in changing careers.

The good news: With practice, we can call on the nonreptilian part of our neural complex to watch what is happening. Simply observing what the reptilian brain is up to negates its energy.

Huh?

I think Martha Beck explains this well in her newest book, Steering by Starlight: Find Your Right Life No Matter What!:

"Remember that study of monks who'd spent years watching their fear from a compassionate perspective and had thicker-than-typical neural matter in the part of the brain associated with happiness. The neuron pathways that carry lizard fears become weaker the more we observe them."

In other words, we don't ignore the catastrophizing, believe it, or struggle against it. We mentally address the reptilian brain, with something like: "Thanks for letting me know - now you can leave the room." We observe the fears and move our attention to the present moment.

We can't do much in our job search when we're flooded with fear. A highly effective way to get into a more productive and effective frame of mind is to ask ourselves, as suggested by Zen master Suzuki Roshi,

"What, at this moment, is lacking?"

We are now in the present, where our needs are usually few and simpler to address.

The next time you feel stuck in your job search, notice whether the reptilian part of your brain is being especially loud that day. Try observing it, giving it the day off, and then turning your attention to the here-and-now.

I bet you will feel freer and much more effective.

Photo by superbatfish

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com