Thomas Edison once said, “If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.”

So why is it so hard sometimes to take that leap of faith and just do it?

Well, I’ve come to understand that as a human being, both my mind and body are incredibly adept at keeping everything in balance in accordance with my beliefs.

In fact, stress is a key signal to the body that something is off.

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“Both Eastern and Western medical sciences have long understood that maintaining natural balances is the body’s greatest priority; if the systems of the body are going to work at all, they must work together in harmony. When equilibrium is thrown off balance, the result is stress…Stress includes both the alarm responses that signal imbalance and the coping mechanisms that seek restoration of equilibrium.”

(Gerald May, Addiction & Grace - Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions, p. 73)

And haven’t we all experienced stress, along with that drive to get things back to “normal?”

Last month I had a (somewhat) funny situation happen to me. I was sitting at my desk working on something when I heard a little noise by my window. I looked up and there sitting on the sill, staring right at me through the blinds was a little mouse. And yes, it was inside.

Our eyes locked for probably a minute or more. I didn’t want to move for fear it would leave the sill and come all the way into my bedroom. But as you might suspect, it eventually scampered all the way in.

Years ago I had a problem with a mouse in a previous home. All those memories came flooding back into my brain: the endless scratching noises that would keep me up at night, holes and droppings discovered throughout the house, buying and setting traps everywhere…all of which seemed to go on for a very long time.

So what was happening in me at the moment that little guy scurried into my (now) much smaller living space was nothing short of panic. Things were definitely out of balance and I wanted that creature out of my place YESTERDAY!

Traps were set and the mouse was caught within about 24 hours, but I will tell you that my entire being was in a state of alert until it was over.

While this is kind of a silly, amusing example, stress signals like this - mild to severe - typically accompany the individual who is moving into new or unfamiliar territory - whether it’s starting a new job, trying out a new sport, or learning a new skill.

And how much more so when the person is actually trying to change or develop some aspect of their identity, perhaps leaving behind old, entrenched patterns of thinking and behaving?

It’s kind of like the rubber band effect - the impulse is to snap back into the old, familiar “shape.”

When it comes to adopting new habits, beliefs, and ways of thinking, it comes down to , quite literally, a matter of growing a new brain.

For many decades, scientists and biologists believed that the brains we were born with were not capable of growth or expansion. If sections of the brain were damaged through traumas such as accidents or strokes, it was pretty much tough luck, according to the experts.

But thankfully, through the persistent investigation of scientists, researchers, and average everyday lay people, it has been discovered and proven that the brain is quite capable of expansion, growth, healing, and change.

This is great news for everyone!

For a long time the brain was viewed as a machine that was "hardwired" and unchangeable.

A friend and reader of this blog recently turned me on to a book called "The Brain That Changes Itself," by Norman Doidge, MD. Dr. Doidge chronicles the stories of people who have investigated what has come to be known as "brain plasticity."

"At first many of the scientists didn’t dare use the word ‘neuroplasticity’ in their publications, and their peers belittled them for promoting a fanciful notion. Yet they persisted, slowly overturning the doctrine of the unchanging brain.

They showed that children are not always stuck with the mental abilities they are born with; that the damaged brain can often reorganize itself so that when one part fails, another can often substitute; that if brain cells die, they can at times be replaced; that many ‘circuits’ and even basic reflexes that we think are hardwired are not."

(Norman Doidge, M.D., The Brain That Changes Itself, p. xix)

I think one of the greatest dangers in this world is not terrorism, war, or disease…it’s a closed mind. I’ve seen a mind like this - rigid, unyielding, unteachable, legalistic - leave a path of despair, hurt, and confusion in its wake.

Friendships have been lost, businesses have folded, and lives have been ruined because of people who have been unwilling to open their minds, think out of the box, or view things from a different perspective.

I propose that no matter where any of us are today, we can change ourselves. I would not be writing this blog if I did not believe it possible. 

But it all comes down to taking responsibility for the change. Even if I walk down to my local church, pray the sinner’s prayer, and get dunked in a baptismal tank, I am responsible for walking out that change in daily living!

Nothing comes without effort. Ask any Olympian!

Breaking away from the pack, rising above the norm, living a life of excellence…in a world of “don’t rock the boat” complacency, acting in a manner that sets you apart can certainly draw the fire of critics.

Yep! I struggle with this one! And while I do fear the critics (keeping it honest here), the one I unfortunately heed the most is myself.

“Our sense of certainty about who we are creates the boundaries and limits within which we live.”
(Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within, p. 413)

Sometimes I can be pretty opinionated over what I believe about myself and what I can do. Okay, “pretty opinionated” is a little tame. How about TONS opinionated?

When I returned from my trip to the future (see Handling Discouragement: Developing a Passion), I shared that listening to my own “opinions” about what others thought was one of the biggest challenges on my way to success.

This drive to be consistent with who I believe I am can be pretty powerful. I know that whenever I venture away from those core beliefs, not only do I feel uncertain, I feel pretty dang anxious.

“…changing ourselves - changing the essence of who we are - is perceived by most to be impossible. The common response , ‘I’m just this way,’ is a phrase that murders dreams. It carries with it the sentence of an unchangeable and permanent problem.”

(Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within, p. 415)

But here’s the rub: it’s either change addresses or live a mediocre, unfulfilled, dispassionate life. Hmmmm…let me think that one over… Okay! Let’s pack it up!

I doubt there has been any baby in the history of the world who burst out of the womb knowing everything.

From the moment we take that first breath we are learning and adapting.

Learning to walk took a lot of stumbling and falling first.

How about, er, learning to manage those bodily functions at appropriate times?

Think about the first time you hopped on that bike…and promptly fell over.

I don’t think perfection has ever been best friends with learning.

Even though I can be a terrible offender when it comes to perfectionism, deep down I know the only way to learn is to give myself permission to make mistakes without going down on myself when I screw up.

So it is when I’m reaching for any type of goal.

Rarely does it go perfectly.

As long I learn from the process, get up, and keep moving ahead until I reach what I want, the destination will be attained.

NOTE: It’s always best to remain FLEXIBLE. Sometimes goals need to be amended, a vision enlarged, or plans altered based on new information learned!

I think the following by Portia Nelson is somewhat of a classic. Definitely a good metaphor for being flexible. It’s called “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters”…

Chapter 1. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in the same place, but it isn’t my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It’s a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Chapter 4. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter 5. I walk down another street.

I admit I’m more of a Dancing with the Stars fan than an American Idol follower, so I discovered “Change” by Kimberley Locke while listening to an online club music station. There’s something about the words and the way she sings them that speaks right to me.

They lift me up.

And no wonder. Here’s what she said about the song in an interview:

“I wrote that song for the album [Based on a True Story] when I was actually at the end of a not-so-great relationship that I had been in. I was engaged to be married and it was perpetually getting worse, and by the time I wrote this song I was ready to make a change in my life, and that’s what this song is all about.

The song is about either you’re going to change and we’re going to fix this or I’m going without you and I’m making a change regardless.

Currently in my life the song has a totally different meaning because, I’m doing Celebrity Fit Club and so it’s about making a change in my life personally, just for me, moving into a different aspect of my career and taking a different outlook on my own personal life.” (Interviewed by DJ Ron Slomowicz for about.com)

It’s no wonder the song resonated with me.

Here are the lyrics:

Sorry for what I forgot to say
But you know how words get in the way baby, lately
Wasn’t strong enough to cut right through
All the red tape between me and you, baby
Time escapes me

What’s it gonna take to shake these blues
Pushing through the clouds just to get to you
Can’t hold back the storm that’s blowing through, yeah

I feel a change, babe, washing over me
I feel the rains, babe, coming to set me free
It’s a one way track, ain’t coming back
This train’s about to leave
I feel a change coming over me

Never noticed that it’s kind of strange
Same story but a different day lately, oh baby
Gotta get up, gotta change the scene
Gotta rip this page from the magazine

(I feel a change, babe) Change washing over me
(I feel the rains, babe) I feel the rains, yeah, coming to set me free
It’s a one way track, I ain’t ever coming back
(This train’s about to leave) This train’s about to leave, yeah
I feel a change coming over me, yeah

I ain’t trying to be difficult, no no
I ain’t trying to be mean
I just gotta do right now
What’s best for me, oh

(I feel a change, babe) Something’s changing, baby, deep inside of me
(I feel the rains, babe) I feel the rains coming down to set me free
(It’s a one way track) I ain’t ever going back
(This train’s about to leave) If you wanna go, baby, this train’s gonna leave
(I feel a change) There’s a change coming over me, yeah

Oh, yeah
I feel a, I feel a change coming over me
Rain washing down on me
Coming to set me free, baby
I feel a change, yeah
I feel a change, yeah
A one way track
I ain’t never coming back
This train’s about to leave, baby
I feel a change, yeah

So yes, I (David) feel a change coming over me. This train’s about to leave and head down a new track. Today I’m stepping out into some new territory and I’m a little scared. Okay. A LOT scared.

So as I listen to “Change”, adding it to my empowering ritual for success, I repeat my own personal affirmations…

- I am a Champion.

- I have a great imagination and use it to help myself and others.

- I have the means to accomplish my goals.

- I am creating a life of passion, purpose, influence, and success.

- I am fluid and at ease when meeting people.

- I have laser focus.

- I am courageous when it comes to going after what I want.

- I have amazing drive.

- I am confident in my abilities.

- I am paid for the value I give.

Several years ago I read an article by Robert G. Allen. A quote from that article has stayed with me ever since: “What if someone offered you ten million dollars to turn your life around right now? How much would it take for you to be motivated to perfect your relationships, to get in shape, to get your financial act together, to be a top salesperson, etc? What if you decided that YOU ARE THE BEFORE AND AFTER STORY?” What an intriguing

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