ADAPT #3 - How To Slow Down Time

Yew!

3 Newsletters in a row… I cannot even believe it myself!
Don’t know why it took me 5 years to do this! Hahaha…

Anyway, let’s not waste time, have a read and be provoked!

Read time: 3 min 15 sec

Let´s go!

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Today:

• Awe: the key is mastering this pause

• Deal Flow: the unpronounceable metals puzzle

• Action: about failing to learn

• Personal: a new business idea

• Travel: how to slow down time

AWE

T. H. Huxley famously said “how extremely stupid of me not to have thought of that” in reference to Darwin’s theory of evolution.

I became obsessed with the brain a number of years ago and have now read dozens of amazing books and papers.

My favourite at the moment is a book called 1000 Brains by Jeff Hawkins. The way brains evolved (and continue to) how they work, and the little control you actually have over yours fascinates me!

So, here is a simple lesson from his book:

Your primitive reptilian brain is the one in charge of keeping you alive, the one focused on ensuring the molecules that encode your genes replicate.

And your mammalian cortex wraps it and provides all sorts of powerful new capabilities including language and learning and more.

The primitive brain says: “you need that chocolate in your mouth”.
Your cortex says: “you already had one you don’t need more”

Most of your life, your primitive brain rules - and you do as your genes tell you to, and every now and then you are conscious and actually take control… but it’s soooo hard to fight the primitive brain.

Remember this: you can feel whatever you want (primitive brain) but you can’t behave however you want (cortex).
Mastering this pause, the pause between feeling and behaving is the key to collaboration and cooperation.

DEAL FLOW

I love being blown away by the founding team’s passion to solve a problem.

This week I caught up with a team trying to fix the rare metals puzzle.
Most rare metals are dug up, processed and refined in China because of their “lax environmental laws”.
But we can’t point the finger and shake our heads in disappointment because we, you, are using rare metals right now that were refined in China.
Remember the quote I always say “we are not stuck in traffic, We are the traffic”. 

So Phoenix Tailings created a closed loop that allows us to process and refine rare metals sans the negative environmental impact.

Check them out www.phoenixtailings.com and try to pronounce these crazy metals: palladium, neodymium, Yttrium, praseodymium, which you probably didn’t know were so important for you to stay in touch with your family and loved ones (your phone has them ;-)

ACTION

Pick something you think you are not good at.

Whatever: cooking, sport, memory, fashion, whatever it is and go and do it!

Even if it’s a tiny exposure to the chosen task.

Like everyone, if you do something bit by bit you will inevitably get better at it through failure.

Learn to learn by failing again, likely you have forgotten how to.

PERSONAL

In conversation with my pretty wife:

Me: pretty you know when people go and get hair laser removal…do they hear “piu piu piu” like in Star Wars when the hair is being removed?

Pretty: no. It’s just a clicking sound.

Me: double take look of shock on my face and disappointment… ”what?” You mean the laser doesn’t sound like a laser?

Pretty: no, it’s just clicks, no sound effects.

Me: we need to start a business that offers all laser products sound effects to make them more fun…laser measuring devices, tattoo removal, laser surgeries, all need piu piu piu sounds like in the movies! 😂 

TRAVEL

I love encouraging everyone to travel and explore.

And it doesn’t have to be far.

It just needs to be strange enough.

To me, this is the most powerful way of slowing down time and hitting your brain with new sounds, smells, and sights.

So, why does a weekend away feel like you’ve been away for ages?
Why does time stop when we travel?

Turns out that when your brain receives stimuli that it’s not used to, the amygdala and a bunch of other circuitry turn on to record memories fast and thick for safety.

And to us that “feels” like time has slowed down.

Go travel!

My recommendations:

I’m still sharing with you the amazing crew at neu21.com who will help you make work not suck!

So if you need help in your organisation ping me, ping them!

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