Hey there, it’s Dennis.
In today’s issue:
The pattern that quietly steals your focus
Why “just one quick scroll” isn’t random
The Scarcity Loop vs. the Abundance Loop
A simple way to interrupt autopilot
The Tiger Knows Your Habits
I was sitting at my desk, staring at my list for the day and I was unable to take action. I knew what was the most important item on my list to take on, yet, I could not bring myself to start that item.
The Tiger roared in my head that it was too big of a task, I didn’t know enough to do it right, I would never do it.
I had been in this state for 10 minutes, no movement and with the only thought being “What should I do first?”
Then I had an idea, I picked up my iPhone, opened the word game app and proceeded to play. Of course, I told myself, it would only be one game to help me reset my thinking and then I would get back to my work for the day. I would then take action.
30 minutes and 20 word games later, I thought “What the hell am I doing?”
At that moment I heard the Tiger laughing, knowing that he had succeeded in taking me off of my path by getting me to run a common, comfortable pattern.
I had fallen back into that pattern without a thought or concern.
The scary part is that it felt like a positive action to take, it felt good to be in a pattern where I was doing something.
Of course, we all know, that I was simply wasting valuable time doing nothing.
Have you experienced something similar?
Maybe it was with your phone, or streaming something on your computer or television.
Really it can be anything that takes us away from the decisions and actions which we know are most important to us.
Today, I will share with you two loops that you can read about further in the book Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter.
The Scarcity Loop and The Abundance Loop.
The Scarcity Loop has four steps:
Cue – The brain detects uncertainty, stress, indecision
Craving – Dopamine spikes for seeking (not pleasure) driven to do something, NOW
Response – You take an action to provide temporary relief
Reinforcement – Relief fades quickly and you repeat the action becoming locked in the loop
There is good news though because there is another loop you can run instead of the same old scarcity loop.
You can embrace the Abundance Loop.
Which is not about having more, it is about teaching our brains that there is enough.
The abundance loop must be trained because our modern society constantly triggers scarcity.
The Abundance Loop
Awareness – Recognizing that you are in scarcity right now
Regulation – You calm the nervous system before acting
Intentional Choice – A values based decision is made
Reinforcement – Building trust with yourself
Now you may be sitting there (I know I was when I first encountered the Scarcity and Abundance Loops) thinking that knowing is great, yet what are you to do about it.
I recommend you start with a simple action.
Simply pause and think about what action you take when you’re not sure what to do next.
For me it was grabbing my phone for a quick game or quick scroll through social media, neither of which was quick.
Once you have identified your “Go To” then simply record each time you are doing it.
As soon as you record it, immediately take yourself through the Abundance loop.
Here is what it looks like for me:
Why am I on my phone?
Put my phone down and take a deep breath
What is most important to me? Take an action aligned with it.
Celebrate that I took the action and that I am ok
I feel very fortunate today in that I was able to identify that I was in the Scarcity Loop and take action to break free from it.
That doesn’t always happen for me and it likely will not always happen for you.
That is because we can get into the scarcity loop without awareness and become stuck.
This is where coaching can help.
Having another person whom we are connected with to co-create the life of our dreams.
A trusted guide who can help us to see that we are stuck in the loop and to support us in breaking free of it.
Awareness is the first break in the loop.
If you want help breaking free, book a call. I’m here.
Until next time,
The Tiger Is Inside You.
Quote of The Week:
“The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” — Warren Buffett
Have you ever noticed that voice that reverberates in your head the minute you consider a new experience or an action to make your dreams a reality? The one that seems to whisper “You’re not ready” or shouts “What if you fail?”
That is the Tiger that I refer to and the idea of creating the metaphor for the Tiger came from Jim Lawless in his book, Taming Tigers.
It’s fear and self-doubt dressed up as protection, convincing us to stay safe instead of stepping forward and growing. The Tiger is loud, convincing and relentless, but here’s the truth: it only has the power we give it.
Every time you step forward in spite of that roar, you weaken its grip and strengthen your own. That is what Tiger Letters are all about, sharing knowledge, experience, fears and inner strength to make your dreams a reality.
So, the next time your Tiger ROARS, smile at it, step forward reclaiming your power and break through the fear barrier into your growth zone.
Before you go, here is ONE way you can work with me.
Book your FREE Kickstart Call with me - 1:1 performance coaching to help you break through fear, self-doubt, and procrastination—so you can finally move forward with clarity, confidence, and courage.
Until next time!
The Tiger Is Inside You.