¶ The Lizard Brain Lobotomy

One of my greatest enemies is the lizard brain. That part of me — part of all of us — that chooses between fight or flight when fear is introduced. The part that sabotages my own personal goals, that sets myself up for failure. I often start a project with great ambition, but somewhere along the line I tell myself I am no longer capable of succeeding.

Amazingly, I go through this process with almost every single long form article I post to this site. Rare is the day where my drive to write and click publish overwhelms the lizard brain on the first shot. Thankfully, not every person has this magnitude of a battle with the lizard brain, but I certainly do.

If you are like me, constantly questioning your ability to succeed, I want to issue a challenge to you and to myself. Lobotomize the lizard brain. Find the courage to push through. Find someone to confide in to keep you accountable to your tasks. Recognize the consequences of succumbing to the heckler inside of you.

Now, a word of caution: the lizard brain, like an appendage on a lizard, will grow back. We're human, after all, and self-doubt will continuously rise up against you. There is hope though, that each time you defeat the lizard brain, each time you lobotomize it, next time it won't grow back quite as strong or quite as large. Your confidence will grow in its absence.