FRED FORUM SPOTLIGHT SPEAKER: DR SRINI PILLAY
Success. It’s what so many of us are working towards. Successful relationships, successful businesses or successful careers, successful hobbies, successful traveling adventures. If you have any goals or dreams in life, then you most likely want them to succeed!
Yet many people also feel disheartened at times. It can be difficult to stay on the path towards goal achievement and it can be confusing to know how to get there. You may feel lost, uncertain, or discouraged. Your goals may seem so far away, or so impossible, that you’ll never actually be able to reach them.
But did you know that you’re actually wired for success?
It turns out that our brains are helping us work towards our goals, even when we aren’t aware of it! They use a number of processes to help us recognise our wants and needs, take meaningful action by following our intuition and find our way again when we get lost.
It can be useful to know how these process actually work so we can allow them to unfold naturally, without self-sabotaging ourselves and getting too caught up in self-doubt. Because the truth is, you are capable of success. You do have the potential to achieve amazing goals. And your mind is on your side!
Dr Srini Pillay was a student at a University in South Africa, when he started to wonder if he was destined for more. He had an idea; one which would change the course of his life. The idea was to call the Head of Harvard University and ask if he could become a student there. After speaking with a few different people, Dr Pillay sent his resume through to Harvard and just a few weeks later, received a letter to say he’d been accepted.
Many people would have said his idea was ridiculous. You can’t just call Harvard and become a student, right? But that’s exactly what happened. Dr Pillay’s story demonstrates the amazing potential we have to achieve our biggest goals and ambitions. It shows what can happen when we stop self-sabotaging and doubting ourselves and when we, instead, look at the actions we can take to get to where we truly want to be.
In Dr Pillay’s inspiring TED talk, he referred to some of the research which shows how we are already wired for success.
Here is the full TED Talk, in case you missed it!
In this TED Talk, Dr Srini Pillay shares that the brain has a GPS-like system and the neural tissue in this area has the ability to receive information and guide you towards your goal. Most of the information is unconscious; these are the feelings of “I don’t like my life right now, I want something more” or “I need a change” or “I feel afraid”. This intuition, or pre-emptive perception, is actually an effect of the brain working under the radar!
Thanks to your intuition, your goals become clear and you can start to work towards them.
However, on the journey towards your goals, you can face a number of roadblocks. Other people might tell you that you won’t be able to achieve your goals. You might start to feel silly for trying to be successful in something which pushes you out of your comfort zone. You might give up on your goal altogether.
However, another study showed that when you’re feeling self-doubt and wondering if you’ll be able to achieve your goal, it can be helpful to reconnect with your intention. When you do that, you can accurately remember previous actions and their consequences and this helps you get back on track.
Dr Pillay also recommend using your imagination when you feel lost on the journey towards your goals because the imagination feeds the GPS system in the brain and also activates the action centre of the brain. So, if you’re unsure what to do and your goal still seems out of reach, take some time to let your mind run wild. Entertain possibilities. Explore new ideas. Allow yourself to visualise the best possible outcomes and then figure out how to get there.
According to the amazing TED talk by Dr Pillay, there are 4 key things to remember about reaching for success:
Follow your intuition (your brain’s GPS system)
Allow yourself to be guided by your intuition because it’s a reflection of your mind’s unconscious wants and needs
Distressing emotions are data
Try not to be afraid of distressing emotions. If you notice yourself feeling worried, upset, or unfulfilled, learn to ask yourself why you’re feeling that way and decide what you want to do about it
Connect with your intention
When you’re taking action towards your goal and you start to feel unsure, connect back with your intention to remember why you’re working towards your goal in the first place
Imagine
Allow yourself to imagine and dream the best outcomes, then figure out an action plan so you can get there
Dr Srini Pillay will be speaking at FRED Forum in October. For more details on this highly regarded Leadership event, follow the link below.
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Articles written by our internal Daily Guru writers, who are certified & qualified growth & development professionals.
