I Know What To Do, So Why Don’t I Do It?

My quest to better understand the workings of the human mind, has brought me to the superb book by psychoneuroimmunologist Nick Hall; I Know What To Do, So Why Don’t I Do It?. I actually listened to the audiobook which takes the form of a series of recorded lectures, a format I like a lot because it creates an atmosphere of immediacy and an easy connection to the author.

Hall offers that our failure to achieve our goals, our loss of motivation, is due to an “interconnected web of psychological, chemical, and neurological factors” which can have a paralysing effect. Our usual excuses; of being too stressed, too tired and/or too busy, are simply manifestations of this paralysing web.

The book contains so many fascinating and practical solutions that I have decided to address them individually in separate posts, rather than write a general review.

IMAGES – BELIEVING IS SEEING

Hall tells us that when we set a goal for ourselves, we work not towards the reality of that goal, but towards an image of it formulated in our mind. And when we face the inevitable obstacles along the way, what we respond to is not the reality of the obstacles but an image of them. The image is never the reality, it’s always an abstraction. Further, the image is shaped by our beliefs, our values and by our past experiences. We each have different experiences which is why different people can respond to the same events in radically different ways.

Furthermore, we cannot control the outside world, but we do have complete control over the images which drive our response to it – we control what we choose to focus on, and this is what determines whether we progress with our work or withdraw.

The implication is clear; if we have allowed ourselves to be blown off-course or are failing to achieve what we set out to achieve, then it could be because our focus is in the wrong place. How many actors set off with energy and optimism but soon find themselves spitting nails after too many knock-backs? How many grow weary and cynical? How many are buried by “rejection” and quit altogether?

To remain on course according to Hall, we must address the image that’s driving our response, and we do that by examining our beliefs since it is our beliefs which shape the image.

Learn to ask:

Is this belief justified?
Is it serving a useful purpose?
Does it make me feel good?

For Hall, engaging in the process of asking the questions is more important than coming up with fixed answers.

I say we are blown off-course when we compromise, when we fail to do work we believe in, when we make choices that are convenient rather than meaningful. We can only maintain our motivation when we pursue goals we are passionate about, goals that excite us, otherwise we will become drained and weary – we lose the energy to continually overcome obstacles.

What drove you to become an actor in the first place? What was the image that excited you? It is this image we must protect in order to keep advancing. For sure, the image will be refined as new facts and experiences cause us to alter our beliefs, but the central idea, the one that thrilled us at the start, must remain.

If your goal is to be a great actor, ask what does that mean to you today? What image does it take?

 

 

 

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RESOURCES
I Know What To Do So Why Don’t I Do It? [audiobook]

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