Poisonous Berries and Brains

by Jenna Pastuszek

Did you know our brains are hard wired to remember the bad things that happens to us? 

It’s true. One of our brain’s main jobs is to assess risk in order to keep us alive. In prehistoric times, cave people brains had to remember which berries were poisonous. It wasn’t worth taking up precious analytical space remembering the tasty ones, only the ones that might be deadly. 

The same goes for us today. Our brains are still busy analyzing and assessing risk, except now instead of worrying about being eaten by tigers, they worry about human interaction. Instead of poisonous berries, our brains remember poisonous moments of auditions and reach outs and meetings and struggle to keep track of all the pretty good and even absolutely delicious moments that come our way. 

As we re-enter society post-pandemic, if/when someone asks you how you spent the last fifteen months, it may be tempting to think of all of the things you wish you’d done and feel guilt about not doing.

RESIST THE TEMPTATION!

Instead, answer with some small wins and positive moments. Remember the berries you like.

As Alex Toussaint, King of Peloton, says, “When opportunity presents itself, you have to execute and validate.”

The next time an audition opportunity presents itself, show up, and execute your work to the best of your ability. And when you get home and someone asks you, “How’d it go?” validate your worth and work by focusing the positive.

Rewire that brain to remember the juicy good moments too.  It may become easier to execute with all that self-validation.