Change Proof by Adam Markel

Author:Adam Markel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGraw Hill LLC
Published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

A Little Failure Goes a Long Way

Our minds have the incredible capacity to both alter the strength of connections among neurons, essentially rewiring them, and create entirely new pathways. (It makes a computer, which cannot create new hardware when its system crashes, seem fixed and helpless).

—SUSANNAH CAHALAN

If you’re looking at your teams or your organization, how do you change the mind of the collection of people that make the product you’re selling? You have to create space, because space becomes creative and we choose that space with our minds. The questions that leaders have to ask of themselves and their organizations is, “How do we choose mentally? Can we change our minds?”

In spite of all the upheaval around us, I’m really grateful to be alive right now, because our world is pivoting in such fascinating ways. As we continue our scientific quest for truth and knowledge of life’s mysteries, we’re questioning all kinds of assumptions, receiving knowledge, and undoing years of scientific dogma.

One of the most important is the idea that as we advance in age, our brains, rather than becoming stagnant and fixed, are actually capable of amazing growth and possibility. The concept of neuroplasticity is the almost radical notion that our brains can change and they can change late in our life span.

Until now, the theory was that the critical period of brain development happened early in childhood but once it was over, that was it. Now we know that’s just not true. Change is possible no matter what your age is.

My mom and dad are in their eighties now, although my mom might not want me putting that out there (sorry, Mom!). Let’s be clear, they don’t change on a dime. Their pivots aren’t as extreme or life-altering. But they’re still changing. They’re still evolving.

They’ve taught me and my brother to be open to the world around us. To keep questioning our beliefs, our patterns, and our intentions. They’ve taught us that with an open mind and an open heart anything can change.

As I mentioned earlier, my dad worked in the New York City Parks Department for almost his entire working life. That’s what he did, but it’s not who he was. For almost my entire childhood, he would work through the normal workday, which would let him be with us after school and so we could all have our epic family dinners together.

Then as we did the dishes and our homework, he would repair into his small den where he would write well into the night. I can still hear the meditative clack-clack-clack of his old typewriter as I drifted off to sleep while he wrote book after book. Nearly every night he did this. No matter what happened in the day or how stressed he was or what was weighing on him. He just made it a habit.

Then as soon as he could retire from his day job, he didn’t have to wonder what he was going to do or what he was going to become.

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