What makes you different from those that seemingly can tackle incredible tasks? Are you “frozen with terror” from the fear gene?
Back in 2005, a team of researchers from Columbia, Harvard and Rutgers Universities discovered a gene for fear. While it has been known that fear stems from the amygdala, a small pea-shaped part of the brain, the mechanism was not clearly understood before now. It has been found that Stathmin, a protein produced by this gene pours out into the system of a person wrought with fear and anxiety caused by ourselves or others.
Are We doomed to Paralysis by Analysis or Fear?
Nik Wallenda just made history by being the first one to perform a tightrope act, walking on a stretched out cable across the Grand Canyon. This was done without nets or security of any kind. What a feat!
Perhaps you are thinking that as part of the Wallenda clan, Nik doesn’t have the fear gene.
Well, he may have appeared calm but after the historical, death-defying stunt that had everyone holding their breath as he took on the seemingly impossible task, Nik confessed that he had been afraid. He attributed his success to:
- Staying intensely focused
- Counterbalancing any movement against him
- Taking all difficulties into consideration before and during the feat
Mr. Wallenda explained that an immense rhythm developed in the cable which he had to counteract and that as the cable moved in one direction, he had to readjust himself to get the proper balance. The pendulum was moving in one way, the line appeared to change as an optical illusion, and though he was quite fatigued, he needed to take these challenges into consideration.
What makes him different
Nik Wallenda and his family members have treated us to many tightrope acts in the past. But, he didn’t rest on his laurels and give us the “same old, same old”, knowing that it had delighted many audiences before. Instead, he felt compelled to not only try something new for himself, but something that no one had ever done before. That’s not to say that he didn’t play this stunt over and over in his mind millions of times as he visualized the dangers and problems that would occur so that he could overcome them. In other words, while he hadn’t done this incredible feat before, he was PREPARED!
Can You Override the Fear Gene?
Bolshakov, the head researcher, stresses that:
“Individual human differences in inborn fear levels, as well as the ability to acquire fear, might result from different levels of gene expression. Thus it should be possible to determine each person’s predisposition to the development of different anxiety states or how adverse an individual would be to stress, anxiety and tragedies.”
“It’s important to realize that stathmin is not the only gene whose activity might regulate learned and inborn fear behaviors. The mechanisms which we have identified in our study are likely to act in concert with other mechanisms and other genes to achieve the highly efficient and lasting system of fear response.”
What makes you different?
Ask yourself, how can you show your uniqueness? Are you willing to stretch your skills and tweak them in a slightly novel way that maybe has not been demonstrated before? Are you willing to entertain, solve problems or be engaging to your clients and your audience? How can you solve a problem that your prospective clients have? How can you be helpful? These are all questions that you need to ask…and the answer is different for each person.
That is what makes you unique!
I would be happy to explore this further with you on an individual basis. Contact me for a free consultation at: Barbara@TheMedicalStrategist.com
