The Flinch
For the first post, I feel it is necessary to discuss one of the most important topics in this journey to progressing oneself. The Flinch in simple terms refers to the shrinking or shying away from something potentially difficult or dangerous.
The Origins
Now how does this affect our daily lives? Well until today, the flinch was the one thing stopping me from ever creating this page. The flinch has no off button and will constantly latch onto any risk or progression you plan on taking. As humans, we are hard-wired to stay within our comfort zone which dates back to times when survival was the most important factor to living. ‘Don’t stray far from home!’, ‘stay away from animals that could kill you!’ These are all fundamental laws that humans lived by to ensure their safety.
However, we are now in 2023 where these same problems are no longer important to us. But still the flinch latches onto us and cannot be escaped. Be it flinching at the idea of standing up to speak in class or joining a gym, these are all things that won’t physically hurt us (providing you don’t drop a dumbbell on your foot) but we still shy away from.
Today becomes the day that we change this. Julien Smith, the writer of ‘The Flinch’ (A great book to read if you want more detail on this topic) tells the story of the child who never touched the stove. He wanted to, but his parents said no which overtime built a habit of conformity which meant he never really learnt a lesson but rather followed the flinch of someone else. Now I am not saying to go and touch fire to learn a lesson, that would be pretty stupid. What I am saying is that in life, if we constantly back away from at least trying to delve into the unknown, then we truly might never unlock our full potential.
The Action Plan
Now onto the fun stuff. Tomorrow, when you go to take a shower (which I hope you will at some point) turn the cold water on. Now I think you know where I am going with this… Notice yourself starting to fell alarmed, your body will start to resist but you must remember this is the old school brain trying to keep you away from harm! Count down from three and jump in. For the first thirty seconds it will be uncomfortable but after some time you will laugh and realise it’s just a bit of cold water.
Now what lessons can we learn from this? Firstly, you are a total badass for not talking yourself out of it and secondly, its kinda got some serious health benefits. Increased circulation, lower stress levels and reduced muscle soreness to name a few. The more important lesson learnt is that you have shown that you can leave your comfort zone and reap the benefits that come from it. If there’s one thing to take from this, try and come out your comfort zone once a day. You might find there’s something quite great just around the corner.