As I go through my early memories, I’m unpacking so much creativity, so much energy, so much joy.
In your past, you’ll discover so much about yourself.
You’ll discover so many people you’ve known. So many places you’ve been.
Even better, you’ll realize that you always have all the assets you need to accomplish any goal or need.
Right now.
But if you don’t mine your past for the gold…
You’ll Be Stuck Swimming With The Fishes Of Your Own Invention
Frankly, I find that outcome unacceptable.
It goes completely against all ethics, morality and the Paradise of Multiple Intelligences we learned about from Tony Buzan brimming inside each and every person in the world.
What must you have to do to unpack your glorious multiple intelligences?
The answer is easy:
Use them!
Often!
Proudly!
The Number One Reason People Stay In The Goldfish Bowl
You know the answer, don’t you?
It’s confidence.
People lack confidence for a number of reasons.
Maybe they had poor childhood experiences…
Maybe some disease crippled their bodies…
Maybe they have a speech impediment…
Whatever.
None of those issues have stopped the best of the best from succeeding.
And yet when you accept a limiting story about your attention span, you’re the most crippled person on the planet.
How To Gain Confidence In Anything Faster Than The Speed Of Light
Two steps:
1. Understand D.O.C.
D.O.C. is an acronym.
It stands for:
Doing is the Origin of Confidence
It really is that simple.
If you want to gain confidence in an activity, all you have to do is get started.
Most of us are spooked by unfamiliar territory.
Me too, quite frankly.
But if there’s one thing that distinguishes those who playing to win from those playing not to lose is this:
They enter the darkness.
And simply being in the darkness sheds more light on the unknown than you’ll ever need.
Then comes the next trick I’ve got for you:
2. Don’t Give Up At The First Sign Of Trouble
You know why it’s so lonely at the top?
Because 99.9% of people who enter a field of mastery give up at the first sign of trouble.
Why? Barbara Oakley cites evidence in Mindshift that it has a lot to do with the insular cortex.
That scientific fact creates one illuminating and elucidating power:
The pain you feel when something feels hard or doesn’t go right the first time?
Completely Normal!
And all you have to do to get accustomed to it is simply try again.
What you’re looking for is something quite simple.
It’s called a “quick victory.”
Sometimes you get them straight up. Other times, the quick victory doesn’t come so quick.
To be fair, there may be times when the quick victory isn’t coming at all.
When To Cut Your Losses Without The Shame Of Giving Up
Look:
I’m not preaching that you should bang your head against the wall.
There’s no use in doing that. Ever.
But as you give things several good tries and observe yourself in the process, you’ll know that it’s time to back out based on one simple metric:
The Magnetic Memory Method P.I. (No, Not ‘Private Investigator’)
Basically, you have to learn a bit more about what gives you pleasure, and the different kinds of pleasure available to you and your brain.
For example, there is the satisfaction of a hard day’s work.
Or there is the feeling of being in “the zone.”
It could also be the feeling of progressing towards a goal by knocking off milestones, one at a time.
And as you knock off those milestones, you’re documenting the process like an artist in a sketchbook so you can see your progress.
Whatever you do, you need to create a Pleasure Index. Know what turns you on. What rattles your cage. Discover the signs and symptoms of growth and celebrate each and every one.
This Is How Attention Span Grows And Grows
Nietzsche pointed out that the human species will always need myths.
But we don’t need to blindly accept them.
Rather, we can choose the myths we use to guide our progress through life.
In place of the goldfish attention span myth, why not pick something more empowering?
Be like an arrow flying toward a goal.
Or be like the hawk, observant of every movement in the field, hunting only those objects that sustain self and family.
Otherwise, we all risk living a disempowered life.
And the moments that filter past while we’re spinning circles in the fishbowl?
They’re never coming back.
I’d rather be up in the sky, soaring over the world and basking in the fullest possible attention span the human brain can achieve.
It’s so quiet up here where the better myths of human psychology fly free.
Don’t you hate it when people spew nonsense about 
