Your future depends on your new thinking

A new study states that we think approximately 6200 thoughts per day. Old research stated that we had between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, where 80% were negative and 95% were repeated from the day before. I am not writing to dispute these numbers or the methods of measurement. 6000 or 60,000 we think many thoughts per day.

But, to meaningfully navigate the future, we need to inject new thinking into our daily activities.

I spend time, my hobby, in the wilderness doing outdoor activities mainly mountain biking and cycle touring. These can be anything from a day trip to 21 days when I did the Munda Biddi Trail in Western Australia. On some of these adventures, contact with other humans is non-existent for 2–3 days.

The first question everyone asks when I describe my adventures is, ‘isn’t that dangerous, were you not scared?’ It used to take me aback at first, but now I anticipate it and usually have a conversation about the dangers especially their definition of danger. Yes, I learnt that too, not to assume what danger meant in every case. Danger for me is not the same as danger for you.

I used to be so excited about sharing my adventures with people. In the beginning, I would wonder why people were more fixated with the dangers than my actual adventure. But then I realised, there was a perfectly good scientific reason for this. Over time I learnt to fit the dangers into my conversations about my adventures.

The human brain is constantly looking for threats in our environment. It’s that basic survival instinct to keep us protected from harm and it’s programmed to do so. Our limbic system is responsible for this and our default settings are programmed to look for danger.

When I look at these adventures I go on, I must say the potential dangers are not the first thing on my mind. I plan for the infinite possibilities, both good (new experiences) and bad (technical, physical fitness issues), but being in nature is what is on the top of my mind.

Does that mean I don’t worry about the potential dangers? Honestly, no but I do look at potential risks. When I did the Munda Biddi Trail, one danger that I thought about was snake bites. As Australia has some of the most poisonous species, I did give that some thought. But upon researching the reports of past cyclists’, no one had been bitten. So that danger was sent to the back of my mind.

(On the trail I did encounter many snakes, but they seemed more scared of me. There were a couple of close encounters but overall, the trip was without any snake incident).

In my circle of professional and personal networks I have come to realise that with any activity that I embark on, the potential dangers involved is not the first thing I think about. Whereas for many others this is the case.

That has often made me wonder if we can re-programme our default settings to look for the positive possibilities instead of the threats to our survival. Before you get the idea that I am an adrenaline junkie who goes from adventure to adventure, I am not. I do value my life and do not take unnecessary risks. Risks are noted and where possible planned for. But that is not the main objective.

Reprogramming our default settings to look for the positives has been on my mind for decades. People miss out on so many opportunities because of the default programmes they run in their brain.

My experience as a global cosmopolitan and third culture kid has certainly helped in re-programming my default settings. But you don’t have to travel the world or try daring new adventures to change your default settings.

You can start with trying something new. A new way of conducting meetings with your team, trusting your team’s productivity when working remotely, trying a cuisine you have been avoiding and so on. Small steps from beyond your comfort zone.

For advice and support with your new thinking email me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com

This article was first published in Medium.com under Innovation.