This month I was a pitch mentor for the Hack Gr1d, organized by Shawee, at Accenture's Innovation Center. For me it is always a privilege to be able to contribute to the growth of other people and to the local innovation, design and technology ecosystem. Pitch is like a magic cube that you look at from afar, think you can't do it, and admire those who can. You even borrow it, try for a few minutes, and then give up. Even though you know it's possible, you convince yourself that it's impossible for you. The voice in your head tells you that you don't know how to speak well in public, that you get too nervous, that you don't understand technical details, that you lack stage presence, that you are embarrassed, that... that... whatever makes you feel better about the decision not to face the pitch.
It is really hard to summarize hours of work in three minutes. To represent the team and to speak with confidence knowing that you will be judged for every hit, every comma, every piece of information given, besides being admirable (for those who decide to put "their face to the plate"), is challenging. The people who have the best chances of overcoming challenges are those who are willing to try more often, to understand "mistakes" as feedback, to make adjustments as they go along, and to persist long enough for the result to appear.
Every time we do something new we create a new neuronal connection. The more we repeat, the more we reinforce this path. The more the pathway is reinforced, the less energy is expended by the brain. This is why we always eat with the same hand, sit in the same chairs, sleep on the same side of the bed, and always eat with the same hand. The familiar saves energy. The new is too much work, so the primitive brain goes into action to make you give up.
The only difference between whether or not we can walk on hot coals, is our ability to communicate with ourselves in a way that makes us act, despite the fear. "There have been several studies in which a person in hypnotic trance was touched with a piece of ice, thinking it was a piece of hot metal. Each time a blister appeared on the skin in place of the contact. What counted was not the reality, but the belief unquestioned by the nervous system that she was being burned."
Fear only exists because we are excessively imagining the future. Since the future does not yet exist, fear is about the non-existent, i.e. 100% imaginary...it is our daily dose of insanity. One part of our mind is memory, the other part is imagination. If we take into account that neither part refers to the present moment, both parts are non-existent. We are then left with two alternatives: let our imagination (or memory) about the non-existent prevent a new future from being created; or understand that there is an infinite number of new possibilities, switch the focus from imagination to reality, and sprout a new future.
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