Brainwashed

“Brainwashed: 7 Ways to Reinvent Yourself” – Seth Godin

http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/66.01.Brainwashed

Acknowledge the Lizard

The main point of this layer is to recognize what is holding you back.  Seth talks about how there is a part in your brain that will shut down at the first sign of fear. Fear of anything, really.  He explains that artists believe most of the time that this ‘resistance’ is the one thing that separates them from their art. I think this is a very interesting stance; it is something you hear all the time, but rarely listen to yourself.  It seems obvious that in order to conquer something you have to face it, but he suggests acknowledging what you know is there so that you can overcome it and come out better in the end.

Learn

This pillar sums up the fact that in order to accomplish the other layers, you need to complete this one.  However, he explains that you don’t complete this one.  You are always learning, no matter who you are, how old you are, or where you are.  I like how he describes (pretty much) that school is anything you choose to do, the only thing that matters is that you’re learning while you do so, so that you can accomplish the other layers in the manifesto, and think differently.

I think both of these layers are connected to the blog for the quarter.  They both make me a better person in general (if I follow them) because, as the author describes, they challenge you to think about something that you might not have thought of before. I think the page about learning is obvious, and I think in order to keep up with the world you have to keep learning, or you will get left behind.  I think the other suggestion is also obvious, but in a way that most people say they try when they really don’t.  It seems like it means the same thing as having confidence in yourself, because then you are more likely to do what feels right, rather than what you feel like you have to do because someone else tells you so.