Photo Credit: Rifka Schonfeld

When someone tells you that it’s time to make a big change in your life, what’s your first response? If you are like most people it’s, “Oh no!” And you shut down in fear. Why? Scientists believe that our brain is made up of three different sections: our brainstem, our midbrain, and our cortex. Each part of the brain is responsible for different functions in our body.

The brain stem, also called the “reptilian brain,” is responsible for putting us to sleep, waking us up in the morning, and making sure that our heart beats. The midbrain, or “mammalian brain,” is responsible for regulating the temperature of our bodies, our emotions, and our fight or flight response. The fight or flight response is our bodies’ reaction to scary situations – we either run or fight. The cortex is what sets us apart from animals and makes us human. It is responsible for music, art, philosophy, spirituality, and civilization.

Advertisement




So, why do we shut down when we are told that we need to make a big change? When our ancestors were in safe and comfortable environments, their actions were controlled by all three of their brains. However, if they happened to venture into an unsafe zone and encountered a lion, their midbrain kicked in with the fight or flight response. Whether the body chose to fight or flee, the response within the body was the same: all resources moved from non-essential functions (like critical thinking) to essential functions (like running or punching). Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that when we are taken out of our comfort zone, we shut down. After all, our midbrain is programmed to do just that.

In modern society, that fight or flight instinct is still useful, for example, when you are driving down the highway and a car veers sharply into your lane. This helps you focus all of your attention on the situation at hand and steer quickly and calmly out of the way. This fight or flight instinct does not come in handy when you are faced with beginning an exercise regime to get healthy or innovating a program at your job.

 

How can you make big change?

Or, more accurately, how can you get around your midbrain in order to not shut down your critical thinking skills at the time you need them most? What Dr. Robert Maurer argues in his book One Small Step Can Change your Life: The Kaizen Way is that tiny steps are what make for big change. The idea of “kaizen” comes from the Japanese word for change and was used to change the Japanese economy after World War II. Through minor changes, the electronics and automobile companies completely reorganized their industries.

Generally, when we think about innovation, we think about big steps. What the “kaizen” way teaches us is that it’s not about big steps, but small ones. That’s what makes big change.

 

How does this work?

There are two studies that deal with people who struggle with exercise that illustrate this idea. The first study involved two different groups of people who had not exercised in over ten years. Both group A and B were told how important exercise was to their health. Group A was given a year-long membership to a nearby gym and a gift certificate for workout clothing. Group B, on the other hand, was taken to a stairway and told to walk up and down one flight of stairs for the first day. The second day, the researchers came back and asked them to walk up the flight of stairs plus one step. The third day, they asked them to walk up the flight of stairs and two steps. This continued for a week and then the researchers left the group to their own devices.

Ten years later, when the researchers checked back with group A and B, who do you think was exercising consistently and had lost more weight? It might sound crazy, but it was group B!

The reason behind this is that when we ask our brains and bodies to make drastic changes, our fight or flight response kicks in and we become paralyzed. If, instead, we consistently make small changes, we trick our brain into not shutting down. In fact, the change becomes part of our routines and our bodies send positive feedback of enjoyment to reinforce the activity.

Another instance in which small change led to big results was with multiple patients of Dr. Maurer who struggled with exercise. Dr. Maurer understood that they would be too overwhelmed if he asked them to start an exercise regime, so he told them to march in place for thirty seconds when they were on the phone or listening to the radio. These thirty seconds turned into a minute, into ten and then into a full-fledged commitment to their health through exercise.

When we want to make change, we need to access the cortex. But, what usually happens is:

Large goal leads to fear; leads to access to cortex restricted; leads to failure

Small goal leads to no fear; leads to cortex engaged; leads to success

Once you continue taking small steps, your cortex starts working, the brain begins to create software for your desired change, laying down new nerve pathways and building new habits. Soon, your resistance to this change begins to weaken.

Small actions also satisfy your brain’s need to do something. The kaizen way of small steps for big change does the following three things:

* Unsticks you from creative block

* Bypasses fight or flight response

* Creates new connections between neurons so that the brain takes over the process of change

The “small steps, big change” idea can be applied to different areas of your life – not just health and exercise. You can use it for business, relationships, and mental health. Stay tuned for different ways to change for good.

Advertisement

SHARE
Previous articleGiuliani Backs Netanyahu Right to Speak Out on Iranian Threat
Next articleLife Chronicles
An acclaimed educator and social skills ​specialist​, Mrs. Rifka Schonfeld has served the Jewish community for close to thirty years. She founded and directs the widely acclaimed educational program, SOS, servicing all grade levels in secular as well as Hebrew studies. A kriah and reading specialist, she has given dynamic workshops and has set up reading labs in many schools. In addition, she offers evaluations G.E.D. preparation, social skills training and shidduch coaching, focusing on building self-esteem and self-awareness. She can be reached at 718-382-5437 or at [email protected].