Can We Avoid Being Brainwashed??

Seth Godin’s article “Brainwashed – Seven Ways to Reinvent Yourself” describes how our culture has lead us to believe that we are average and illustrates how we have the ability to change our ways if we so choose. Godin suggests seven different ways to pull ourselves away from what we have been brainwashed with over the years and to revel in these new ideas to transform ourselves: connect, be generous, make art, acknowledge the lizard, ship, fail, and learn.

The suggestion “acknowledge the lizard” that can be used for reinvention immediately caught my attention because of the odd name. The lizard brain as Godin likes to call it is the prehistoric brainstem that all of us must contend with. Basically the lizard brain is his way of saying that people have never and will never enjoy being laughed at – embarrassed, and initially scared to try new things. Because of this “lizard brain” we lash out in anger and prevent ourselves from creating art. I can say that I have been one to follow the lizard brain formula and to go along with the resistance. Steven Pressfield describes “the resistance” as the voice in our heads that convinces ourselves to go along with the brainwashing and to conform to the rules that are set out for all of us. It is essential that we acknowledge this voice in our head and that we break down this barrier and have the courage to create and challenge the world. I think that this idea of acknowledging the lizard is a great suggestion for anyone looking to be successful and to try something new. The first step in creating something that is important to us and to society is to acknowledge that this is somewhat against the norm and then to just do it anyway. When reading about the lizard brain I realized that this pertains to my thoughts on this blog that I have to do for class. As I am becoming more comfortable with this blog I should remember to ignore that prehistoric thinking that is embedded in my brain. In reality, writing this blog isn’t all that bad. Do I dread looking at the assignments for it sometimes? Yes. Do I finish and post the assignments regardless of my feelings for them? Yes. Following this suggestion will only help me while I am studying communication. New and exciting ideas only come from people that have learned to control this thing called the “lizard brain.”

The other suggestion that stuck out to me when reading this article was the idea of “Fail.” It is as simple as that, before we do something great in the world we are supposed to accept that we will fail at one point or another. In fact in its description is it demanded that we fail, and that we better get used to the idea of failing often and in public. While this doesn’t sound appealing, it makes complete and utter sense and I was happy to see that someone had finally written it down so clearly and bluntly. “Fail,” explains how big industries and companies were not built on the idea of failure. But now it is encouraged that you take so many risks that you are bound to fail at something. Personally this idea seems intimidating, but I think that it could be very beneficial to anyone that accepts failure before it happens. By accepting it before it happens it doesn’t seem as scary anymore and it lets you be more adventurous. By training myself to get over failure and the idea of it I will let myself do so many things that I otherwise would have never tried.

This media class where I have actually had to divulge into the world of creation is the first that I have had in college. The other media classes I have had so far have not truly challenged me or made me put effort into an assignment. I think that the assignments in this class are worthwhile because each week I can see how the lectures translate into things that we will actually be doing. It is so common for students to attend classes, sit in lecture and just memorize the material verbatim for the midterm or final exam. This class has made me actually understand the material and use it in ways I didn’t expect to. I know that if I follow things like these suggestions from Seth Godin I will be more successful not only in my classes but in my major and my goals in general. I wouldn’t be a communication major if I didn’t have a desire to make my opinions known. By following these suggestions I will be more confident and happy with the outcomes of my work. I am fully aware that I have to continue to stray away from the brainwashing attempts and to take chances. I am quickly learning though that I enjoy taking chances, and that they are only helping me become a more creative person. I can only hope that I continue to take risks throughout life. As clichéd as it is, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.