Photo by Michael Dziedzic

It’s Monday morning, and you’re on the way out the door, coffee in hand, when you reach for your keys by the door – and they aren’t there.

They aren’t in your pockets.

Or your purse.

Your typical morning routine descends into a frantic quest to find your damn keys already, and you and your home are looking more disheveled by the minute.

When you finally find them on the kitchen counter, you’re running late and feeling more than a little frustrated. 

You could’ve sworn you already looked there, yet, there they are, in plain sight.

The Secret of the Not-So-Lost Keys

Here’s the real culprit behind your missing keys:

Your brain.

Your brain receives an overwhelming amount of sensory information every second of every day, but not all of it is useful. It’s too much to process, so your brain creates default maps of your routines and the places where you spend the most time to decrease the amount of attention and energy you expend on everyday details. 

Like your home and where you put your keys when you get there.

You may not even be aware of it, but you tend to move around these places and spaces in habitual patterns. When you break those patterns, say because your phone rang while you were carrying the groceries in, so you put down the bags and dropped your keys on the counter to answer your cell, your brain isn’t paying attention.

When you’re in a familiar, safe place, those default maps are one of the primary ways your brain saves energy.  It expects you to follow the map like you do every other day.

Essentially, you couldn’t see your keys because you weren’t expecting them to be there.

Default Maps and Business Blind Spots

The same thing happens in your business. 

From that initial flash of inspiration through the hustle and grind of the start-up phase and every day after, you create and reinforce ideas and beliefs about “what it means to be a successful business owner” and “how to run a business.” 

Unbeknownst to you, those beliefs and narratives are training your RAS to build filters that act like blinders until those perceptions become all you can see.

When it comes time to grow your company to the next level, you can’t see beyond your preconceived notions. You miss the solutions that are right there under your nose because your brain is operating out of habit and routine, to the exclusion of all the unexpected possibilities.

Seeing Through the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

It’s also why it can be so incredibly difficult to change someone’s mind, including your own. Your RAS is conditioned to find and deliver information based on your values and priorities, which means it is constantly seeking evidence that reinforces your existing beliefs.

And it isn’t only reinforcing the beliefs that you’re aware of; it’s working to reinforce your unconscious beliefs, too, like:

• How you define success and the value of your work.
• What you believe good leadership looks like.
• Who you think you have to be and what you have to be willing to do to achieve your goals.

Ever heard of imposter syndrome? That’s your RAS trying to keep you safe.

It’s why even high-achieving business owners struggle with raising their rates and setting firm boundaries around their time. 

It’s also part of the reason why growing your business to the next level can be so challenging. Because it isn’t just about the strategic actions you take to build your business, it’s about how you show up, who you’re being, and what you believe is possible.

A Different Perspective: Noticing the Narrative

Your RAS shapes the way you see yourself, the world, your business, and the opportunities or obstacles you see. It is the fundamental operating system that crafts your internal narrative, empowering or impeding your personal and professional success.

Unfortunately, you can’t run an OS update on your RAS overnight, but understanding how your RAS works to moderate your attention is the first step towards building and leading your business more strategically.

Expansive growth requires you to break down the barriers you’ve built around “how,” “when,” and “why” businesses succeed. Start by paying more attention to the thoughts that come up around your work.

• What mental objections arise when you consider raising your rates to reflect the ROI your clients receive from working with you and your company?

• When you start to doubt yourself and what you’re capable of, what does your imposter syndrome have to say?

• When do you feel the most confident and empowered in your business?

Notice the narratives that play on repeat. When you bring more intentional awareness to your internal thought processes, you begin to identify the patterns and beliefs that no longer serve your success, and shift your perspective of what is possible for you and your company.

Ready to start the next chapter of your success story? 

As a high-performance business strategist and private consultant, I’ve been building businesses and mentoring industry leaders for over four decades. 

And with an educational background in neurobiology, I’m uniquely positioned to help you overcome internal limitations and elevate your mindset to break through the barriers impeding your path to success.

I created Catapult Immersion® to offer a dynamic, personalized, strategic growth container specifically for ambitious, high-achieving business owners like you.

87% of my clients double their revenue within a year of working with me.

92% of my clients clock 33% fewer hours at work by the end of our engagement.

99% of my clients report they are truly satisfied with their work/life balance.

Are you next in line?

Apply for Alignment and embrace a more expansive success story.