Sitting in a circle with other “woo-woo” enthusiasts, she noticed a totem figure in the room. It took the shape of a rabbit.
“I saw the backside of the totem and laughed that those big ears represented me, feeling like the silly rabbit in the room,” she told us.
She expressed her resistance, and how a friend dragged her into attending. Safe to say, she was unconvinced.
The “Silly Rabbit” description is the way many of us feel when we’re outside our comfort zone. We rely so much on our “left brain” wisdom, that we repent situations outside of the norm.
If doubting this, ask yourself: How often do I try new things?
It’s likely, not as often as you imagine. Not to worry though. This is left-brain thinking at its finest, and is embedded in our habits, serving many of us well… Until it doesn’t.
As Einstein warned us, “We do the same things over and over again expecting a different result.”
Now don’t go self diagnose yourself insane just yet, but do consider this question, “Have you, or are you ‘stuck’ in any area of your life?”
Thankfully our Silly Rabbit was able to suspend her disbelief and allow the process to work. We obtained an independent perspective from the more linear, logical analytical, business, as usual, left side of the brain.
The right side of the brain contains the functions of creativity, intuition, music, artistry, as well as problem-solving. Skeptics can find more on this in reference to Nobel Prize awarded neuro-psychologist, Dr. Roger Sperry, and his work on the hemispheric division in the brain.
Tackling a number of exploratory questions about her life, we reconciled the answers on both sides, leading to breakthrough insights. At the end of the weekend, we had the pleasure of hearing her story and remarkable transformation.
She concluded, “So even though I came in feeling like the silly rabbit, I’m leaving feeling much more like the wise owl.” Flipping the wooden totem carving in her hands, she revealed another interesting discovery. The totem was never a rabbit at all, but actually a wise owl all along!
When you are open to learning new systems and perspectives, the world will open up to you. Over my 23 years of right brain research, my experiences and insights both professionally and personally have improved tremendously. We have all been both the Wise Owl and Silly Rabbit. This spring, you can join us at Modern Elder Academy to ask yourself:
“Hey Silly Rabbit, what’s stopping you from living your best life?”
William A. Donius, former banker and CEO, teaches his creative method of problem solving to a wide range of corporations and employees and also is an active investor in a number of start-up accelerators. He will be co-leading a workshop with Chip Conley at MEA May 31-June 7.