Unlock Your Limitless Mind and Train Your Brain for Financial Success

What's your current understanding of money? For the most part, it's just paper, right? But what else is it?

Money is energy. And it's an exchange of energy that's tied up in complicated emotion and systems of belief.

Ready to learn more about what money is exactly? Once you understand money, you'll be able to make more of it. Find out what you're missing . . .

Does your income match your effort? Or does it feel sorta stuck? Many people experience a plateau in their earning potential—even when they’re working harder than ever.

But guess what? It’s not your intelligence, or your skills, or even your boss. Your income may be stagnating because of . . . 

The relationship between money and happiness has been a hot topic for centuries. 

From the ancient Greeks to modern philanthropists and celebrities . . . we've all tried to answer the question: can humans succeed at making money and achieving happiness at the same time?

Now that you are older and wiser, are you concerned you will outlive your money?

Do you find that your IRA, 401(k), and/or pension payouts are not enough to reasonably sustain you? What about your monthly Social Security check?

Do you notice that even with all the scrimping and saving you did as a whippersnapper, you now spend beyond your means?

Have you ever felt like you had an internal “block” of some sort? A hidden obstacle that’s keeping you from earning more money?

If so, did you know what the block was?

Everyone has an internal “money story.” That’s the collection of beliefs and experiences associated with money. It’s often tied to your upbringing or your closest circle of friends and family.

Many people actually aren’t fully aware of the good and bad parts of their money stories. They just experience happiness or frustration at the results.

So how do you find out what your money story is?

All small business owners want to grow into something big, right?

You survived start-up, launched, and are currently doing all you can to build your business . . . but now you want to learn how to grow your business beyond its current status? Makes perfect sense to us. You're in the right place.

Sure it takes hard work and dedication to become a successful entrepreneur. But it's totally possible to build your business and achieve financial freedom if you've got the right mindset, support structure, skill set, and motivation to take daily action steps toward your goals.  

Money.

What thoughts or emotions does the word money stir up for you?

Are they positive or negative?

Did you know your relationship with money defines how much you have? Keep reading to discover if your money mindset is holding you back from achieving a wealthy lifestyle. 

Why do some businesses grow like weeds, while others stagnate?

A business can be close to success, but if it’s missing essential elements, it won’t get there. We studied tons of businesses . . . some that failed, others that grew exponentially, and some that plateaued.

We noticed very clear trends, which led us to the three crucial elements of a successful business, and how they will give you an edge over your competition.

In this video with John Assaraf, he mentions the three critical pieces of the puzzle.

Research shows that over 95 percent of people who go on a diet, especially when their only strategy for losing weight is the diet, end up regaining the weight. 

In this video, I talk with leading nutrition and fat loss expert, Ari Whitten, to discuss the best way to go about losing the fat and keeping it off. 

Do you find yourself racing for a cookie or soft drink every time your blood sugar drops? This is a common occurrence for many people . . . so if you do it, you're definitely not alone.

Becoming a creature of habit doesn’t have to be a bad thing. While the initial steps to maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle can be tough, the end result will prove to be worth the effort. And since you’ll be feeling so energetic, focused, and happy, you’ll want to continue to nurture your healthy habits.

But diet advice encourages us to dive into a new way of eating without serious thought or sufficient preparation, right? No wonder it’s difficult to continue to "diet" when essential ingredients are missing from our shopping lists and our cupboards are full of foods that should be avoided.

And anyone who has been on a diet before will agree that the most difficult part of weight management is keeping the weight off. This article may help you to achieve long-term weight maintenance with suggestions on how to curb your cravings . . . and modify daily eating patterns to encourage a happier and healthier lifestyle, so keep reading . . .

Every diet works short-term, but they almost never work long-term. Am I right? 

In this video, I share the secrets behind what I discovered about weight-loss . . . by hiring some of the leading experts in the world. I put them on to my team to help me understand the "inner game" and the science and nutrition around fat loss.

Learn how I went from fat and flabby at 45 to fit and firm at 55. 

There’s no shortage of information on the internet—especially when it comes to weight loss.

But the way you view weight loss may change after reading these scientific studies. And the knowledge you gain by looking at the research may help you develop a mindset to lose weight naturally and keep it off for good . . .  

Here they are. 

Did you know that the brain-gut connection is at the core of our overall well-being? 

Remember that visceral “gut feeling” you had when you decided to walk down one road instead of the other? What about those butterflies in your stomach that took off before you spoke up in class for the first time?

Scientists are learning that the intimate relationship between the gut and the brain is bidirectional ; your brain sends butterflies to your stomach and your gut relays its state of anxiety to the brain. 

And during stressful situations, the brain basically changes the entire performance of our digestive system. When there’s stress at one end, there's bound to be stress at the opposite end as well. 

Have you ever lost weight but then gained it back right away? Did it become a pattern for you: Lose weight, gain it back, lose weight, gain it back . . . even though you exercise every day?

I know the feeling. This happened to me at least 15 times. I even ate pretty well, except that I loved to eat sugar. I was addicted to sugar. Whether it was a candy bar, frozen yogurt, cookies, cakes . . . And I wouldn't eat one, I'd eat four or five at a time.

So what did I do? I learned how to win the weight loss game. I finally, after so many years, learned how to set weight loss goals.

If you're trying to lose weight, try not to lose any sleep over it. If you do, you may be defeating your purpose.

Inadequate sleep significantly reduced the amount of fat loss among participants in a study at the University of Chicago’s Clinical Resource Center.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, followed overweight but healthy volunteers placed on balanced diets with calories restricted to 90 percent of what each person needed to maintain his or her weight without exercise, about 1,450 calories.

Looking for ways to lose weight naturally? Ready to make a commitment to your overall health? If so, I have something for you to try.

I've really made an effort to be healthy . . . and one the things that's helped is a combination of ingredients that make up a "super smoothie." If you're looking for ways to lose weight and get healthy, this is for you.

Get the recipe for focus, energy, and weight loss. 

Millions of people around the world wake up each day and reach for a cup of coffee to get them going.

And it works, right? We’ve all felt that great boost in alertness, energy, and performance that coffee gives us.

So what could be wrong with something that’s obviously giving us a boost?

It turns out the story with coffee and caffeine isn’t so obvious after all. I’m about to show you why your coffee habit may actually be subtly sabotaging your performance and your ability to reach your goals. 

I’m also going to explain how you can get a boost in energy and performance without relying on caffeine.

People who have lost substantial amounts of weight and kept it off have almost always made several unsuccessful attempts at weight loss before they finally succeeded.

So if you’ve tried and failed before, don’t be discouraged. The most successful people in the world have failed. They failed and learned, changed their approach . . . and persevered.

You have the power to maximize your energy and change your body. It just takes a little dedication and determination, right? You’re totally capable of that, too.

Sometimes losing weight can seem really tough, right?

(And keeping it off is another huge challenge!)

Extreme times, extreme measures...

Does that resonate with your weight loss journey at all?

Have you gone sugar free, meat free, fat free, juice cleanses (food free??) …

Or eaten so many unseasoned chicken breasts, even the thought of that flavorless meat makes you gag a little?

Maybe you tried zumba, spin class, hot yoga, bootcamp…?

Sometime it seems like losing weight is inherently difficult and miserable.

What if it didn't have to be that way?

(Hint: It doesn't!)  

Do you suffer from the headaches, upset stomach, heart palpitations, fatigue, restlessness, or excessive sweating associated with anxiety? Do your anxious thoughts sometimes work yourself into a panic?

What about the fears or phobias that keep you from enjoying your life to the fullest?

Well, you need to look no further for a solution to your anxiety related issues. In this ultimate guide to reducing anxiety, we'll be sharing with you a few of the top, research-proven techniques for eliminating anxiety by reducing your worry and stress, enhancing your peace of mind, and optimizing your mental, emotional, and physical environments to create lasting change . . . and hopefully, kick your anxiety to the curb for good!

Sound good? Keep reading . . . 

Do you have a love-hate relationship with the holidays? 

Like you can’t wait to indulge in the eggnog and sugar cookies . . . and buy everyone the best gifts, but know you’re going to regret it when it’s finally time to remove the Christmas sweater and pay off your credit card debt?

Some people treat the holidays like a hibernation period and go all out. They’ll worry about bikini season and bills when the snow melts. Other people abstain from the festivities and consumerism with the discipline of a Buddhist Monk.

What if there was a way to indulge and enjoy without missing out altogether? Keep reading to learn how you can create the ultimate sweet spot for your holiday festivities.

Do you feel stuck in any area of your life? Are you too scared to take the appropriate steps to advance your career, relationships, health, and wealth?

Do you want to start making successful choices that will continually move you in the direction of your dreams?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may be time to assess your decision-making process. Understanding how the process works is essential to bypassing major obstacles along your path to success.

Have you ever made a mistake and then immediately fell into a dark pit of self-doubt?

Reliving the experience in your mind, wondering how you could have (woulda, shoulda) handled the situation so that things didn’t take a turn for the worse?

If you answered yes, you’re not alone. Mistakes happen all the time. No big deal. We’re only human . . .

The real bummer is the aftermath of failure: What our emotional reactions do to our self-confidence, sleep patterns, and overall well-being. For most of us, the repercussions of failing can be a self-fulfilling cycle of doom and gloom.

When you think about speaking in front of 5,000 people, do you feel excited, or terrified? 

According to the data, most of us are absolutely terrified of public speaking -- even more so than death. 

So what are your options? 

A. Avoid public speaking like it's the plague,

B. Speak when you must, knowing that you're probably embarrassing yourself, 

or,

C. Learn to overcome your fear and master the art of public speaking.

If option C. sounds like a good fit, keep reading this article to do just that.

Your palms are sweating, your stomach is upset, your heart is racing, and thoughts of worry flood through your mind.

No, you’re not dying; you’re having a panic attack.

Anxiety affects approximately 40 million Americans. For some, anxiety causes some slight discomfort and distress. For others it’s debilitating, causing the afflicted individual to miss work, socially withdraw, and even avoid certain places, people, or situations entirely.

If you or a loved one has ever dealt with the irritating, often incapacitating, effects of anxiety; take heart. There are several very tactical approaches for lessening your stress and decreasing your anxiety, and this article will show you how.

What are we supposed to do when we don't know what to do next?

This question has been on the minds of human beings since our ancestors travelled the earth in search of fruit and grains.

But maybe we feel less certain even more so today—during times of shaky, fake news cycles run by local and global, partisan politics; the myriad questions about our true purpose . . . and what we can do to help the world and its changing climate.

How can I possibly save the planet? What can I do to help people involved with mass migration? How do I turn my ideas into something that makes a positive impact?

All this uncertainty circulating is enough to make us want to give up sometimes . . . throw in the towel, right?

Are you so overwhelmed by everything you have to do that you find yourself procrastinating at work?

Have you ever wished there was more time in the day to accomplish your goals (at work and in your personal life)?

Is your work/life balance unbalanced . . . too heavily weighted in work?

Join the club! In our busy, success driven culture, most people feel overwhelmed. Emotional overwhelm is a state of being your mind creates when you believe there’s too much to do and not enough time to get it all done.

Picture this: A group of elementary school children first thing in the morning.

They're all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and each of them wiggles like a bunny that contains the energy of five adults. Now, imagine trying to get this rowdy bunch to calm down and quietly practice their math skills . . . 

Sounds challenging, right?

Remarkably, a school in Canberra, Australia found a technique that seems to work just like magic. Giralang Primary School introduced a program that taught children how to practice mindfulness. The results were amazing!

Have you ever missed out on an opportunity because you were afraid?

Fear is an insidious obstacle. Sure, it used to keep us alive back in the days of dwelling in caves when large, predatory animals wanted to eat us for dinner.

There's no doubt about it, having a heightened awareness, stress hormones, and a clear focus saved many of our ancestors' lives.

But nowadays, there aren’t as many real threats to our immediate survival. Inside your brain, however, you have the same fear circuit that your cave-drawing ancestor had.

So instead of freaking out upon spotting a saber-toothed tiger, your body responds to more modern terrors (i.e., fear of public speaking, fear of failure, fear of rejection).

The trigger is different, but the response is the same. Your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between something that's real or something that's in your imagination.

Have you felt any changes occurring in your life lately? The season has changed (happy fall!), the planets are shifting their alignment, and another year is coming to a close.

So if you’ve felt any ups and downs lately, or if you feel overwhelmed by the unknown of the future, this Innercise will put your mind at ease.

Have you ever noticed the variety of voices inside your head? Sometimes you feel encouraged, but sometimes you scare yourself out of doing something spectacular?

We all naturally have neural impulses that motivate us to take action, and also ones that keep us from taking action. If you aren’t getting the results you want in life, chances are you’re letting the wrong impulse circuit determine your behavior.  

Have you ever wondered how some people can set goals, and then everything in the universe works together to help them achieve them?

Once you can tune your brain to be aware of the right opportunities, you’ll begin to notice yourself drifting naturally toward your goals and dreams, too.

Have you ever set out to complete a goal then ended up all over the place with it. . . . expending energy and focus inefficiently, and ending up with poor results?

Understanding how your brain works in the goal attainment process is crucial.

Welcome to the Innercise® on creative visualization! Here's where we use proven psychology and the latest advancements in neuroscience to help you visualize your goals into action and accomplish your goals and dreams.

Do you believe that willpower is a finite resource? Once you use some, you have a little bit less?

It can be easy to attribute poor decisions made at the end of the day to a lack of willpower. Have you ever felt like it’s harder to say no to a second beer or a slice of cake at the end of a long day?

Although the idea of “willpower depletion” has been widely popularized, it’s not a completely accurate account of what’s going on in your brain . . . 

Albert Einstein. Emily Brontë. Isaac Newton. C.S. Lewis.

These are some of the greatest writers and scientists in history . . . and they all have one thing in common: they were notorious daydreamers!

Numerous studies in recent years have shown that the right kind of daydreaming can sharpen your mind . . . and help with problem-solving and long-term planning.

From choosing what soap to buy, to whom you go out with. . . . the decisions you make are controlled by a combination of logic and emotion.

That sounds simple enough, but every time you resolve to do or not do something, your brain is deliberating a multitude of factors at lightning speed.

Welcome to the Innercise on logic vs emotion! Here's where we use proven psychology and the latest advancements in neuroscience to help motivate you to put your ideas into action and, with practice, keep your left and right brain active and balanced.

Understanding how the decision-making process works is essential to preventing poor choices in the future.

Do you sometimes get down on yourself? 

(If not, you're probably not a real human -- that's a whole other issue). 

When your internal voice starts to sound a bit negative, just stop, recognize the signs, and Innercise®! 

With practice, your inner voice will be positive and encouraging by default. 

This Innercise will show you 4 simple steps to clear out your self-doubt. 

Have you ever felt like you had an internal “block” of some sort? A hidden obstacle that’s keeping you from earning more money?

If so, did you know what the block was?

Everyone has an internal “money story.” That’s the collection of beliefs and experiences associated with money. It’s often tied to your upbringing or your closest circle of friends and family.

Many people actually aren’t fully aware of the good and bad parts of their money stories. They just experience happiness or frustration at the results.

So how do you find out what your money story is?

What if your best friend stopped by and told you that you don’t deserve your dream life?

What if she told you that you’re not talented or smart enough to succeed? Or that you won’t ever achieve your goals? Would you keep her around? Hopefully not.

Most likely the only person you'd tolerate this type of talk from is . . . 

My name is Valerie Ketjen, and I’m a Goal Achiever. I want to start my Winning the Game of Money story by saying, thoughts shape your reality!

This concept was a big takeaway for me after completing the Winning the Game of Money (WTGM) program.

Before I set out on my Innercise journey with the NeuroGym community (about 2 years ago), I was deeply in debt; I had no income, nowhere to live, and nobody to turn to. I was lost—lacking a sense of self-worth and self-confidence. I was even looking into my possibilities for staying in a homeless shelter.

Have you ever started a project, full of fire and excitement, only to watch it slowly peter out a few weeks in?

This happens to all of us. But why does it happen?

The latest research reveals that our behavior is controlled by brain circuits that often operate without our conscious awareness.

If you’re frustrated and overwhelmed . . . clueless about how to start a business, or if you’ve been in business for a while but haven’t mastered how to launch and market your brand yet . . . don't despair!

You can grow a profitable, meaningful business for the product or service you’re passionate about. You can learn how to retrain your brain for business success. All you need to do is develop a business “growth mindset” (based on your values), learn the valuable skills you’ll need, and find the right team and tools to help you along your path to success.

If you believe you can do this, keep reading . . . 

We're all susceptible to the laws governing the Universe—including the Law of Attraction, right?

And as far as we know, the Law of Attraction (LOA) is our ability to attract whatever we are emitting (vibrating, signaling, shouting out) into the Universe.

Before I joined NeuroGym, I was working in a job that was full of drama. I felt completely burned out and unhappy, but I was afraid to leave.

I was afraid that I couldn’t make the giant leap—out on my own—to start doing what I love to do. It was a horrible feeling. I felt so trapped but knew I wanted more.

It felt like a thousand pounds on my chest that I didn’t know how to remove.

I was drowning in debt and my financial future did not look like it was going to change any time soon. To top it off, I had recently found out that my finance had been cheating the entire length of our 8 year relationship.

My heart was broken and my spirit felt at an all time low.

Do you believe it's possible to make 2020 the best year yet? Well, it is . . . and now’s the perfect time to start planning for it. 

But before you start setting your epic goals for the year, check this out . . . 

‘Tis the season for tons of fun, joy, and celebration, right? So why do many of us feel stressed now and drained (both physically and financially) by the end of December?

Despite the hustle and bustle that may cause us anxiety and lack of cash flow this time of year, there are ways around the stress and strain. Read more to learn how to get through the holidays with more health, wealth, and happiness. 

External forces of motivation can only take us so far. If you want to sustain a motivated mindset for growth, there must be a deep-down desire to take action on a daily basis.

Have you heard the story about the inquisitive visitor to NASA (in the 1960s) who asked the janitor—who was mopping the floor—what he was doing with his life?

The janitor stopped mopping for a moment and replied: “Helping to put a man on the moon.”

The daily decisions we make create our reality. And our choices shape who we are as individuals.

In this day and age, most of us are programmed to make decisions based on fear, low self-esteem, and a lack of willpower.

So instead of making bold moves, we end up stuck in the comfort zone.

Do you have big goals and dreams that you can't seem to reach? Want to make more money but, for some reason, can't get out of your current tax bracket?

If so, we've got the neuroscience news that'll help you train your brain to achieve success in this lifetime.

Everything is made up of energy. So thoughts must hold immense energy, right? If we think negative thoughts, we attract negativity and unfavorable outcomes; if we think positively, we attract positive people and experiences into our lives.

So, if you think about it, the secret to success depends on the quality, frequency, and intensity of our thought patterns. If you're not getting the results you want in your life, it may be time to become hyper aware of your thinking mind.

The "feel-good" neurotransmitter that plays a major role in the science of happiness, motivation, and healthy weight is . . .

You guessed it!? Dopamine.

Everybody wants to be productive, fit, and happy, right? And if we had our way, most of us would always be this way. So let's start with the brain science of happiness.

What does “being happy” actually mean?

And what does happiness look like inside our brain?

Even though we don’t know exactly what makes extraordinary people, brain science offers us clues as to why some minds are exceptional . . . and have changed the world.

People like Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, John Coltrane, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Ada Lovelace, Nikola Tesla, Elon Musk, and Albert Einstein knew how to find the inspiration to fuel their creative power.

But how did they do it?

Here's what we know about what makes great minds creative and brilliant.

The billionaire CEO of Tesla Motors, SpaceX, SolarCity, and Neuralink is not only providing alternatives to burning fossil fuels . . . he’s also planning a rocket-and-space ship trip to colonize Mars in his reusable, new Raptor engine—a powerful Interplanetary Transport System.

Elon is a man with a plan who loves and believes in his goals and dreams.

So how does he do it?

He's a genius.

Have you ever thought in depth about what makes up your unique perspective and personality? Why you act the way you do in your own special way?

And why does Aunt Jane have such an outstanding outlook on life that no one else seems to get? 

Who you are . . . the unique way you and everything you experience starts with your brain: your moods, relationships, energy level, creativity, intelligence, and ability to learn. 

Your brain determines your personality, motivation, confidence, persistence, happiness, inner peace . . . and your ability to love and be loved. So why do you behave the way you do?

Your thoughts and belief system make up the software that runs your life. The way you experience the world around you is a reflection of your inner belief system.

And have you noticed how limiting beliefs block your growth and progress?

The human mind relies on the brain to carry out its functions . . . and our minds divide into two parts: the conscious and subconscious.

Think of your mind as an iceberg; the conscious part is the part you see on the surface of the ocean—which is roughly about 5 percent of the ice formation. And the other 95 percent that lies under the sea represents your subconscious (a.k.a. unconscious or nonconscious) mind.

Imagine the power of the subconscious . . .

It is possible to break free from intellectual labels if you want. And it’s totally possible to develop what psychologist, Carol Dweck, refers to as a growth mindset to enhance your brilliance. 

How reliable are memories?

According to neuroscience, not so much.

When we store memories we often miss details, and when we recall memories, we distort them a little each time. Once a memory's in there, it becomes nearly impossible to distinguish between reality, and the bits our brain fabricated.

Multiple studies have even shown how simple it is to implant a “false memory” in someone’s head. It appears that the same brain regions light up whether you’re actually witnessing something, or you’re visualizing something in your mind’s eye. If you can remember seeing something, you believe it — even if you only “saw” it in your brain.

Why is this so interesting?

“The Oculus Best Practices guide may be the most substantial thing ever written on applied sensorimotor neuroscience”

-From the Twitter of neuroscience expert, Beau Cronin

Whew. That’s a mouthful.

Here's why it's true...

Have you ever noticed how some people have a seemingly endless supply of motivation while other people struggle to take action?

Have you ever wondered how some people can set goals, and then everything in the universe works together to help them achieve them?

Once you can tune your brain to be aware of the right opportunities, you’ll begin to notice yourself drifting naturally toward your goals and dreams, too.

In the past decade, ground-breaking research has revolutionized our understanding of the human brain. 

And with all of this new information we can, for the first time, learn to harness our brainpower to work for us.

Knowledge is power, and your ability to understand the way your brain operates can give you a definite edge in your efforts to live a healthy, happy life. The real trick to making any change is simply to get your brain to cooperate with you. And you can do this by rewiring your brain for personal success.

Remember, your mind is in charge of helping you to accomplish your goals and dreams.

Have you ever set out to complete a goal then ended up all over the place with it. . . . expending energy and focus inefficiently, and ending up with poor results?

Understanding how your brain works in the goal attainment process is crucial.

Welcome to the Innercise® on creative visualization! Here's where we use proven psychology and the latest advancements in neuroscience to help you visualize your goals into action and accomplish your goals and dreams.

Are your daily habits crushing your chances of success?

In the field of personal growth and achievement, one of the pioneers is the writer Napoleon Hill. In the early 20th century, at the request of businessman and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie—who was then the richest man in the world—Hill set out to write about success and the philosophy behind personal achievement.

Fear.

What’s your biggest fear? Heights? Snakes? Airplanes? Snakes on planes? 

Most of us can think of a couple things that send shivers down the spine. But have you ever stopped to wonder where the fear came from initially?

Have you ever started a project, full of fire and excitement, only to watch it slowly peter out a few weeks in?

This happens to all of us. But why does it happen?

The latest research reveals that our behavior is controlled by brain circuits that often operate without our conscious awareness.

Are you putting off challenging tasks and action steps in order to do comfortable, pleasurable activities that won’t threaten your ego?

If so, it may be time to check your level of procrastination . . . just to see if this type of behavior is an issue for you. Maybe you’re reading this article because you’re procrastinating right now? Let’s find out.

It is possible to break free from intellectual labels if you want. And it’s totally possible to develop what psychologist, Carol Dweck, refers to as a growth mindset to enhance your brilliance. 

Everybody can set goals . . . and most people do. Our brains love goals!

What about you? Do you ever daydream about making a bunch of money doing what you love? Do you have goals for living a joyful, meaningful life with your family and friends by your side?

Goal setting, in fact, was one of the earliest functions of the human nervous system. It helped to trigger movement toward food. Primitive goal-seeking mechanisms were part of our ancestors’ ingrained program . . . and the key to our survival as a species. 

But we all need to stop setting goals the old fashioned way and start focusing on the neuroscience of goal achievement instead.

How do we do this?

Watch and listen to this interview I did with Tom Bilyeu on Impact Theory to learn how to upgrade your success mindset in 46 minutes.

Have you ever missed out on an opportunity because you were afraid?

Fear is an insidious obstacle. Sure, it used to keep us alive back in the days of dwelling in caves when large, predatory animals wanted to eat us for dinner.

There's no doubt about it, having a heightened awareness, stress hormones, and a clear focus saved many of our ancestors' lives.

But nowadays, there aren’t as many real threats to our immediate survival. Inside your brain, however, you have the same fear circuit that your cave-drawing ancestor had.

So instead of freaking out upon spotting a saber-toothed tiger, your body responds to more modern terrors (i.e., fear of public speaking, fear of failure, fear of rejection).

The trigger is different, but the response is the same. Your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between something that's real or something that's in your imagination.