Hip Hop Wisdom Lesson #7: Achieve Motor Memory

Have you ever marveled at someone and how effortlessly they display a skill or talent? From the outside looking in it all seems extraordinary or super human to a degree. However, if you were to train at something with the intent of getting better at it, then you too could be that good at something. Some people are really good at making money, others are equally as good at coding, while another group of people are great brain surgeons. Why is that? Because they left no stone unturned when it came to the path they chose to follow.

I was once told by one of my peers that “if you wanna really make it in life, you have to stop speculating and start operating.” The world, but especially America, is full of speculators. Why do I say this? Because if you go to most work environments in the U.S. you’ll hear people complaining about the very place and people that afforded them the opportunity to make an honest living. Yet, those same people in turn will say things like, “I wish I were rich” or “If I could just hit the lottery.” And at lots of workplaces in the U.S. they actually have lottery pools every week where a group of coworkers fork over their hard earned money in hopes of hitting the jackpot.

On the other hand, a person who is great at coding, for example, knows that if they push themselves on their own time and continue to perform at a high level at their current place of employment, there is no ceiling to how much money they can make. They can rationalize and see there is more value in investing in self than a lottery ticket. At some point, their whole world becomes about coding with the sole intent of being the best at what they do. They ask questions, they go to seminars, they surround themselves with other great coders, etc. Are you ready to be on that type of time?

No matter what your lot in life is now, it will get better if you want it to. You just have to put in the work. Change is hard because your brain is clogged with a bunch of motor memories that will try to stop you dead in your tracks once you try to disrupt the system. Your brain is constantly keeping score of any and all activities that you are participating in. The key to making a change in your life is to understand it’s ok to temporarily suffer hardships and make mistakes. Your brain is so complex it knows that by not making change easy, you’ll revert back to the old comfortable habits it's used to.

So, what path do you wish to travel? The path of the speculator or the path of the operator? To fully operate you must work through the hardships and mistakes that come with changing your motor memories. An intangible motor memory to develop while going through change is kindness. Another is gratitude. Even if you’re naturally kind or grateful, become better in the ways you express it because then you won’t be as hard on yourself when the tough times come. Because, unfortunately, getting rid of the old motor memories can and will cause self doubt and confusion.

When it's time for you to usher in a new season, here are some things that can possibly help you:

• Get plenty of sleep

• Change one thing at a time

• Take natural supplements for mental clarity

• Pick up a new hobby

• Be quick to forgive, yourself and others

• Become a sponge for valuable information

• Fast at least once a week

• Meet the people you want to be like

• Join a support group

• Think things through thoroughly before acting