Is it possible to train your brain to do really hard things?

Absolutely – with neuroplasticity!

In sales, the hardest activities are often the “deep work” which doesn’t provide immediate gratification or come naturally.

These include things like account research, developing a compelling Point of View (POV), writing executive e-mails, territory planning, and using storytelling to build powerful proposals.

So why does deep work feel so hard?

A large section of your brain is the pre-frontal cortex, responsible for making smart decisions, solving complex problems, future planning, storytelling, and emotional regulation.

This is where deep work gets done.

The reason why deep work feels so hard is because our pre-frontal cortex may not be getting used enough, causing it to atrophy.

Leaving us feeling anxious, bored, restless, and making it harder to focus when trying to do deep work.

In the simplest of terms, deep work feels a LOT harder than it should because we haven’t exercised our pre-frontal cortex.

So which part of the brain is getting used instead?

For many sales reps, it’s the pleasure center where dopamine is released (VTA and Nac).

When we check e-mail, get a slack message, receive a text, browse LinkedIn, read the news, scroll social media, or complete “busy work” dopamine is released in the pleasure center.

Providing immediate gratification.

The more dopamine hits, the stronger the neural pathways in the pleasure center.

So what’s the good news in all this?

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt, reorganize, and change throughout a person’s life.

Your brain is a learning machine, and when you use different parts of your brain, new neural pathways form in response to new experiences.

The more we use our pre-frontal cortex, the easier it becomes.

Just like building muscles in the gym, but for our brains.

So how exactly do we build these muscles?

It’s simple, but not easy.

One way is to do a dopamine detox by temporarily reducing or eliminating activities that give you instant gratification and dopamine rushes.

Like social media, video games, junk food, or other addictive behaviors.

By taking a break from these activities, you give your brain a chance to reset its reward system.

Now, here’s the magic part: as you reduce your dopamine-seeking behaviors, you’ll find it easier to focus, make decisions, and tackle complex tasks.

Your pre-frontal cortex becomes more agile and efficient because it’s no longer constantly bombarded with distractions and cravings.

Making it much easier to stay focused and complete harder tasks.

In today’s training video, I share more on how neuroplasticity works, and give you a simple, powerful brain exercise you can do every morning to activate your pre-frontal cortex before starting work.

You can find the video here: https://youtu.be/7O5PsZJDDfk