Keeping the Horizon in Sight

By: Debra Quarles
Salt Dental Consultant
Part 1 of 2

When you fly a helicopter and lose sight of the horizon you crash – that’s why they train pilots to use instruments. Losing sight of the horizon is a serious matter. When you can’t see the horizon your inner ear takes over - that part of the body designed to tell you up from down. When your inner ear has control it isn’t able to distinguish up from down and so you crash.

Your brain is an incredible tool. (Of course, my brain told me to tell you that, so consider the source.) In critical or stressful situations your brain instructs fight or flight. When this happens we are unable to process information, instead our body takes over. This is so instinctual that if you are approached by a bear – your brain does not say, “That’s a bear. Run!” But instead says, “Run!” And as you are running it tells you, “That was a bear.”

The same thing can occur with divers. If they rely solely on their inner instincts, they can become confused and actually dive to the bottom. Instincts that are in place to help us survive can cause us to die because they are so overwhelming they do not let us rationalize. We become frustrated, we may be argumentative – and we are arguing with our own reasoning. This does not allow us to function at our best.

In other words, a part of your brain may actually prevent you from getting what you want. The good news is now that you are aware of this you can use other parts of your brain to override that behavior and get where you want to go.

The forebrain is the part of your brain that allows you to think ahead. You’ve heard the term use it or lose it – this is especially true here. If you are not thinking ahead to what your future holds, to the horizon – you may lose the ability all together. And much like helicopter pilots, losing sight of where you are going or not having a vision in business is courting disaster.

If you would like more information, please contact us at info.saltdpm.com

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This article was originally published by Tri-County Dental Society Bulletin