Graham Tebbit

I think about this twice a day. Every morning when I sit down to read & then when I sit down to write, I say to myself, "Accept the initial agitation." When you try to focus, Andrew Huberman explains, "the brain circuits that turn on first are of the stress system." Meaning: "The agitation and stress that you feel at the beginning of something—when you're trying to lean into it and you can't focus—is just a recognized gate. You have to pass through that gate to get to the focus component." There's a common misconception, Huberman continues, "The misunderstanding around how certain brain circuits work has led to this idea that there's some secret entry point—maybe marked 'flow' on the door—and there's a trampoline up to that door, and you just open that door, and you're immediately in [a deep state of focus]. And nothing could be further from the truth." The truth is: "There is a gate of entry. You have to wade through some sewage before you can swim in clear water. That's the way I always think about it." I once told Andrew that I say to myself, "accept the initial agitation," every time I sit down to read or write, and he said, "the agitation is indeed the doorway to the whole process." - - - The clip below is from Andrew's 2020 interview on Rich Roll's podcast (youtu.be/SwQhKFMxmDY)