Ever wonder how it is that humans can undertake such difficult and arduous tasks on the daily?
Well, we know that doing such things has helped humans grow exponentially over time, historically humans performed much slower more arduous tasks like Hunting, foraging, landscaping, gardening, farming, or building shelter.
We could say that the human species had to be ‘doers’ to be valuable members of tribes and therefore able to survive…
In present, these kinds of tasks we would have done in the past are done for us. Often, we exchange our money for these products and or services.
It is no slight to say we’ve been misled into finding comfort in repeating the basics, accepting the bench seat, cuddling up on warm sofas watching Netflix, and accepting the working lifestyle model that capitalism has created for our societies.
And that’s fine for some, a slice of takeout pizza watching Game of thrones never hurt anybody…other than ourselves…
that is, when we binge our favourite entertainment medium on the regular.
Many others, however, recognise potential within them and with each passing day how chilling on the couch feels like more of a slippery slope…
Our planet is brimming full of untapped human potential; dreams that remain dreams instead of goals or beliefs, people that are afraid of the kind of commitment and discipline necessary to unlock this potential often expressing a failure to connect to the big why question.
On the bright side, now, there are plenty of great mentors or mindset gurus that have shown the power of controlling the mind through habits, discipline, gratitude etc. We’ve learned, or re-learned, how effective self-control, emotional regulation, and mindfulness is when it is baked into your mindset via everyday practices.
A prime example of someone who has pushed the human physical and mental boundaries by facing extreme hardship with unwavering grit and mental fortitude is David Goggins. This former navy seal is Goggins struggled with abuse within his childhood moving into his late 20s and expresses little self-worth as a result.
However, this backstory helped push him into unknowingly exercising and training up the aMCC to an extremely elevated level of performance and resilience. This has been the key to how he has managed through some of the toughest mental and physical challenges known to humankind, and how he has managed a great deal of success in his work.
After appearing on the Huberman lab podcast, the aMCC was playfully coined ‘the Goggins muscle’ by Dr Andrew Huberman.
Neuroscientists can say with a strong level of confidence that whilst our brains are undoubtedly working as a symphony the areas of the brain responsible for playing these crucial roles are located within the medial frontal cortex.
To further expand, let’s unpack two important questions…
- What is the AMCC and its function for humans?
- How can the ‘Goggins muscle’ be trained to benefit our everyday lives?
The Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex (aMCC) is a crucial region of the brain located in the medial frontal cortex, between the Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA).
The aMCC plays an immense role in cognitive and emotional processes that contribute toward the integration of sensory, motor, and cognitive information to guide human behaviour and decision-making. In addition, the aMCC is closely associated with emotional regulation, social cognition, and other various aspects of cognitive control and executive function.
Another primary function of the aMCC is its involvement in pain processing and perception. This brain region is activated during experiences of physical pain, as well as during the anticipation of pain. The aMCC evaluates the salience and intensity of painful stimuli while modulating our emotional and behavioural response to pain. It is involved in tasks requiring conflict monitoring, error detection, and response inhibition.
The way I see it, it’s not that its right or wrong to do a certain thing to pass the time. Its that there’s minimal awareness of the traps we fall for that further separate us from our inner connection to our true selves and therefore the meaning and purpose experience in our existence.
Too much comfort creates a barrier that stops us unlocking our potential…
And thus, this can be how we might practically apply this to our everyday lives.
By knowing that the aMCC is like a muscle. “You gotta build from inside amidst the hustle and bustle” – Mick Jenkins.
So…
Do hard things. Do them a lot. Run towards your fears. Do not stop.
Build your habits and discipline to train this area of the brain that will positively enhance your mental/emotional fortitude and resilience, thus supporting your behaviour and decision making going forward.