What is your throughline?

EST Media

We’re more scared of maybe getting an electric shock than we are of definitely getting an electric shock, such is our fear of uncertainty. Dr Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist and host of the popular podcast 'A Slight Change of Plans,' delves into the fundamental question of how human beings can better prepare for change. She points out that our most common fear regarding change is that it challenges our self-identity. Dr Shankar also emphasizes that unexpected changes can lead to lasting personal growth. In our conversation with Maya, after her thought-provoking TED Talk on the topic, she urges us to anchor our identities to things that feel more stable. We should focus not just on 'what we do,' but on 'why we do it.' This shift allows us to feel more secure in the foundations, helping us cope with the unsettling nature of change.

Transcript

00:00Well, I think one of the reasons why change is particularly hard is that it threatens our sense of self-identity

00:05And so one thing we explore a lot on a slight change of plans and this was a emerging theme over the course of the podcast

00:12I didn't realize it was really a show about identity until about a year in

00:15When I realized that that kept coming up over and over again Wow is that we can have more malleable identities

00:22So I would urge people who are watching this to ask themselves, you know, what is my through line?

00:27What is the thing that connects the disparate parts of my life?

00:30Like what is the underlying passion such that when they might lose the ability to do one thing?

00:35They can still find the underlying features somewhere else

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