Right-Brained Vs. Left-Brained Is a False Choice

The Dalai Lama is a bit of a goofball.

I mean no disrespect, but that’s the quickest way to explain why it’s so important to regularly take a break from logical thinking.

It’s easy to get stuck in whatever way of being comes most naturally to you (or in whatever way of being your investors or job or family expect you to occupy).

That’s a big mistake.

The wisest people I know all believe this: you must switch between modes. Between logic and intuition. Right-brained vs. left-brained. Heart-centered and head-centered. It’s not either/or—it’s dancing between them that matters.

When the Dalai Lama tells jokes, he’s showing us how to move between reverence and levity without losing our center.

Tom Brokaw, the former anchor for NBC news, one of the most demanding and disciplined jobs on the planet, used to unwind with a gang of adventure luminaries… kayaking in the Russian Far East, trekking across Mongolia, fly-fishing at his Montana ranch, and climbing throughout the West (that’s verbatim from Outside Magazine).

Serious as hell at work, then a few weeks with his head literally in the clouds.

When we stay in one mode too long, our souls start to wither. We grow brittle. Unimaginative. Less human.

Another way to say this is that it’s wise to spend time in numerous different spots on the spectrum between energy and matter.

Energy is pure potential: everything that could exist before it becomes something specific. Consciousness collapses that potential into a single, lived reality.

Matter is everything that surrounds us in our day-to-day lives: other people, your kitchen table, your corporate headquarters, and the food you eat. To access any and all matter, you have to be very focused and specific: use your dominant hand to pick up the fork right in front of you and place one piece of pasta into your mouth, then chew carefully.

So if you’ve been deep in productivity mode, try staring at the stars for an hour. If you’ve been floating in the clouds, go build a spreadsheet. Not just because balance is a virtue, but because crossing the boundary teaches you something you can’t learn any other way.

It’s not weakness to step out of your lane. It’s genius.

So… where have you been stuck lately? And what’s the opposite space calling you to explore?