Safekeeping self and experimental self

Any form of career change or job search involves exploring the unknown, and to do this we want to engage the creative right hand side of our brain, the Experimental Self, to brainstorm as opposed to our left hand side, which is the Safekeeping Self. So if you find that the left hand side of the brain is blocking the generation of ideas, you may find this information useful.

The left side of the brain (in most people) functions as though its mission in life is to safeguard the person by keeping them where they are; while the right side of the brain (in most people) functions as though its mission in life is to lead the person into new and unchartered territory. In this context, the left hand side of the brain can be called the Safekeeping Self and the right hand side of the brain can be called the Experimental Self. The following is a summary of how the two selves behave.

Taming the Safekeeping Self

Any form of career change or job search involves exploring the unknown and the appropriate self to call upon is the Experimental Self. Often, however, it is the Safekeeping Self that seems to come to the fore at such a time! If you become ‘blocked’, confused and unable to gain momentum in your career search it is important to keep your Safekeeping Self at bay to allow your Experimental Self to come to the fore.

1. You know your safe Safekeeping Self is too much in control of your life, when …

You find yourself talking much more than you usually do – particularly about all the reasons why you shouldn’t do this, when you are contemplating making a change in your life. Words, words, words are the way in which the Safekeeping Self manages to keep control and have dominion over the Experimental Self within you.

Suggestion: Practice silence, and meditation. Put on music. Resolve to gather more information, and then to act.

2. You know your Safekeeping Self is too much in control of your life, when …

You are using certain words that are the ‘fingerprints’ of the Safekeeping Self. These words are:

“I can’t”

“I shouldn’t”

“I’m not sufficiently (fill in the blank: bright, talented, outgoing, etc., etc.)”

“Yes, but …”

“It feels wrong to just do what I want”

“I think I may lose more than I will gain”

“What would people think?”

“This isn’t realistic”

“I’ve never done this before”

“What if I do this wrong?”

“But, I’ve always done it this way”

“This will never work”

“This is just a waste of time”

“Oh, I’ve tried this before”

“Convince me”

“This is too hard”

“See, I knew it wouldn’t work (after one try)”

“My present job’s not so bad, after all”

Suggestion: Make a list of the opposite of these phrases. Memorise the opposite phrases and repeat them often to yourself. Use them as meditations in your silences.

3. You know your Safekeeping Self is too much in control of your life, when …

You are feeling very confused about each step along the way towards change, no matter how carefully and well these steps are explained to you. Confused is of course normal when the road ahead has a fork in it. But confusion normally starts to dissipate after a time. If your confusion not only persists, but – if anything – grows stronger, you’re almost certainly hearing the sound of the Safekeeping Self.

Confusion is one of its favourite weapons, much like the octopus that throws out a cloud of ink when under attack, to obscure and dumbfound and immobilise its enemies.

Suggestion: Focus on what you do know, rather than on what you don’t know; focus on what you are sure of, rather than on what you aren’t sure of. It is easier to deal with uncertain ground, when your feet are firmly planted on certain ground.

4. You know your Safekeeping Self is too much in control of your life, when …

You find yourself being even more obsessive than usual about your little daily rituals and routines. In meetings this is manifested by always sitting in the same place, always talking to the same people and so on. This is the behaviour of the Safekeeping Self; it likes to cling to familiar routine, as a way of ‘planting a flag’ which says I am a creature of habit, not one who goes off on flings into new adventures.

Suggestion: Practice doing one ‘altered behaviour’ (for you) each day. Practice taking one new risk a day, even if it’s a little one like speaking to a neighbour you usually never speak to.

5. You know your Safekeeping Self is too much in control of your life, when …

You find yourself engaging in digressions and diversions. This is the old magician’s trick of ‘keep them busy watching the left hand, so they won’t notice what’s going on with the right hand.’ Digressions are of various kinds. Leaving your career changing and job searching activities until all your other tasks are done, is one digression. Feeling an inordinate need to sleep is another. Devoting more and more time to helping others, rather than giving yourself the time your career changing and job searching exercises need, is another.

Physical maladies, such as headaches, tiredness, colds, and the like, are yet another. Essentially, by means of procrastination, the Safekeeping Self is trying to cling to the status quo by getting you to ‘put off until tomorrow, the things you could do today.’ Except, it is praying tomorrow never comes. Know these tricks for what they are. The Safekeeping Self trying to play Procrastinating Magician, in order to preserve the status quo. To cite Mr Micawber from Dickens’ David Copperfield, “Procrastination is the thief of time; collar him.”

Suggestion: Get more physical exercise. That way, you are practicing defining yourself more and more as a person of immediate action, rather than as a person who meets a challenge by taking flight.

If you would like to find out more about this topic, contact us to book your free 90 minute personal 1:1 career consultation: