How long to BLINK?

Ok, so it's been a month since I've written. Actually, it hasn't, just a month since I've posted. I've got half a dozen posts saved as drafts, but I'm going to just delete them all.

This last week I got to spend alot of time in the car again. A work trip to Edmonton with some little jaunts off the main road here and there had me car-bound for a few days. While travelling I like to listen to audio books. Drives my kids crazy, but I find it a useful way to keep my mind working, and I usually come up with some interseting insights.

This trip I was listening to a book called BLINK by Malcom Gladwell. I've listened to it a couple of times before, but this time maybe I was just ready to hear a few things. The premise of the whole thing is that our minds - our subconciose minds - are capable of figuring things out long before we realize it.

He gives two examples in the beginning that are really astounding. One is the story of the Getty Museum's purchase of a statue. Experts analyize it scientifically and determine that it is consistent with being 1,000's of years old. blah, blah, blah. The Getty decides to purchase it. Another expert in antiquities is shown it, and as soon as the cover is lifted asks if they've already paid for it - can't tell them why, but says something is wrong. Two other experts have the same experience. Later it's proven to be a fake. In the blink of an eye these few were able to determine that it was a fake.

Second example: University test. 4 decks of cards - 2 red, 2 blue. Volunteers are told to turn over the cards as they choose. Certain cards will give them money, others will take it away. The game is rigged so that the blue decks will consistently pay out. The red deck is rigged so that you'll lose. It takes about 50 cards for people to figure out that the blue decks are better, and after about 60 they can explain exactly what's going on. What's interesting, is that there were monitors hooked up to the sweat glands in their palms, and they started sweating and showing stress in picking up the red cards within TEN CARDS! Their subconcious mine already had it figured out!

Gladwell goes on to explain that we can TEACH ourselves to listen to what our subconcious is saying - and in a BLINK we can "recognize the fake" conciously.

So, what's this all got to do with the price of rice in China? I'm finally learning how to listen to what my subconcious is telling me. Sometimes I have to really break myself down physically to be able to listen - which is why I think I had such a great "wake up" moment doing the 1/2 Ironman. I'm hoping that as I become more concious and self-aware I'll be able to be more authentic and able to make the changes I so want to make.