I had the profound privilege of using a Gehl skidsteer this weekend to clear the unbelievable amount of snow that has accumulated on our acreage this winter.
I'm used to operating a Bobcat.
The first couple of hours operating this beautiful machine were extremely frustrating (which included getting it off of the trailer).
I'm what you could call a seasoned skidsteer operator. I've put my hours in, in the seat, I've cleared snow, moved brush, levelled ground, etc, but this was an experience like no other time. So unbelievably frustrating, so, why would I call it a profound privilege to operate a Gehl?
Well here is the thing, I needed to get the work done, I needed to move the snow, within a timeline, and then I needed to get this machine back on the trailer. That is what I needed to do, what was intriguing was what I needed to change in order to do what I needed to get done.
A modern Bobcat uses just hand controls, and this is how it works. You have two leavers with 'hand controls' I can hop in a Bobcat and not even think about what I am doing, just put the machine to work. The right handle operates the right wheels, and part of the bucket mechanism (tilt bucket forward and back) and the left side operates the left side of wheels and raises and lowers the bucket arms. Push both handles forward and both sets of wheels go forward, pull back a bit on the right side with the left side forward, and you slow those wheels, the machine begins to turn. Pull back on one set, and forward on another and you skid the machine in an even quicker turn.
When I hoped in the Gehl I had the expectation that it had the same control system.
Rude awakening.
Gehls are different, way different. Without getting to technical…. right hand control is just for the bucket, left hand control is just for motion. Left hand control front and back moves the machine forward and backwards with a twisting motion of the handle you "spin" the machine, twist clockwise you spin the machine clockwise, counter for counter clockwise.
Wow I was a very slow cautious mess for a while, and i wasn't getting anything done very quickly - I was frustrated, but I needed to get done.
Solution? Learn how to operate this machine.
Ok that is great, where does profound come in?
Well here it is, a very basic neurological function we were all born with. It comes down to something REALLY basic, the capacity to change, to learn, to grow, to alter previous behaviours with a new set of behaviours, that has just one VERY simplistic initiating mechanism - DESIRE.
I needed to get this job done this equates to DESIRE - drive if you will and this caused me to learn a whole new set of skills. First I want to talk about this transition - then I want to speak to how we can apply it.
When you operate a Bobcat you do so with both hands sharing in both types of operation, both hands operate part of the bucket, both hands operate part of the forward, backward, steering operation. In the Gehl I had both hands on the levers very much like a Bobcat - this stimulation was linked neurologically to a set of preconceived mechanical indicators and it was these indicators which had to be relearned. In order to just get this machine to go where I wanted I literally had to take my right hand off of the bucket control and rest it in my lap. Without the stimulus of my right hand on the control I discovered I could now mentally make the leap to figure out how to operate this machine. Even with this knowledge I found it extremely difficult (about half the day through) to do two simultaneous operations (move the machine forward while lowering or raising the bucket) and would often get confused (and yes frustrated again).
The real amazing part was when finally it CLICKED, when I got it, and when I could operate this machine as though I wasn't even thinking about it.
Change
Change, has a big word in the world of neurology - its called neurological plasticity in essence the adaptability of the brain to change to new stimulus. We have all experienced both its positive and detrimental effects. You can literally watch this happening with the movements of an infants hands, you can watch as they learn to reach, to grasp, to gather. You can watch as they learn to talk, listening (stimulus) and speak (response) or any other of a myriad of mechanical movements. You can see this most excellently in some areas, like sports, people learning how to sink 3 point shots, or hockey players being able to hit a 'hole' just an inch high by a mere 3 inches wide. Movements repeated over and over and over and over again (we casually call it "practice makes perfect") become second nature. Remember what it was like the first time you drove a stick shift? Now you don't even think about it, I don't remember learning how to walk…
The negative side of this is found in habits, and addictions, where the same natural process of neurological plasticity is taking place and effecting us in less than pleasing ways. Nail bitting, smoking, alcoholism, gluttony, (just to name a few) are all products of the stimulus response relationship in simple biological terms they are all patterned responses to current stimulus learned over time (and yes when we add chemicals we engrain these behaviours at a quicker rate).
And here is the application (ya this would be the "profound" part).
I believe the same biological process of neurological plasticity is at work behaviourally, and actually to a much greater sense.
huh?
Well let me throw out some terms of what I call learned behaviours.
Anger, Fear, Happiness, Rage, Emotional, Politeness, being a Jerk, easily frustrated, melancholy, abrasive, needy, loud, soft spoken, wise, lacking common sense - oh this list could go on forever.
Pick someone - anyone, and think - EVERY part of WHO that person is, every attribute, every nuance, the way they speak, the way they listen, the way they walk, talk, interact, every thing about them and who they are (from a personality perspective) has been a LEARNED behaviour repeated 1000's if not MILLIONS of times. And it all comes down to the same thing as our mechanical responses (biologically similar) the synapse' in their brains fire in such a way so they come across as BEING the person they have learned to be. So why don't they change the things that get them in trouble, or the things that are unwanted or awkward?
To link it back to my experience with the Bobcat and the Gehl, I had about 40-60 hours operating a Bobcat (if that) I relearned the Gehl in about 6 hours. When it comes to behaviours we are talking about repeated things that have happened every day (for who knows how many hours) of that persons entire life. In fact, this persons personality was shaped (they began responding neurologically to stimulus) while they were still in the womb. Some of the most treacherous examples happen in my work with children as CEO of Heritage Family Services. Children who grow up in abusive homes, only to become abusive people themselves. Another treacherous extreme example would be child soldiers in Africa, who literally do not know of another way to interact with their surroundings.
Ok, so, what do we do with this? Well two things, first I hope it helps you view people differently. That annoying person you have to deal with, or that harsh person, maybe now you can look at them as a product of ALL their previous experiences instead of just a JERK who tries to yank your chain. Secondly I would ask - is there something you want to change about you? If so, how?
Well again, it comes down to one word DESIRE. It is the thing that begins the entire change matrix, it drives everything, as soon as it is gone, the learning ends, PERIOD. And here is the additional take away from a behavioural/psychological perspective, behavioural changes take time, an INORDINATE (that is - not ORDINARY) amount of time. We are talking about changing a behaviour that you have done thousands if not millions of times, this change is going to take time. Okay first thing desire, second thing, Authenticity. You are going to have to get real first with yourself, then with someone else who can help you - why do we need someone else? Well in the skidsteer I had a real simple REMINDERS of what I needed to do differently in order to learn new mechanical responses. What is going to remind you - well simply, other people.
The most profound example I have of this is overcoming sexual addiction in my own life. Now, while the world will tell you that looking at pornography is okay. Let me just simply say its not. There is nothing 'healthy' about it, about the industry that produces it, or the people stuck in the life style. It objectifies women, and kills your marriage as it changes the way your brain works. And no, Mens Health, I don't want to be a 35 year old "master pick up artist" because there is nothing cute of about being a handsome guy with abs living alone sleeping with a different woman every night, sounds more like what monkeys do than people with souls and the capacity to love and be loved. Sexuality is now in front of us every day, on the sidebar, and the grocery store (2 Axe girls for every guy).
And here is the thing, I changed. With the extreme involvement of other people we changed me. Through the use of extreme Authenticity, we moved to where we wanted to be, because we had the desire, and the tools to get there.
So, What do you want to change? What do you want to be different? Will you do the work to move from here to there? The capacity is within you, woven into the very way your brain is wired, the question is, will you use this capacity for harm or for good.
One parting thought - every action we take in life does one of two things it either REINFORCES previous behaviours or charts a new course to new behaviours that become who we want to be in the future.
slv2all
P.S. how many hours did you spend on the phone connecting with people in highschool…. now we have Facebook…. and as a result, our behaviours have changed - one more quick glance of neurological plasticity at work
