The Brain Trap
Why Most People Struggle To Get Themselves To The Success They Seek
Many People Want Success.
But Few People Attain the Success they Want.
They Go Seeking Answers to Why they are Struggling.
Even So...
Success in their Endeavors Seem to Elude Them.
But Why?
Well, when you Start Looking at the "How" to Get Yourself to Accomplish the Goals You Have...
You Typically Encounter a Common Trap in the Self-Help and Success Worlds.
What is that Trap?
The Brain Trap.
How does the Brain Trap Work?
Well, in Most things You Read, Write, or Listen to Learn from...
They Typically Approach the Problems from the Same Perspective...
The Brain.
If You "Just" Get Your Brain Correct...
You'll Attain The Success and All the Goals You Seek.
All You're Missing is...
Certain Knowledge that You're Missing...
A Specific Part of Your Mindset that is Off...
You Need a Specific System to Follow which will Unlock what You Need...
You Need to Quiet Your Brain because You're Thinking Too Many Things Simultaneously...
You Can't Focus when this Happens...
Or You're Thinking All the Wrong Things.
Do Any of these Sound Familiar?
All of these are Examples of People Believing and Spreading, Subconsciously and often Unknowingly, the Brain Trap.
The Problem is that Many People "Do" All of these Things...
Seeking More and More "Solutions"...
Failing Again and Again...
Leading them to Believe that they Must have some "Brain Problem".
But the Reality is that the Problem was, likely, Never the Brain.
People Keep Failing because they are Trying to Use a "Brain Solution"...
For things that are Not Brain Problems.
It is like trying to light a Match with Water.
It just Does Not Work.
Now, the Brain is Extremely Powerful...
But it is Not the Sole Dictator of Our Successes or Failures.
See, when we look at How the Brain Works, We have Learned that it is Through Neurons that "Thinking" Occurs.
But the Brain is "Not" the Only part of the Body with Neurons that Think.
Within Our Body there are Three Other Systems with Clusters of Neurons.
Each of these Systems "Think" Similarly to Our Brains....
But Separately, with Different Focuses, and Interdependently with the Brain.
Now...
Here is what is Crucial to Understand...
If these Other Systems are Having Problems...
Which is "Extremely" Common in Today's World...
They have the Ability to "Overrule" the Brain.
This is a Large Part of the Reason "Why" So Many of Us "Know" What to Do...
Yet We Still Fail to "Do" It.
The Problem is Not Your Brain...
The Problem likely lies in One or More of these Other Systems.
You Can "Focus" on the Brain All You Want...
But You'll Remain Trapped because the Brain was Never the Issue.
So, what are the other Three "Brain Systems"?
You have...
The Gut-Brain.
The Heart-Brain.
The Nervous System.
Each of these Systems have Neurons that Think Differently from the Brain in our Head.
When all of the Systems are Aligned, We can Nearly Accomplish Anything We Set Our Minds To.
But When these Systems are All in Disarray...
Concerned about Different Problems...
It becomes Incredibly Difficult to Get Ourselves to Do Anything We Set Our Minds To.
Have you Ever Struggled with a Diet?
That probably was Your Gut-Brain having Problems Generating Enough Energy (Mg-ATP) for Your Bodily Needs, which Pushes You to Abandon Your Diet.
How about Struggling to Work with a Group of People?
That was probably Your Heart-Brain picking up Electromagnetic Waves from within the Group which caused You Dis-Stress making the Work More Difficult.
Or What About coming into a Situation which makes You Feel Extremely Anxious, even though there is No Logical Reason for Feeling That?
There is a Good Chance that Your Nervous System has Flagged something within that Situation as "Potentially Dangerous"...
Creating a Fight-or-Flight Response...
Preventing Your Brain from utilizing Logic.
These are just a Few Ways that these types of Challenges Play Out...
Which "Brain Solutions" Never Work For.
Yes, the Brain is Incredibly Important, and it is Good to Understand How it Works...
But it is Not the "Sole" and "Only" Thing that is Important that we Must Understand.
Do Not Fall Into the Brain Trap.
---
Are You Ready to Go Beyond Leadership?
Tired of Broken Algorithms and AI Slop?
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Want to Change The World?
About the Creator
Dr. Cody Dakota Wooten, DFM, DHM, DAS (hc)
Multi-Award-Winning Sageship Coach, Daily Digital Writer (1,000+ Articles), Producer, TV Show Host, Podcaster & Speaker | Faith, Family, Freedom, Future | Categories: "Sageship" & "Legendary Leadership"
https://www.SeekingSageship.org/
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I Never Chose the Easy Path; I Always Chose Hardship
From the earliest memories I can recall, life presented me with two roads. One was smooth, inviting, and well-trodden—a path that promised comfort, approval, and ease. The other was rough, rocky, and uncertain—a path of struggle, obstacles, and lessons that demanded effort, patience, and resilience. I never chose the smooth road. I never took shortcuts. Not because I was fearless, but because something deep inside refused to let me live a life that wasn’t earned. The easy path whispered promises of fleeting satisfaction, fleeting success, and fleeting recognition. It was tempting. Many around me chose it, and I often wondered if I was foolish for ignoring it. But I learned early that true growth is rarely convenient. The easiest choice often leads to emptiness, to regret, to a quiet knowing that you could have been more than you allowed yourself to be. Hardship became my teacher long before success ever noticed me. The lessons it offered were harsh, uncompromising, and often lonely. There were days when choosing the hard path felt like choosing isolation. While others were celebrated for small accomplishments, supported by friends and family, I walked in silence, with doubt as my companion. Progress was invisible to the world. Failures were frequent and relentless. Many nights, I returned home tired, my heart heavy, my mind questioning why I even bothered. Yet even in that silence, I was being shaped. I was learning the value of persistence, of dedication, and of refusing to give up on myself. The hard path forced honesty. It refused to allow excuses. It stripped away illusions and pretenses. I was left face-to-face with my limits, my fears, and my own humanity. On this path, I discovered strengths I never knew I had: patience I had never cultivated, resilience I had doubted, and self-respect that grew every time I stood up instead of walking away. These were not lessons that could be taught in comfort. They were only learned in struggle, in challenge, and in the quiet persistence of refusing to quit when no one was watching. I remember one time vividly. I had a goal that seemed impossible—one that required me to sacrifice comfort, leisure, and social approval. The easy path was right there: a way to avoid the challenge, to be “okay,” to follow what others had done before me. Many advised me to take it. “It’s safer,” they said. “It’s simpler,” they said. But I could feel, deep inside, that taking the easy way would leave me empty. I chose the hard path. The journey was grueling. Every step felt like pushing against gravity. But with each challenge, I gained more than I ever would have on the easy road. I gained endurance, confidence, and an understanding that real achievement is never handed—it is earned. Strength, I realized, isn’t loud. It doesn’t announce itself. It grows quietly, in the moments no one sees—the early mornings, the long nights, the repeated failures, the times you push forward when giving up would be understandable. Resilience is not simply surviving; it is deliberately choosing to continue, to stand again, to pursue the path that tests you the most. It is knowing that walking away is easier but will never lead to the person you are capable of becoming. I have walked many hard roads in life. Each one was different, yet the lessons were the same: comfort cannot teach endurance, shortcuts cannot teach discipline, and fleeting success cannot teach respect. Every struggle, no matter how small, adds to your character. Every failure is a mirror that shows you who you really are. And every choice to face hardship instead of fleeing builds a foundation that lasts long after temporary victories fade. There were times when I felt truly alone. People around me often misunderstood my choices. Friends, family, colleagues—they all questioned why I refused the easy way, why I worked harder, why I pushed myself beyond what seemed necessary. They didn’t see the growth happening quietly inside me. They didn’t see the small victories, the lessons learned, the resilience being forged. But eventually, the results spoke for themselves—not in a loud announcement, but in the quiet confidence and self-respect that I had built from the inside out. Life, I have learned, rewards those who endure hardship. Not always immediately. Not always visibly. But it rewards those who persist, who face struggle head-on, and who refuse to settle for anything less than becoming their fullest selves. Success that comes without effort is temporary; strength and self-respect are eternal. Hardship tests us, but it also teaches us. It shows us the depth of our own courage, the strength of our will, and the power of refusing to surrender. The lessons of the hard path are subtle, often invisible, and always lasting. I learned that failing is not shameful; failing is a necessary step toward mastery. I learned that enduring pain, even when no one notices, builds a type of strength that comfort never can. I learned that the more difficult the path, the deeper the reward—not measured in wealth or fame, but in character, wisdom, and self-respect. Every choice to embrace struggle instead of avoiding it shaped me. Every sacrifice, every extra hour, every moment of doubt faced instead of ignored, added to the foundation of the person I am today. My life was not easy. It was messy, unpredictable, and often overwhelming. But it was authentic. It was mine. And through hardship, I became resilient. I became someone who can face challenges without fear because I have faced them before. I became someone who respects themselves because I have honored my own effort. I became someone capable of growth because I refused to choose comfort over character. I often reflect on the people around me who chose the easy path. Many of them achieved quick victories, immediate recognition, and temporary peace. But over time, I noticed something important: the victories were shallow, the peace fleeting, and the growth minimal. They lacked the depth of resilience, the quiet power of self-respect, and the profound satisfaction that comes from knowing you endured, you learned, and you became someone stronger. Choosing hardship is not glamorous. It is not celebrated in real-time. It is often lonely, exhausting, and demanding. But it is transformative. It shapes your mind, your heart, and your spirit in ways comfort never can. It teaches discipline, patience, humility, and courage. It makes failure meaningful, effort valuable, and success earned. The hard path is where true people are made—people who understand that life’s challenges are not punishments, but opportunities. Opportunities to become better, stronger, wiser, and more capable. I never chose the easy path. I always chose the harder road, the one that tested me, the one that demanded effort, and the one that required me to face myself honestly. I walked through fear, doubt, exhaustion, and setbacks. I fell, and I got up. I failed, and I tried again. I cried, I questioned, I endured. And through it all, I became someone I could respect, someone who knew the value of persistence, someone who understood that hardship is not the enemy—it is the greatest teacher. Today, I measure success differently. I do not measure it by comfort, convenience, or ease. I measure it by growth, resilience, and the depth of self-respect I have cultivated. I measure it by how I faced challenges I could not ignore, how I embraced struggles that seemed unbearable, and how I refused to take shortcuts at the cost of my own becoming. I never chose the easy path. I chose the one that made me resilient. I chose the one that taught me self-respect. I chose the one that allowed me to become the person I am today. And if I had the choice again, I would choose the hard path every single time. Because the road of struggle is not only a journey—it is the making of a human being.writing...
By Ihtisham Ulhaqa day ago in Motivation
Comments (13)
Cody, you have done a fantastic job explaining the "brain trap" that individuals commonly fall into, regarding achieving success (or unfortunately, failure). The body is an incredibly complex machine, encompassing so many different biological systems, that must work in perfect harmony 24/7, in order to keep us alive and functioning. It is unfortunate that people are not properly educated in school in regards to the 'how' of using one's mental capabilities towards accomplishing great feats [in life]. Everyone is capable of creating wonders; few are aware of how to do it. Thank you for your incredible insight, Cody!
You have done your research here, amazing work spot on, thank you for sharing such a detailed and factual piece of information we all need. This piece I just came across is very strong, spot on and carefully detailed and research into these important elements of the brain trap. I will ad for someone with a condition of epilepsy I have known these elements for some time and your piece has shared more knowledge for me to understand as well, so thank you.
Very detailed and factual. Thank you once again for this piece!
me full support you can you support me
Relatable. Thank you.
Excellent
Excellent 🙏💙⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We need leader's like you in this world
Incredible insight. Aligns so much with what I’ve been writing lately on leadership and productivity. Following for more!
Very useful information 🙏 Thankyou 🙏
I like. This is very deep, thought provoking. This is far greater than any book I have read. Great job 👏👏
"Thank you for helping me realize that the brain is not always to blame for our failures. On the contrary, we need to understand and take care of our entire body and the other 'thinking systems' in order to truly achieve our goals."
You make a great point about the brain trap. I've seen this in my own experience. People often focus so much on fixing their brains that they overlook other factors. It's like when I was trying to solve a technical problem. I kept thinking about it in the same old way, but once I changed my approach, things started to click. So, what other solutions could there be instead of relying solely on brain fixes?