Why your survival instincts are consistently outrunning your financial intelligence
Have you ever sat down to look at your life insurance renewal or collect the details to make your Will, only to find yourself suddenly checking your phone, sending a quick txt or making a coffee two minutes later? You probably told yourself you were just procrastinating or that you weren't 'in the right headspace', yet.
Here's the sobering truth about this avoidance pattern: You aren't lazy. You're just being outrun by your own biology.
The Speed of a Decision
Inside your head, there is a race to decide happening, every time you think about the future. After thirty years of helping families navigate their financial lives of life, love and business, I have started to map this race. I call it the 'Neural Metro Line'.
This is because your brain speaks two different languages, and makes decisions at two different speeds. Think of it like two couriers working for the same company. One is an 'express rider' who is fast but skips the details. The other is a 'careful driver' who follows every instruction but takes much longer to arrive. So decision delivery times are guaranteed to be different - it's the difference between, red and green.
Welcome to The Speed of Thought
- The Red Line (0.08s): This is your brain's Security System. It is lightning fast decision making line. In less than a tenth of a second, your internal alarm detects the stress of 'mortality' or 'legal costs' and shuts down your thinking to keep you safe. Before you even realise it, you have closed the laptop (perhaps jumped onto Social for a quick fix) and walked away. The Red Line wins by default.
- The Green Line (0.50s): This is your brain's Planning System. It takes a little longer but the 'considered response' is more trustworthy. This is where your logic, your love for your family, perhaps a business, and your long-term goals live. But it is a slow train. These decisions takes half a second to even arrive at the station.
The 0.42-Second Gap
The space between 0.08 and 0.50 seconds is what I call the Zone of Vulnerability.
- The 0.08s reflex can outrun (and even overpower) the 0.50s logic, before logical thought can form. If you don't have a manual for how to use those 0.42 seconds, you will continue to make knee jerk decisions, based on panic and avoidance, rather than protection and provision.
I've spent the last two years writing a book to give you that manual. It is the result of thirty years of seeing what happens when the Red Line takes the wheel. It is a guide for the 'how' because we all already know the 'why.'
A Micro-Win for Today
You don't need a new legal strategy today. You just need to recognise the alarm systems.
- Next time you face a financial decision and you feel the sudden urge to look away or find a reason to leave the room - pause. One breath is the difference between an instinctual flinch with a poor decision, or a better considered response.
By simply waiting for that logical Green Line decision to arrive, after your initial surge of avoidance and distraction, you've already started to move from the frustration of 'meaning to get it done,' to the confidence of 'finally getting it sorted'.
STATUTORY NOTE: The 0.08-second neural glitch is the primary cause of every major financial failure we deconstruct. To see this biological hardware manifest as real-world legal wreckage, view our clinical autopsies.
Call us today on 1300 137 403 or email us here for a no-obligation private chat about your situation.
Is your brain risking your life's work?
Getting the numbers right is only half the battle. If you find yourself delaying this decision, it’s not because you’re lazy; it’s biology.
This concept is part of the CARE Blueprint™ developed for our upcoming book on behavioral estate planning.
Drew Browne is a specialty Financial Risk Advisor working with Small Business Owners & their Families, Dual Income Professional Couples, and diverse families. He's an award-winning writer, speaker, financial adviser and business strategy mentor. His business Sapience Financial Group is committed to using business solutions for good in the community. In 2015 he was certified as a B Corp., and in 2017 was recognised in the inaugural Australian National Businesses of Tomorrow Awards. Today he advises Small Business Owners and their families, on how to protect themselves, from their businesses. He writes for successful Small Business Owners and Industry publications. You can read his Modern Small Business Leadership Blog here. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. Any information provided is general advice only and we have not considered your personal circumstances. Before making any decision on the basis of this advice you should consider if the advice is appropriate for you based on your particular circumstance.
