The Lizard vs. The Librarian

The dance of decision-making

Conflict in Our Brains

The Lizard likes to lie on a stone in the sun and look around. The warmth seeps in and around. Its world is pictures, emotions, ease and adrenaline.

The Librarian wants everything in order and all your work shown on your paper. They draw charts and diagrams for logical reasoning. Their world is words, math, time and logic.

We all have a Lizard and Librarian brain. They often can’t stand each other. Nevertheless, any solid decision relies on them both.

With only the Lizard speaking, our decisions are instinctual and illogical, prompted by fear and survival. Consequences are almost never considered beyond the next few minutes.

With only the Librarian speaking, our decisions drift from our desires and get trapped in endless analysis. We can wind up living someone else’s idea of our life, instead of our own. We can become distanced from our feelings about our lives while marching through our to-do lists. Lawyers are notorious for fighting for a prize they nev…