Mindset - Comparing Ourselves

Adam Payne • 23 September 2020

Overwhelm, Comparing Ourselves and Inner Talk

The Chimp, The Human and The Computer - 'Psychological Mind’

I attended a networking meeting where a lady was was feeling overwhelmed, a little depressed and comparing herself to what others had achieved.

The group had gone round introducing themselves and telling the group what they had achieved that week, which had left the lady feeling as though she hadn't achieved anything

I've been in situations like this, that comparing side, and how we can go down that slippery slope of our inner talk to ourselves. How we talk to ourselves internally will drive behaviour and our mindset, both positively and negatively. The negative we don’t want.

For anyone that has read a book called “The Chimp Paradox” will know that we have three parts of the brain that combine to form the ‘Psychological Mind’, which are the Frontal, Limbic and Parietal referred to as the Human, the Chimp and the Computer

The chimp is the emotional side, the human is logic and the computer are the main storage of reference. The chimp is five times stronger than the human and the computer is four times stronger than the chimp.
Everything we process goes through the chimp first, the fight, flight or freeze dating back to our times of hunting.

In this video I discuss what happened at the event, explain about the chimp and techniques to alleviate some of the overwhelm and comparing ourselves.

Also check out Spheres of Influence Exercise by 'clicking here'

by New Way Growth 25 August 2026
A practical risk register for UK micro and medium manufacturers: ten marketing roadblocks, including capacity limits, late payment cash flow squeezes, key person dependency, platform changes and staff turnover, each paired with an early warning sign and a specific contingency to plan around before it derails growth.
by Adam Payne 13 August 2026
For UK manufacturers, marketing stops and starts because of capacity, ownership and planning, not willpower. Here is a routine that survives busy months.
by Adam Payne 5 August 2026
How UK manufacturers can turn "that's not my job" into lasting accountability using the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act) and a daily governance rhythm, explained with real shop floor examples.
by Adam Payne 30 July 2026
KPIs are health metrics you track continuously, such as OEE, OTIF and scrap rate. OKRs are quarterly change goals with a start point and a finish point. UK manufacturers turning over £5m to £50m usually need trustworthy KPIs before OKRs will work at all.
by New Way Growth 23 July 2026
Critical Success Factors are the 3 to 5 things that decide your manufacturing business's next 12 months. See how UK manufacturers can identify theirs for year to come.
by Adam Payne 16 July 2026
UK manufacturers: up to 90 percent of strategies fail at execution, not planning. See why, with Make UK data, and practical fixes for closing the gap.
by Adam Payne 8 July 2026
How UK mid sized manufacturers can align sales, production and cash flow into one growth engine, with practical steps to stop growth causing cash strain.
by Adam Payne 1 July 2026
Learn how manufacturing and engineering leaders can turn annual strategy into quarterly wins with a 90-day execution plan built around the Big 3 priorities, clear ownership, and measurable outcomes.
by New Way Growth 25 June 2026
Discover how manufacturing and engineering leaders can run more effective meetings with a structured agenda, clear ownership, and real follow-through.
by Adam Payne 17 June 2026
Discover 7 hidden profit drains in manufacturing businesses and how to fix them. Improve margin, reduce waste, and protect profitability in £5M+ firms.