52 Power of discomfort, time and timidness
No. 52 – 1 Dec 2023
Welcome to the 52nd edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on building resilience.
Article
One simple, timeless activity to schedule and go from anxious to self-confident.
— Read more
Quote
Andy Warhol, on time:
"They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
Insight
She's one of the baddest females on the planet. An ultra-endurance runner who consistently wins 200+ mile races, beating males and females. Who is she and how does she do it? She uses these 4 mindset shifts:
First, Courtney Duwalter doesn't just run ultra races. She runs the big ones--100 to 240+ mile foot races with tens of thousands of feet of elevation gain. In 2017, she won the Moab 240-mile race and finished 10 hours ahead of the next runner, a never-before-seen record.
1. Learn to thrive in the pain cave
Pain cave is when you're hurting and all you want to do is quit. But that's the precise point at which growth happens. The longer you're in the pain cave, the more pain you can bear next time.
Apply it
Recognize when you're in it
Tell yourself this is exactly where you need to be
Breathe, relax, and embrace it
2. Surround yourself with the right people
Just like a professional athlete relies on his/her teammates and coaches to succeed, we too should do the same.
Apply it
Surround yourself with people who increase your positive emotions
Surround yourself with people who inspire you
Surround yourself with people who can mentor you
3. Have a mantra when things start getting hard
Courtney's mantra: "Just keep going, don't stop." She repeats this to herself for hours.
Apply it
Create a phrase you can tell yourself when things get tough and put it on repeat in your mind.
4. Dance for the love of dancing
Surprisingly, Courtney doesn't use fancy gadgets and complex logs to track her performance. Because she doesn't do it for that, she runs because it's what fulfills her. She runs for the love of running.
Apply it
Find something you enjoy doing and the pain will become more bearable.
Emotion Signpost
Neuroscience and brain-imaging research shows that properly naming an emotion is critical to managing and taming it.
It's key to building resilience, becomes a pause for reflection, and increases understanding of yourself and others.
Here are 2 to explore:
Timid
Definition | Showing a lack of courage or confidence; easily frightened.
Origin | Mid 16th century: from Latin timidus, from timere 'to fear'.
Humble
Definition | Having or showing a modest estimate of one's value or importance; not arrogant or self-important.
Origin | From Latin humilis 'low, lowly', from humus 'ground'.
Question
Discomfort is temporary but once embraced creates courage and self-confidence. Actively seeking discomfort is counter-intuitive as human nature tells us to find safety, but we can't grow as a person if we have too many easy days.
When was the last time you were outside your comfort zone?
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Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
