53 Breaking habits, ethos, and fear of people's opinion
No. 53 – 8 Dec 2023
Welcome to the 53rd edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on building resilience.
Article
Top 5 negative emotional habits and how to identify and fix them.
— Read more
Quote
Kahlil Gibran, on struggle:
"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."
Insight
Renowned psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr has studied character for decades. And he and his colleagues came up with the ONE document to get through the ups and downs of life:
It's called your PERSONAL CONSTITUTION. Here's how to create it:
1. Mission
This is your statement of purpose. When all else fails, you’ll look to this to inspire you to action. Some questions to get you thinking:
What’s worth giving your life up for?
What makes your life worth living?
2. Best true self
Why are you chasing what you’re chasing and who are you becoming as a result of the chase? They’re your rules of engagement for living that help bring your purpose to life. Exercise:
Write out 5–10 words that describe you at your best.
3. Best moral self
This is your moral character, your values. Exercise:
Write about your best moral self. Give examples.
How do you discern between right and wrong?
What moral character traits do you want to live by?
4. People you love and cherish the most
Your circle has a way of pulling you back to where you need to be. Exercise:
Identify 5 people you dearly care about.
Identify 3 people you admire or would call heroes or idols in your life.
5. Legacy
What do you want to pass on to your loved ones after you’re gone? To your kids, partner, parents, friends, community?
6. Vision
To know where you’re going, it helps to know your destination. Exercise:
What are your dreams?
Who do you want to become?
Where do you want to go?
What problems do you want to solve?
Who do you want to affect and help?
You won’t regret spending the time to build this document. It’s the only document that you’ll want to have with you and revisit time and time again. When you feel lost and faced with the chaos in life, pull it out and read it out loud. Don’t underestimate its power.
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:
Resentful
Definition | Feeling or expressing bitterness or indignation at having been treated unfairly.
Origin | From French 'ressentir', re-, and sentir 'to feel'; from the Latin 'sentire'.
Betrayed
Definition | Treacherously abandoned, deserted, or mistreated.
Origin | From Old French trair, based on Latin tradere ‘hand over’.
Question
Fear of people's opinions (FOPO) has the power to stop us in our tracks. It makes us miss out on countless opportunities at work or in social settings. How can you push past those fears next time they creep up on you?
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Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
