65 Imposter syndrome, judgment, worst case
No. 65 – 1 Mar 2024
Welcome to the 65th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on beating fear and anxiety.
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Article
If you sometimes feel that you don't deserve your success or worry that people will find out you're not as smart as they think you are, you suffer from imposter syndrome. Everyone experiences it but it doesn't mean you should be okay with it especially if you want more time and mental freedom.
— Read more
Quote
Ichiro Kishimi, on focusing on your path:
“All you can do with regard to your own life is choose the best path that you believe in. On the other hand, what kind of judgment do other people pass on that choice? That is the task of other people, and is not a matter you can do anything about.”
— Source: The Courage To Be Disliked
Insight
What do Anna Kendrick, LL Cool J, and Tom Brady have in common? They used Stoicism to overcome hardship and stress and ultimately save themselves from wasting precious time. Here are 3 simple Stoic exercises you can use to do the same:
1. Exercise on physical definitions
Marcus Aurelius used this often while away fighting wars for long periods of time. “Look at the object itself as it is in its essence, in its nudity, and tell yourself the name which is peculiar to it.”
Explanation
It’s an exercise on defining objects that present themselves, on things or events that have the potential to incite our passions.
Application
Define what’s in front of with specificity, strip it down, describe it, then assess the situation once more. You’re forced to take a pause and ask, “What’s actually going on here?” “Am I perceiving this incorrectly?”
2. Exercise on preparing for evils and death
Philo of Alexandria says that those who practice premeditation of obstacles, “Do not flinch beneath the blows of Fate, because they have calculated its attacks in advance.”
Explanation
There will be obstacles in pursuit of your goals and dreams. You can either prepare in advance for those obstacles or wait for them to hit you in the face.
Application
Don’t wait for bad things to happen. Anticipate them and think of worst-case scenarios and how you could respond to them.
3. Exercise on body and soul
The Stoic Musonius Rufus affirmed that people who undertake to philosophize need to stress the body and mind together. “If we accustom ourselves to the cold, to heat, to hunger, to frugal nourishment,...and to tolerance of unpleasant things.”
Explanation
This is an exercise in scarcity. The more comfortable you are, the more difficult it becomes to take risks and challenge yourself. Scarcity helps harden the spirit by putting the body and mind under duress. Over time, it adapts to its new conditions.
Application
Practice modesty in food and clothes. If that becomes too easy, start fasting. If that becomes your norm, reenact your poverty and strip away everything but the bare essentials for a day. Don’t get too comfortable.
Emotion Signpost
Neuroscience and brain-imaging research shows that properly naming an emotion is critical to managing and taming it.
It's key to decreasing fear and anxiety, becomes a pause for reflection, and increases understanding of yourself and others.
Here are 2 to explore:
Optimism
Definition | Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.
Origin | Mid 18th century: from French optimisme, from Latin optimum ‘best thing’.
Hope
Definition | A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
Origin | Late Old English hopa (noun), hopian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hoop (noun), hopen (verb), and German hoffen (verb).
Question
The more you try to control the future, the more out of control your life will be.
The path to peace of mind lies in being indifferent to things outside our control. This includes other people's attitudes and behavior.
And focusing on what we can control. Like adapting to uncertainty and change and keeping an open mind.
What are some ways you keep yourself flexible? Do you prepare mentally for eventualities or do you prefer to take things in as they come?
How can you best prepare for worst-case scenarios so that you're not frozen with fear and terror when they happen?
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
