67 Losers, fools, and emotional hijacking

No. 67 – 15 Mar 2024

Welcome to the 67th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on beating fear and anxiety for optimal performance.

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Article

There are two proven ways to quench your self-doubt and stop selling yourself short. It has to do with contribution and effort.

— Read more​

Quote

Epictetus, on managing your expectations:

"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid."

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:

Hopeless

Definition | Feeling or causing despair about something.

Example | When he was notified of his terminal illness, he felt hopeless.

Origin | Late Old English hopa (noun), hopian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hoop (noun), hopen (verb), and German hoffen (verb).

Helpless

Definition | Unable to defend oneself or to act without help.

Example | She felt helpless when she got a flat tire on the side of the road.

Origin | Old English helpan (verb), help (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch helpen and German helfen.

Question

Self-control isn't just a buzzword. It's about managing emotions to reach your goals. Without it, you can’t make good decisions because your fear, stress, and anxiety are hijacking your ability to think clearly. Concentration also falters as emotions take over. Start by recognizing your emotions today. This is the first step to controlling them.

What easy thing can you do today to keep track of your feelings throughout the day?

Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef