77 Ditch pessimism and unlock new opportunities
No. 77 – 26 May 2024
Welcome to the 77th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on mastering fear and anxiety for optimal performance.
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Exciting news! We've partnered up with the DC Bar to offer a virtual session on building resilience and inner control for busy professionals and lawyers. Join us on Tuesday at 12PM EST. Click here to reserve your spot. Registration is free, but space is limited!
INSIGHTS TO REFLECT ON
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There's a difference between being realistic and pessimistic—the former gives you a sober view of things. The latter makes you prematurely dismiss opportunities or waste precious time from overthinking and over-preparing.
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You don't have to be an optimist to feel like things are going well, you just have to know how to counter those inevitable negative thoughts when they come your way. It's an emotional behavior change.
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"The pessimist complains about the win; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."
— William Arthur Ward
EMOTION TO MEET
Neuroscience and brain-imaging research shows that properly naming an emotion is critical to managing and taming it.
Here's 1 to explore:
Pessimistic
Definition | Tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen.
Example | She was pessimistic about the prospects.
Origin | From Latin pessim(us) "worst" (suppletive superlative of malus "bad") + -ism
CHALLENGE TO GROW
When was the last time you didn't do something because of your pessimistic thinking?
Isolate the event that made you have those pessimistic beliefs. Put those beliefs on the stand and cross-examine them with evidence. What's the evidence for and against the beliefs you had? Looking back, would you have acted differently?
⌾ Reply to this email and let us know how it went.
WIN TO SHARE
K started an eBay reselling business shortly after he lost his job last year. While he had a successful start, his business slowed down significantly due to his fears and anxieties about networking and building relationships with other wholesalers and businesses.
His pessimism affected his confidence, which led to making less money.
We turned that around in 8 weeks and he won a partnership that will level up his eBay business by 25%. We built up his confidence, worked on specific mental challenges, and gave him the Inner Fortress protocols. He worked on cold calling, networking, and pitching to prospects.
Here's how we did it:
We worked on his value system, purpose, vision, and legacy. He built clarity.
We stress-tested his confidence with mental games and challenges. Confidence-building is a game and he just needed to learn how to play it.
Repetition is key. We helped him create proof of his capabilities by having the right kind of emotional experiences that created evidence-based affirmations.
We're proud of where K is at this point. Now, just a few more tweaks with systems and communication.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
