Coaching Videos & Tips - July 25 2019 No.613
THE NORMAL CRAZY MADNESS OF IT ALL
Last week we considered the perils of positive thinking - and rightly so. The flipside, however, is not just perilous, it's downright crazy... but, boy, are we good at it. In fact, it actually comes naturally!
Push yourself. Flow research suggests that we are at our best when we ride the crest of the wave where challenge meets comfort. In other words, we need to constantly challenge ourselves right up to that point where we don't make ourselves so uncomfortable as to give up or fail.
So, whatever you're doing now or today, challenge yourself to do it that bit better, more wholeheartedly, with more energy. When we give even the most mundane task our all, we change the way we invest ourselves in all the greater endeavours of life.
And, if you'd like to go a little deeper, don't forget that you can browse all 612 "back issues" in The Archive!
Yes, you've read the above correctly - negative thinking comes naturally! The normal mind is hardwired to choose a negative thought over a positive thought, a negative "snapshot" over a positive one. It was originally a self-defence mechanism that kept us on our toes, kept us blinded to the opportunity of the moment, whilst fully aware of potential threats.
That way of operating is no good to neither you nor I in the modern age. It's a recipe for nothing - and, as a result, the ebb and flow of everyday life always amounts to just that.
The irony of it is, sometimes I am criticized for being so "negative"! Surely many people are making something of their lives. Perhaps - but only in comparison to the base mediocrity that is the product of the normal repetitive automated mind. Sometimes I am accused of being judgemental but I'm really only stating fact. 4% of humans achieve what modern psychology terms "uncommon success" - and that is a club well worth joining.
I'm not talking about how you might change the world. But I am talking about how you might change your world. And, for starters, that is surely what matters most to us. In changing my world, I change the world of those around me. There is a ripple effect. And, once that ripple starts traveling, who knows what further ripples it might cause.
I change my world by changing my inner world. I change my inner world by letting all my inate negatives pass on by whilst I am living the moment immersed in the here and now.
Just been talking to a neighbour who works at our local hospital, asking her what the procession of helicopters is all about... "Stupidity" was her answer.
"In Winter we've a constant procession of them carrying skiers who went where they were told not to go" she said "Now, we've halfwits suffereing from heat stroke, half way up the side of mountains, doing exactly what they have been told not to do - you should simply not be taking exercise in this heat".
And, yet, my wife returned from the gym yesterday afternoon complaining that she couldn't get on half the machines she normally uses... the gym was packed. And, asking a few people what was going on, the answers were all the same... "We're here for the air conditioning!"