Innercises
In her best-seller, Feel the fear and do it anyway, Susan Jeffers says that on average there’s only 10% possibilities that the worst-case scenario you’re picturing in your mind will actually happen.
What has been, in your life, your average percentage?
Think about uni exams, important interviews for a job you really wanted, moving country and all those situations where you felt disempowered by picturing in your mind a negative outcome. How many times did the worst-case scenario actually happen?
Find out your realistic percentage of worst-case scenario probabilities based on the evidence of your life events so far. Share this with your buddy if you have one, or discuss it with a good friend to ensure it’s realistic and you could use this percentage to reduce your fear from now on.
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When you realise you start ruminating, question the beliefs that hold you back by asking yourself:
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To measure your progress in developing Optimism, keep a diary where you note each time something relevant happens and what is your natural explanatory style.
When you collect 3 or 4 events and reactions, notice what view you spontaneously used to explain the event. Was it Temporary or Permanent? Specific or Universal? External or Internal?
If you tend to react in a pessimistic way, commit yourself to use a Temporary/Universal/External view and keep recording your reactions. After the following 3 events you will be able to measure your progress and if it isn’t enough, you know you have to find a way to ensure you remember, in that specific moment, to use a more optimistic view. What reminder could you use?
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In our 7th webinar we learnt what Optimism and Pessimism are, how they impact our lives and how to increase our Optimism for our health and also to inspire others.
When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life.
Recommended Resources
Book: The Power of Now, by Ekhart Tolle, already mentioned in our 1st webinar, will help you develop the level of self-awareness you need to turn all your learning into practice. Self-awareness is the n.1 ingredient to success.
Book: Learned Optimism, by Dr Martin Seligman. As the father of Positive Psychology, he has a lot to teach us and he does it brilliantly.
Book: A Man (Un Uomo), by Oriana Fallaci, whom I literally adore as will never recommend her books enough. She was an international, war journalist and author who sold millions of books, particularly this one. By reading the story of her beloved Greek hero Alekos Panagulis, you’ll learn what it means when I said that “irony can really save your life”. Lots to learn from his incredibly inspiring story and the way she writes it.
Extras:
Movie: our lovely Chiara shared her story on how the innercises brought her to a major success in her career as an actress. Her latest movie has received, in fact, 7 awards and 27 nominations! More info here on The Duke of Burgundy by Peter Strickland.
My new website www.brunadepalo.com went finally live and I have been delighted to share this achievement with you all!
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