1 thought, 1 quote, 1 tip

‘Seeking to spark your greatest potential with every word’

 

1 thought

I was walking in a park once, enjoying the cool breeze, the chirping birds, and the glorious sunshine. Suddenly, I saw some ducks waddling through the path.

A strange question dawned on me.

 

Do ducks form security councils?

 

I mean… these are unprecedented times for humans… but for ducks too! They face global warming, human hunting, and environmental degradation.

Do they ever huddle up in suits, sit in conference rooms, and discuss how to move forward?

 

These are difficult times for humans. You might be badly affected by the pandemic. You might have lost your job. You might wonder where the next meal is coming from.

 

Maybe today, we can all learn a lesson from the humble, waddling duck.

When I tried to answer the question I initially posed to myself, I realised the answer was ‘NO!’ Ducks don’t form Security Councils. They simply stick within their locus of control, identifying what’s something they can control. And they ignore what they can’t control.

 

Maybe you can do the same too.

 

Write down everything you are worried about. Then identify whether it’s something you can or cannot control. For example, you might be worried about:

Can control:

• Finding a job
• Finding a way to support myself

Can’t control:

• Weather
• When the pandemic will end
• When a vaccine will be found

1 quote

Focus on the things you can control. Forget the things you can’t.

 

1 tip

Forgetting what is outside your circle of control can be difficult.

You lie awake at night, worrying about what will happen. Your mind doesn’t seem to stop spinning. Random worries pop up when you are doing something enjoyable.

When you are worried about what is beyond your control, why not try this?

 

Acknowledge the thought, and reframe it as a thought.

 

Based on ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), Russ Harris explains that sometimes, you might think that thoughts are reality. That what you think is what is happening right here and right now. But that’s not necessarily the case.

Instead, pick a worry that frequently recurs such as ‘I am not good enough to be hired.’ ‘I am lousy.’

 

Reframe it as: ‘I’m having the thought that I’m not good enough.’ This technique is known as defusion, where we step back and see thoughts for what they truly are. Thoughts. And nothing more.

 

Why do this? I will let Russ explain: ‘the aim of defusion is not to get rid of a thought, but simply to see it for what it is – just a string of words – and to let it be there without fighting it.’

- The Happiness Trap, Russ Harris

 

Think others might benefit? I’m counting on you.

Get a bonus issue sent to you each month by gaining access to my "Secret Newsletter."

It's easy. Just use the sharing links below or copy and paste your referral link in an email, on social media, or however else you'd like to share it.

Share this newsletter on Twitter, LinkedIn, or via email.

Or, copy and paste your referral link to others:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/12/287749212.htm