Some of the biggest battles are fought in our head.
There is a cheer leader/set of thoughts which support our decision/actions that pushes us to stretch.
Then there is a skeptic/ set of thoughts that question our actions and likes to have statusquo.
The interplay of these two characters creates a lot of drama within ourselves.
This makes us lose clarity and focus.
The skeptic stands for protection & safety.
The cheerleader for growth and progress.
How can you embrace the skeptic and not loose the cheer-leader?
Observing from the "meta"
Looking at the context through the meta-awareness / observer perspective helps to maintain neutrality and not be hijacked by a train of thoughts.
How do you know that you are not doing that?
When you feel emotions just by your thought without anything happening in your real life.
Over-thinking/ recycled thoughts.
Association - you are participative in the movie in your head.
you are hot-headed sometimes.
Very reactive
How do you know you are in meta?
Objective view
Reduced reactive emotions
Dissociation - you see yourself in your mind's eye as a character in a movie.
Calm
Responsive.
How to get into meta? Subjective list includes:
Mind-body practices including pranayama, yoga, Taichi, reiki, meditation etc.
Running/Exercise/ Play
Being in nature
Music
Any practice that centers you.
Questions you can ask yourself:
What would a wise person say?
What would a fly on the wall say?
What would my mentor say?
What is an objective view?
What is the opportunity here?
2. "And" thinking Vs "or"
How can you be a skeptic & cheerleader? Seems like pulling North Pole and South pole of the earth together. It seems so because of our polarised thinking to look at the world in Black & White. Barry Johnson's seminal work on polarity thinking is a great start to be able to do an infinity looping to a seemingly opposite polarities. Do check out Polarity maps if you are interested on the subject.
The quickest way to get into bettering our outcomes is to start our sentences with "Yes, and..." Once the skeptic in your head finishes, the cheer leader can say "Yes and we can plan for that risk by ......."
How do you embrace the skeptic in your head?