Stop Judging Your Emotions
Oct 17, 2020
When I did the @Apple commercial, a surreal highlight of my career and life, there was a voice in my head that said "What if this is the last big thing you ever do, what if this is as good as it gets?" That was not the mindset I expected to have with such an amazing achievement, yet here I was, anxious and nervous, when I thought I'd be excited and satisfied.
We think the negative voice in our head is our enemy, and that we have to put a plastic bag over it to suffocate it until it goes away, but that never works. Or we think we can prove it wrong by winning, achieving and succeeding, but that doesn't last very long either.
Maybe that voice isn't the enemy, and we don't have to spend energy trying to shut it up. Maybe that voice is an important friend, that doesn't get to hold the steering wheel, but provides a good challenge for us to work out our thoughts.
We don't form thoughts as much as we carry them. We hear opinions and beliefs from others, and they slowly creep in until we think they've always been there.
- Be married by this age
- Have kids by this age
- have this much in the bank by this age
- keep everyone else happy
They're all stale hand-me-down ideas.
Instead of fighting them, acknowldge them, and talk to them.
"maybe this commercial is the last big thing I do, and I'll be happy to come this far, and I'll keep working for more unique experiences, and measure myself based on my efforts, not the outcomes, because if I'm not givine my life 110%, it really doesn't matter hwat I acheive, I'll alsways know I could have done better"
Don't judge the thoughts and emotions, but also don't blindly believe them. Engage with them, and see what you discover from that.
We think the negative voice in our head is our enemy, and that we have to put a plastic bag over it to suffocate it until it goes away, but that never works. Or we think we can prove it wrong by winning, achieving and succeeding, but that doesn't last very long either.
Maybe that voice isn't the enemy, and we don't have to spend energy trying to shut it up. Maybe that voice is an important friend, that doesn't get to hold the steering wheel, but provides a good challenge for us to work out our thoughts.
We don't form thoughts as much as we carry them. We hear opinions and beliefs from others, and they slowly creep in until we think they've always been there.
- Be married by this age
- Have kids by this age
- have this much in the bank by this age
- keep everyone else happy
They're all stale hand-me-down ideas.
Instead of fighting them, acknowldge them, and talk to them.
"maybe this commercial is the last big thing I do, and I'll be happy to come this far, and I'll keep working for more unique experiences, and measure myself based on my efforts, not the outcomes, because if I'm not givine my life 110%, it really doesn't matter hwat I acheive, I'll alsways know I could have done better"
Don't judge the thoughts and emotions, but also don't blindly believe them. Engage with them, and see what you discover from that.