A simple hack for freedom

Earlier this week, I was leaving my apartment to head out.

3 minutes into my walk, I witnessed an incident that terrified me and half the street.

Two grown men, having a go at each other.

It got pretty ugly, as it soon turned into a full-fledged physical fight. One of them was pinned down on the floor while the other was slapping his face (Probably should have given a trigger warning here)

I felt like I was watching a scene out of The Fight Club and felt pretty helpless, to be honest.

But it reminded me of how arguments usually start...

One person is set off by something and reacts. The other of course fights back without any thought. And that’s how almost always, a meaningless interaction sparks into an intense brawl.

Here are three options to deal with a snapper:

Option 1: Snap back and attack (The most common kind of reaction)
Option 2: Say nothing (Usually the case with confrontation avoiders)
Option 3: Take a moment and check in with the person (reserved for the emotionally awakened)

What the majority of us don’t realize is that we always have something called- a choice. But we’re too accustomed to resorting to unconscious and automatic impulses without taking the time to weigh other options that exist.

Speaking of which, peace advocate, Marshal Rosenberg, shared a timeless powerful reminder:

Between a stimulus and a response, lies a space. In that space lies the power to choose a response. In that response lies our freedom.

No matter what life throws at you or whatever situation you may be in, with whoever confronts you, remember to use the power of choice.

The X factor for high performers

Serena Williams had one… Tom Hanks has one.. and you reading this probably have it too.

We’re talking about the inner critic. That annoying voice in the head that’s constantly judging and criticizing our actions.

The only thing that differentiates the successful from those who continue to play small, is how well that inner critic is managed.

In this episode, my guest and performance coach Annalie Howling talks about how to silence that voice that keeps you succumbing to people’s requests at the cost of your own needs, set healthy boundaries, and create a winner mindset.

If you resonated with what you heard, rate the show pretty please.

6 uncomfortable truths to consider this year

Life has a way of teaching its lessons. But if there was a way to stay ahead of the game, it would probably be through taking conscious preemptive steps.

Here are 6 facts that can help to be aware of:

#1. Time does not heal everything, sometimes it takes proactive action: Expecting time to ease away pain or worries is misleading because while time may be a part of the healing process, ultimately it’s about how the mind is kept engaged. And this only happens by taking active measures.

#2. Growth is fuelled by adversity and paralyzed by comfort: Some of the most successful people on the planet came from nothing. Resilience became a part of their DNA. On the contrary, being surrounded by comfort all the time makes one less driven and eventually weaker.

#3. Having a busy mind gets nothing done: The modern lifestyle makes us prone to pace at 100 miles an hour while juggling between various tasks, only to feel stuck in an anxiety loop. Operating from a space of calm is what makes productivity soar.

#4. If you don’t own your emotions, they will own you: Being in denial of our emotions whether anger or sadness, only gives them more power to dominate our state of being.

#5. Avoiding difficult conversations increases tensions: Most of us dodge difficult conversations and act normal owing to the fear of disrupting peace but not addressing stuff that needs to be addressed only ends up creating more tension.

#6. The fear of change is greater than the pain of being stuck: Our brains thrive on familiarity. The moment there’s anything unfamiliar, we subconsciously sense a threat. Hence the reason why so many people stay stuck in toxic relationships, continue to sabotage themselves with unhealthy habits and don’t do stuff they know should bloody well do.

Hopefully, these made sense. If you have any others to add feel free to write back with your insights.

In case you missed me last week: