Self Improvement Flashcards
When feeling an urge
- KEY: I want to become more governable
- Nothing tastes as good as willpower feels
- Go to the willpower gym! Exercise your willpower and grow it!
When facing a problem
- KEY: I know that I have, I can, and I will
- I focus on the solution / I think of a creative solution
When feeling stress
- KEY: I perform the stress response: deep breathing.
- I act strategically.
- Is [acting stressed] in your core interest? (of becoming a calmer, better, person).
- I move from where I stand.
- I remember the diving board (feelings =/= reality)
When feeling negativity toward others:
- KEY: is [thinking or acting negatively] in your core interest? (of becoming a calmer, better person)
- I show compassion (compassion to others = compassion to self)
- I focus on the solution (negativity solves nothing)
When blaming / attacking myself:
- You are all you have: build yourself up, don’t break yourself down
- Is [thinking or acting negatively] in your core interest? (of becoming a calmer, better person)
When working, I am the following:
Nice
Concise
Hard working
Thorough
> Explore over ignore
Proactive
Ends focused
Solutions focused
Patient
> There is time enough and space
> Taking time saves time
Common sensical
Tonally appropriate
Strategic
> Contributions on calls
> Situation of tasks
> Effecting of tasks
What is your self concept (work)
A competent and self-assured (soon to be) senior associate
When self-assessing
Focus on the game, not the score.
When feeling pain or aversion
Lean into the pain! Pain is a sign you are pushing your boundaries!
When facing a challenge / mistake
Every challenge and mistake is an opportunity to learn
When feeling like things have “gone wrong”
Begin again - move from where you stand.
When feeling distracted / unfocused / unproductive
- KEY: focus on one thing at a time
- Begin again
- Move from where you stand
When feeling socially anxious
Anxiety is not adaptive: you are not going to be sacrificed to King Kong
Acting in your core interest
Your long term goal is to become a calmer, better person. It is nothing to do with day to day work or objectives.
Remember Communist Propaganda:
- When approaching any task, the correct approach is more important than the effort applied.
- The best approach can be many times more effective than the worst approach.
- Therefore when approaching any task, it is vital to consider how best to attack it.
When thinking about breaking habits
- KEY: Form > Weight
- Getting to the global maximum, requires walking down from local maximums.
- When you play yourself, you play yourself.
When moping
- Begin again
- Constructive > Destructive: negativity doesn’t help anything
- Know that you have, you can, and you will
- Every depression is an opportunity to develop the will to power!
When feeling fear
Fear is not adaptive: you are being chased by an email, not a tiger
When feeling anger
- KEY Anger is not adaptive: you are not in the jungle you are posting online
- Angry and frustrated communications are provably less effective.
When receiving feedback
A draft is not your baby, it is a work in progress
You are not a baby, you are a work in progress
When starting a task / when unsure how to action a task
- Make a plan
- Impose a structure
- Record steps taken
When “looping”
- One thorough check
- There are many good ways to achieve the same thing
- Remember the 80/20 rule: roughly 80% of outputs result from 20% of inputs
- Avoids wasting time
- Builds confidence
- Creates time to practice other things (e.g. 8 reps > 1 rep, even if you spend days thinking about how to make that 1 rep the most amazing rep ever!)
When actioning an objective
When “on the clock”
When actioning an objective: 100% focus on the objective
When on the clock: no need to even think about emails - just focus on the task at hand
When thinking negatively about myself
- KEY: I know that I have, I can, and I will.
- I remember the diving board (feeling =/= reality).
- Is thinking or acting negatively in my core interest? (of becoming a calmer, better person)
- Be compassionate to yourself - you are your own good friend
When finding it hard to action a habit
Your willpower is a muscle - use it to grow it
