Getting Out of My Own Way

Getting Out of My Own Way

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One of the things I like about the Stellar sleep app is the lesson modules that I listen to every morning and most have to do with exploring what is called “cognitive distortions.” This morning’s, for instance, addressed discounting the positive. Discounting the positive is a common mental pattern where we downplay our successes, attributing them to luck or external forces, instead of our own hard work. Get out of my head!

My sleep is improving, so clearly I just needed to get out of the way and let my body do its work. I overthink it, I make assumptions based on past experiences, I try to fit everything into a nice tidy box, I get trapped in a habitual cycle. The app is teaching me how to get out of my own way.

If you can relate to this, try some of these ways to get out of your own way:

Maintain focus on why you’re doing it.
Whatever action you decide to take, tie it to the goal you have in mind. Set yourself up for success by knowing what you want and why you want it. Ensure that you’re not pursuing something just for the sake of doing it. Human nature doesn’t like doing things without reason.

Concentrate on the important stuff.
You can’t do everything at once. To be in control of anything, you have to focus on one thing at a time. If you want to get better at something, set a goal and spend all of your time practicing that skill. Nothing drains your physical and mental energy faster than spinning your wheels on unnecessary tasks or activities.

Start from a clean slate.
A big part of getting out of your way is starting from scratch. Unless you have a clean slate, you can’t take yourself out of the way. So, before you get started, put aside any assumptions of what might happen based on past experience.

Throw away habits that keep you from moving forward.
Over time, you may have acquired many bad habits that can set you up for failure. Some practices have to do with your environment, others have to do with who you’re with, and still others have to do with the way you interact with the world.

Sometimes you might not realize you’re standing in your way. You may tell yourself you’re working hard, but it’s obvious something’s not right. Asking for help and becoming more organized are some of the best things you can do to start working smarter and achieving your goals.

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