2024.3.26 | #55

Happy Reality Day! Here is your weekly dose of reality to help you live 1% happier↓

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Don’t Look At The Wall

Have you ever watched a Formula 1 race?

When the car makes turns, it is easy to hit the wall due to its high speed.

So how to avoid hitting the wall?

This is the first lesson every racing driver learns, just one sentence:

Don’t look at the wall, look at where you want to go.

The reason is simple: wherever you look, you go.

What you think is what you get.

Every time you think “I can’t hit this wall,” this wall appears in your mind one more time.

Every time you think “Don’t think about a pink elephant”, a pink elephant appears in your mind.

Every time you think “Stop thinking about my stupid ex,” your stupid ex’s face appears in your mind one more time.

To “not think about” something is to think about it.

So how can we “not think” correctly?

Thinking of something else.

You can’t control what thoughts pop into your mind, but you can control where you focus your attention.

When you meditate, tons of thoughts will pop up in your mind. The way to not think about these thoughts is to focus on your breathing.

Attention is the steering wheel in your hand.

Dwelling on the trauma in the past and worrying about stuff that might happen tomorrow will only get you to these places.

Instead, think about where you want to go, what kind of person you want to become, then keep your eyes on your goal, that’s how you can get here.

Of course you will feel scared at first, just like you will be scared if you don’t look at the wall. but

The best way to avoid pain is to go where makes you happy.

Hold the steering wheel in your hand and drive towards where you want to go.

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Until next week,

Ted Wild

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