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- What If You Lost Everything?
Today’s word count: 713 words
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes 29 seconds
Let’s start today with a little exercise. Close your eyes and imagine this…
It is the winter of 1943, and you are hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers away from home at the front line in Europe during WWII. It is raining. It is muddy. You’ve lost 10 kilos since the start of the war, but you were a skinny guy even beforehand. The skin on your fingers is destroyed from the frostbite as you are holding on to your cold steel weapon. Sitting in a trench with other teenage guys who also do not want to be there. Your brother was killed while fighting next to you a year before, and your family stopped writing to you. You wonder if they are even alive…
So you sit there in this trench, waiting. The tension is high, as you know what is about to happen. You know there is a command about to come from the officer. You look at him as he is about to give a signal. Your eyes meet those of your best friend who made it this far with you. You know this might be the last time you see him. And then the signal comes. You, together with other boys and men, run over the muddy trench and into the enemy…
Now open your eyes…
How do you feel?
How do your problems feel to you when you put them in perspective?
What you just experienced is called negative visualisation.
Quote 1:
“Negative visualization is a powerful technique for happiness. It makes us value what we have by imagining we’ve lost it.”
- William B. Irvine (stoic philosopher, author, modern thinker)
Although the story above is one of tragedy and hardship, it is also a story about life. And the whole point of life is that it can—and will—happen to you.
We cannot allow our happiness and inner satisfaction to be dependent on external benchmarks. True peace comes from within, when one is content. And to be content, we must start appreciating what we already have in our lives.
Quote 2:
“Radical acceptance begins with facing what is present — even our fears and imagined losses”
- Tara Brach (psychologist, meditation teacher, spiritual author)
I truly believe that most of the dissatisfaction with our lives comes as a direct correlation to our unwillingness to face the present.
We would rather be depressed about the past or anxious about the future. It might sound like I have this figured out, but in reality, one needs continuous reminders that the present moment is all we truly have.
Quote 3:
“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want. Visualizing the loss helps you detach.”
- Naval Ravikant (entrepreneur, investor, thinker, happiness advocate)
Best for last…
Break the desire contract and enjoy life for what it is — both nice and shitty at the same time. The matter is that reality doesn’t change just because you have a different perspective on it, but your attitude toward your life does and that’s the beauty of it.
Because sometimes, changing your mindset is all it takes.
On a personal note — Lately, I took a financial hit at my job (because this newsletter is still a hobby ;)). And I was thinking about how it’s not fair that something like this happened to me. And more of that bla bla bla… me me me…
Then I stopped and reminded myself that not so long ago, while I was doing my master’s degree in Psychology in Germany, I had an income of less than 400 euros.
And guess what? I still managed to survive.
I guess it really is all subjective perception.
Feeling like making moves? — Negative Visualisation Exercise
Take 5-10 min today and let your thoughts go while in a negative direction.
Try to focus on images and feelings. All in!
Come back to reality and write on a paper what you are grateful for in your life.
You know someone who could benefit from this message today?
Share this email…
Love you,
Igor
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