Many of us live completely inside our comfort zone. This is a sure-fire recipe for a life of mediocrity. Mediocrity comes from the Latin words medius (middle) and ocris (mountain) The view from here sucks. Usually it’s just the trees right in front of you. Nothing like the splendor of the valleys or the magnificence of the Mountain peaks.
“The Tools” is a book by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. In it, they lay out 5 tools to help you find courage, creativity, and willpower. They are groundbreaking psychotherapists who use these tools to help people start to get relief NOW.
Fear and pain make us retreat to safety
Fear is actually just a kind of pain. This pain is what keeps us inside our comfort zone. As we move forward into something new. Our fears, anxieties, and worries appear before us like a giant wall. this wall causes us to retreat back to safety.
The Reversal of Desire Tool
In order to use the tool, first close your eyes and imagine your pain as a cloud in front of you. Scream in your head “Bring it on!” Then walk into the cloud. Say to yourself “I Love Pain, Pain makes me stronger.” Visualize that pain and feel it fully. Imagine the worst possible outcome and really get into it. Finally, as you pass through the cloud. Say to yourself “Pain sets me free.” At this point, you should feel a lightening of the load. Repeat as many times as necessary.
How it Works
Our experience of pain is relative. The more we ignore it or run from it the bigger it grows. When you look at that scary shadow from the corner of your eye it appears huge. But when you approach and confront it your perspective changes. Facing your fears shrinks them. This tool brings you in line with a higher force they call “The Force of Forward Motion.”
When to Apply
As soon as you need to do something but start to feel your pain resisting, or start to feel anxiety related to that pain, apply the tool. Repeat it over and over. Eventually, it gets easier and faster. Over time you can learn to master your fear and turn your pain into power. You start to seek pain because you know it propels you forward. Make this tool part of your life and break free from a life of mediocrity.
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