Combat Doubt
Hey Friend,
We are living in exciting times! The calendar turned to September and I had to put on a hoodie. Not that I've gone outside much to use it. I've been in head-down mode for the book. As mentioned, last week we entered the "layout" phase, which, as a self-publishing author, is happening between Monica and I. I love it.
It's another creative aspect that I'm excited about. As my lovely wife has mentioned to me once or twice, it's not WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it. The same holds true for the book. I'm proud of what I've cobbled together with words, ideas and concepts. Now I'm making sure how you read and experience it, is on par with the content offered.
Of course with all my endeavors, at first I try to go to the extreme and then dial it back. After a few iterations, we landed somewhere with the look that I consider to be normal+. Nothing too extreme. When you read it, you'll probably think "why was he going on about the layout. Seems pretty standard to me." I hope that is the case. Let the unobtrusive subtle details do their thing below the radar. (Also, thank you in advance for reading it.)
Have you ever felt like you were ahead on something only to discover you're behind? It's an exhilarating sensation that can release a roller-coaster of emotions. I experience it daily with this first book process. Stay buckled in.
IMAGINE
I love an adventure. I love turning the average, ordinary daily experiences into something more thrilling. It often occurs in my mind and every now and then it occurs in reality. I'm grateful for an imagination that lifts me. My word for the month of September is "Believe" which frees me to imagine even bigger.
Doubt unkindly tries to confiscate my imagination. I am not impressed with his singular strategy: "Yeah, but..." It's a perversion of the improv creed, "yes, and..." Both use acknowledgment to insert themselves into the conversation, but then doubt immediately introduces his daddy, fear. "Yeah Greg this book could really be valuable to a lot of leaders, but it's likely no one is actually going to read it."
MINDSHIFT
What if you imagined the best, most wonderful outcome actually occurring for you before 2025 ended... and believed it?
COMBAT
I've never been in the military. I've never been in any real physical altercations with anyone either. Heck, I've never punched anyone in the face, which happens on TV shows all the time. I have, however, clashed with doubt regularly. He always wants to pick a fight. He's like a provoking, annoying bully who tries to lure us into his realm.
There has been and will continue to be so much good information written about the "battlefield of the mind." The thoughts that are sparked by other thoughts is fireworks in the brain. When one glorious beautiful vision of possibility appears, doubt offers an ugly sonic boom of alternatively negative consequences. So cliché. So unoriginal. So typical.
MINDSHIFT
What if you disarmed doubt by saying them out loud to someone? Transitioning them from the mind to the mouth debilitates doubts grip!
FUN
Being conscious that every time we have a burst of hopeful ideation, doubt is going to also appear, makes his arrival less intimidating. Doubt is a boy pretending to be the man, fear. He's whiny and dreary. Honestly, one of my best tools of resistance against him is he's just not fun. If we acquiesce to his invitation, it only takes us to small, painfully boring places.
Being committed to fun - not just shiny, surface fun - but the rich life of exploration, new experiences and purpose is a natural combatant to doubt's puny offerings. Every time he offers his "yeah, but" to one of our ridiculous dreams, we can in turn respond with "yeah, but... that doesn't sound like much fun."
I'd rather believe for something magnificent, attempt it, and fail... creating a good story along the way, than bypass all of it for what? Safety? Less Pain? Less Cost? Doubt is a sheister.
SHIFTING
I hope this week you fight hard against the voices of doubt that percolate negativity. When you truly explore his offering of less risk, you'll find no difference in the end result of going for the big dream in your heart. #ShiftAway
