Part 1
Think Better
Upgrade your mindset & boost your motivation with lessons inspired byΒ Limitless,Β High Performance HabitsΒ &Β Start with Why.
Week 1
Introduction
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Squashing the ANTs
Lesson 3
Week 2
Introduction
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Β Lesson 2
Squashing the ANTs
Insight inspired byΒ LimitlessΒ (Jim Kwik)
Ants in the kitchen are annoying. But whatβs even more annoying are the ANTs in your head. Obviously, weβre not talking about actual ants but what Jim Kwik calls (A)utomatic (N)egative (T)houghts that run around in your head all day.
Negative thoughts are a part of everyoneβs life but sometimes these ANTs can be debilitating. We, humans, are evolutionarily wired to think about threats and risks beforehand in order to prepare for survival but the problem starts when this thought pattern outgrows its purpose and starts self-sabotaging.
Before we know it, these Automatic Negative Thoughts start to interfere with our relationships, life goals, everyday tasks, and eventually our brainβs performance.
This is a good time to review this weekβs quote which says, βYou become what you think about.β
This means, if you constantly focus on the negative thoughts and never question them, you may unintentionally gravitate toward them. βYou become what you think aboutβ — works for both your thoughts of success and failure.
Because of this, from this point forward, I want you to scrutinize your automatic negative thoughts. And the only time I want you to entertain negative thoughts is when you can do something about it. Thinking about the presentation you bombed when youβre driving home from work isnβt going to help. The only purpose of negative thoughts from this moment on is to help you learn from βactualβ mistakes and this needs to be done when you want it to be done.
For example, I used to really struggle with negative thoughts about speaking in public. In fact, itβs still something I struggle with greatly. The difference is that I eventually realized that simply thinking negative thoughts doesnβt do me any good. The only way negative thoughts can be leveraged for good is if theyβre based on real experiences and if I take positive action in response.
The positive action I took in response to my nervousness about public speaking is I now prepare twice as hard than I used to so Iβm twice as prepared. This has increased my confidence and therefore reduced my nervousness.
I donβt know what your ANTs are, but whatever they are, you need to acknowledge them and then squash them on your own terms.
Action
Squash Your ANTs
Take 2-3 minutes to think about the negative thoughts you have running around in your mind. Write them down and decide which ones are based on real experiences and which might be false. Resolve to only entertain those negative thoughts if youβre leveraging them for constructive actions.
Community
Don't Do It Alone
Join the conversation in our private community and connect with others about each micro-lesson.