Inverse Wisdom

I like this from David Kreuger MD:

I came home from college after my freshman year and announced to my Mom that I'd decided to major in psychology. We talked; she was excited for me. Then she mentioned that she made an A in her college psychology course.

I said, "You must have really enjoyed it and studied a lot." She said, "No, I just answered everything on the test the opposite of what I thought was right."

Here is a list of six things that are the inverse of conventional wisdom in writing a new story. In honor of my Mom, who thought it was all opposite anyway.

1. Burn your bridges. Make it impossible to go back to an old habit or way of being. If you decide to quit smoking, make it impossible in some way to go back. Create an uncomfortable scenario if you do return. Focus on the present without the bad habit. Reward yourself for not going back.

2. When you are afraid, worried, anxious, or uncomfortable, do the opposite of what you'd normally do. If you're uncomfortable with public speaking, avoidance will increase the fear, so do more of it. Jump in the water; you can't learn to swim on paper.

3. Obstacles reveal desires. Show me an obstacle, and I'll show you a desire. An obstacle conceals but simultaneously reveals the underlying desire. Proceed despite the obstacle: when you're ready to recognize the obstacle, you're ready to consider the possibility of not creating it.

4. Discomfort can be a sign of progress. Moving beyond a comfort zone is necessary for progress. Comfortable is not a place you begin, but a place you can arrive. Moving from a comfort zone is necessary in order to proceed.

5. Lean into the unknown. You can tiptoe through life very carefully and arrive safety at death.

6. You do not attract what you want, you create what you focus on. Everyone wants more money, so wanting is not the key to having it. Focusing on scarcity attracts scarcity; focusing on prosperity aligns your energy to pursue prosperity.

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