Newsletter: Is this right for me?
I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel frankly overwhelmed by the amount of information that's at our fingertips. As the biologist E.O. Wilson famously said that, “We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom.”
It’s becoming quite clear to me that, in these information-filled times, there’s a need to develop a new and specific skill: learning to discern what advice, tools, and perspectives are right for you. (Part of that includes recognizing that not all information will apply to you, and that you can just ignore things that aren’t the right fit for you!)
In this week’s newsletter, I want to share a useful tool to help you with this. I hope that if you feel like it isn’t right for you, you’ll ignore it and do what is right for you instead!
Have a great day,
Stephanie Harrison, founder of The New Happy
This Week
In a world of many opinions and endless advice, how do you figure out what's right for you?
The secret? Use your body to get feedback. What's right for you has a different physical feeling than what is not. It feels supportive, compelling, and even if it's scary, hopeful and authentic.
Try This
When you read a piece of advice, test it against your body's feelings. Here is a powerful little visualization technique you can try. (If you're not used to using tools like this, bear with me and give it a try!)
Imagine you are going to take that advice off of the page or the screen, and grab it in a physical form. Close your eyes and mold the advice into a ball, like you're packing a snowball. Pay attention to how it feels to you, whether it's weighty or light, and any other meaningful characteristics.
Now that you have your advice ball, pretend you're going to bounce it on the ground. Throw it down onto the ground. Does it bounce back up into your hand, or does it splatter into the ground and fall apart? Time and again, I have discovered that personally-unhelpful advice doesn't bounce back up into my hand. It falls apart on the ground, and that's where I leave it.
While it might seem a bit silly, this exercise has been something I've found works over and over again. Try it and see if it works for you (and if not, leave it on the ground where it belongs!)
Inspiration
1. What our school-anxiety dreams tell us (NYT) — Raise your hand if you still have nightmares about taking a test you didn't study for.
2. This woman has found over 200 missing dogs (Upworthy) — This week's New Happy hero uses a secret skill to reunite owners with their precious pooches.
3. The biggest number you've ever conceived of (Washington Post) — Have you ever wondered how many ants there are in the world?
Before You Go
Thank you for reading
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