The Reverse Gap?

This simple technique calmed me faster than a 2-weeks therapy session

“This sickening and tiring,” I said, sounding frustrated, “It’s like carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

“I’m here, lying down, feeling depressed and anxious about goals that are yet to be achieved. There’s so much to be done!”

“I can’t stare at the phone anymore. I keep congratulating people, and yet I haven’t achieved anything substantial. This is so much pressure. I can’t take it anymore,” I added

My heart rate doubled. Sweaty palms, my brain is over-heating.

If this is you, I want you to take 3 deep breaths.

Breathe in, hold it for 3 seconds, and out.

Take a deeper breath, hold it for 4 seconds, and out

Hold that last one deeper than the previous one—5 seconds—and out.

Let the therapy begin (I am the therapist of course)

The conversation between Me and I.

How do you feel?

Now, talk to me. What is going on exactly?

I set out to accomplish this and that this year, and it's October, and I haven't accomplished half of it

Oh, I see the problem.

What?

When was the last time you were happy chasing these goals?

I can’t remember.

Can you see the problem?

No. What is it? Talk to me.

You have tied your happiness to the achievement of your goal. This means that you won’t be happy until you get that dream job, that first gig you’ve been praying for, that number of engagements you wish to have, that fantasy relationship you wish to have, that income level you’ve dreamt of, and many more.

This is too heavy of a burden for one young man.

So, what am I supposed to do?

Well, you are supposed to be happy now. Be happy while chasing your goals.

Science has proven that when you are happy, you are more productive. This is a hack to achieve your goals at a speedy rate.

So, how can I be happy now?

When you have free time, I want you to do something entrepreneurial coach Dan Sulivan calls the “Reverse Gap.”

What’s that?

All you have to do is look backward (not forward)—to the past—and appreciate how far you’ve come.

This is called THE GRATITUDE EXERCISE

Note this while practicing the gratitude exercise.

Take a few minutes and think of 3-5 things you are grateful for today.

Focus on the feelings; happy, optimistic, confident, sexy, filled with love, and laughter.

After doing this. I felt love from within. I didn’t know I had this amount of energy within.

This is what I discovered. In the past 30 days, I have;

1. Bought 3 books with my hard-earned money. Read 2-and-a-half already. This is big for me because I used to hate reading

2. Opened myself to learning like I never did before

3. Published my book (When Overthinking Sends You Running for Cover) on Amazon.

4. Launched my newsletter, Overthinkers’ Club on Substack.

5. Got promoted in my current teaching job.

6. Hosted my first WhatsApp class.

7. Had my first meditation experience.

8. Asked a girl (Susan) out for the first time in 2 years.

The idea of here is, “Have big goals—but don’t tie your happiness to your goals. You must be happy before you attain them.” - Vishen Lakhiani.

Whenever we find ourselves stressed and anxious, the best thing we can do is to just sit back relax and do the GRATITUDE EXERCISE

Make the gratitude exercise, a part of your daily to-do list. Make it a lifestyle. I do mine every night for a few minutes before I go to bed.

This exercise allows you to reflect on your day and observe the events, actions, and conversations that made you feel good—happy, optimistic, confident, proud, sexy, and filled with love, and laughter.

So what are you waiting for, right now, look back and write down all the things you are grateful for, in the context of how far you’ve come.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

P.S We’ll be holding our first class Worry Like a Pro! next week on the 27th of October this year. You can’t afford to miss it. Click here now to join