Solve for Happy
Self-awareness
Spot and correct your blindspots
from Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy by Mo Gawdat
How to Apply This
- Clear up your filters.
If you find yourself obsessing about a particular story or trying to make sense of something too complex, ask yourself, “What parts am I filtering out? Is there anything else I should know before making my decision?” - Spot your assumptions.
You can spot your assumptions by analyzing the thoughts that usually start with “I saw,” “I was told,” or “I noticed.” Observe when you come across a negative assumption and try to negate it. - Eliminate negative thoughts about the past.
When you notice negative thoughts from the past, realize you’re engaging in a memory blind spot. Samples of these phrases include “I used to,” “this used to be.,” “It was better when..” - Catch your predictions.
If a thought in the future worries you, don’t put so much weight on it. The future hasn’t happened yet, and until then, your prediction will just only be a prediction—none of them is actually true. - Avoid labeling events or people.
Identify the adjectives you use to describe a person and then remove them from your system. Your conclusions or labels are mostly untrue, especially if facts do not support them. - See where you put your emotions into.
Spot words that are tinting your perception, such as “I hate,” “I love,” and “It’s annoying,” once you see them, evaluate whether they’re distorting your vision or not. - Spot your exaggerations.
When you come across a thought infused with words such as “always” or “never,” they are likely limited and exaggerated.
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