WEEK 24
Day 162: On Inverse Paranoia
Inverse paranoid: someone who believes the world is conspiring to do him good. Sees every situation as being heaven-sent to teach some valuable lesson or make him successful. This is the most outwardly identifiable quality of a high-performing person.
Cognitive reframing is a process in which you change the meaning of a difficulty, hardship, or failure and give it a positive slant.
For example, if you were injured during a workout, you can think of it as the worst thing that could have happened to you or you can reframe it by looking at it as an opportunity to recharge and focus on performing the exercise more safely in the future, perhaps preventing an even worse injury by doing so.
If you cheated while on a diet, you can think of it as a stupid move on your part. However, it would be better to look at it as a lesson by asking yourself why, where, and when it happened, and what you can do to avoid doing it again in the future.
If you’re ready to take cognitive reframing to the extreme (and I strongly recommend you do so), develop what Brian Tracy calls “inverse paranoia”: the belief that the world is conspiring to do you good and that everything that happens to you contributes to your success
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Living with such a mindset not only makes you happier. It also makes you more mentally resilient (because you know that everything happens for a good reason) and consequently, less likely to become discouraged and give up.