Page 144 - Taming Your Gremlin A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way (Rick Carson)_Neat

take a risk. That’s fine. But at least your choice will be based on realistic
considerations such as timing and real consequences, rather than on an
outdated concept or habit formed long ago, or on unrealistic fantasies about

the future. A not-so-old adage applies here:

Anxiety is the gap between now and then.

One much overlooked option for determining whether or not to risk a
particular action is to test your considerations by stating them aloud.
Hearkening back to the example we explored a few pages ago, you might
say to your employer, “I have an idea I want to share with you and I’m not

sure how open you would be to my suggestion. Would you like to hear it?”
Or, “I have an idea I’m considering sharing with you. When and how would
be the best way to do that?” Or “I have an idea I’d like to share with you
and get your thoughts on. It needs some refinement. I think it might benefit
the company in the long run if you will apply your expertise to it.”

These sorts of statements are not panaceas, just options. Even thinking
them to yourself without verbalizing them often can be very freeing. And
remember, don’t let your gremlin tell you that you should or must change,

or that you should or must take risks. Instead, use the Gremlin-Taming
Method:

Simply Notice

Choose and Play with Options

Be in Process

THE “TENSING IN ANTICIPATION OF PAIN HELPS” STRATEGY

Several years ago I took a session of rolfing. Rolfing involves very deep
massage and can be a painful and intense physical experience. It is a