As I’m writing this, I realise how I’ve dropped the ball on this somewhat.

One of my side hustles back in the day was researching and curating stories of people who had achieved great things against the odds: Wilma Rudolph, the polio survivor who became an Olympic champion. Hüseyin Özer, the street vendor who built a multi-million dollar business.

Those and other stories fueled my fire. They made me believe anything was possible. I felt nigh unstoppable. I saw challenges as opportunities, setbacks as lessons.

What was I experiencing? It was optimism. Some call it the placebo effect, where positive expectations can lead to positive outcomes. Conversely, pessimism can create limiting beliefs that hinder progress, contribute to undesirable results, worsen outcomes. It’s the nocebo effect. 

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right". Henry Ford

Which one is easier to cultivate?

I’d say pessimism.  It’s all around us, it’s exacerbated, shoved in our faces to get our attention, keep us in a state of fear, and sell us all sorts of temporary fixes and distractions. 

We have to make a concerted effort to cultivate optimism, go against the grain. What has been lost can be found again Somewhere along the way, I lost that optimism, that zest for life, hunger for progress. Got bogged down in the daily grind, started to revert to type,  lost that spark. 

But here’s the thing: a growth mindset isn’t a one-time deal. It’s a muscle you have to keep flexing otherwise you lose the gains. To get those gains back, you need  to go back in the gym.

"Positive thinking inspires action. Action fuels positive thinking. It's a virtuous circle".-Rudiano

So, join me. Let’s dust off those old dreams, rekindle that fire in our bellies. Let’s prove to ourselves that it’s never too late to grow, to evolve, to become the best versions of ourselves.

With this in mind, I am working on bringing back some of the stories that galvanised me, in hope they do the same for you. They will be on my Rethink Inspiration website:  https://rethinkinspiration.online/category/blog/

Exciting times ahead!

Reflect, Redefine, Rise!

R