WEEK 114: SEPARATING FACT FROM OPINION

Be aggressive to separate FACT from opinion!   Maxwell Maltz

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): Welcome back fro another installment of The Leap Process, where you close the gap between where you are and achieving your dreams.

Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Just wanted to share we are less than a month away from the launch of the book and I have to pinch myself to believe it is finally here!

So grateful!

Now, I want to share something powerful I learned this week which can help you transform your perspective. 

I learned it from the book Psycho Cybernetics, again if you have not read it, you need to if you are embarking on this path to achieving your dreams!

Now instead of just telling you the punch line, I want to give you some scenarios to think about first.

1. You think you will die by eating a bug.

2. You think your life will be over if you do not get the promotion/internship/into the perfect institution.

3. A person losses $200,000 in a hour from the stock market. He feels he is a ruin.

4. A person is told they can not be a doctor as they come from a poor background.

Let's dive a little deeper into each situation to see the powerful strategy I was able to uncover this week.

First, eating a bug will not kill you (unless it is a poisonous one). That is a fact. The thought you will die is your ownn opinion, fear, about the experience.

Second, the fact is life will continue whether you get it or not. It is your opinion of not getting the promotion/internship/into the perfect institution, which makes you believe you will no longer live.

Third, the person who loses $200,000. It is a fact, they lost the money. There is no way around it. Now, the belief that their life is ruined or the idea they are a ruin just there opinions, fears, about the situation.

Fourth, the person who is told he can not be a doctor because he comes from a poor background. It is a fact he comes from a poor background, but it is someone eases opinion, fears, that he can not become a doctor. 

There is no real fact which will hold him back from becoming one if he chooses to be one.

All of these examples highlight this powerful idea of "Separating FACT from opinion." 

We often times hold ourselves back from taking action on the path to closing the gap between where we are and achieving our dreams, as we cannot separate the difference between the two. 

Yet, what I have learned is the most successful people on this planet are the ones who can "aggressively" separate FACT from opinion.

Instead of reacting to situations, they remain calm and use all of their capabilites to adapt and figure out any sitiation. 

They do not let their opinions, fears and anxieties, cloud the facts, so they can act appropriately to any situation. 

In my life this week there have been many instances where I was finally able to see and implement this.

First, I have lost EIGHT kilos on the new lifestyle program I have started with my wife. Although it is getting easier, there are still times when my addiction to unhealthy food is strong.

The new lifestyle change requires you to only eat at three set times during the day. Now in the past I would eat breakfast, then a snack at 10:00, and then lunch. Afterwards, maybe something to tie me over in the afternoon, and then finally dinner.

The perceived feeling I am famished at 10:00 am is really my opinion, fear I am not getting enough food. I have been able separate the FACT that most times we think we are hungry, our bodies are actually asking for water. Thus the FACT is my body is asking to be hydrated, versus my opinion of needing food.

This correct information allows me to drink a glass of water, which afterwards, I feel fine. This has lead me to losing EIGHT kilos in about a months time. Something I was not able to do in the last 15 years of my life. 

Second, is my son. He is growing up so fast now and talking all the time. In my mind I can see him already writing essays and accomplishing so much...
YET...

I get super frustrated when he can not follow simple directions.
FACT is he is a little under three years old. It is normal for him to not follow directions to a T and comprehend abstract topics. My opinion, fear he should already be able to do this, clouds the fact, which in turn causes me to get frustrated.
Both of these situations have ended in disappointment and me going back to the drawing board to see if I could figure another way of succeeding or dealing with the situation, thinking success was such a mystery.
This ability to separate FACT from opinion is powerful, as it provides the correct information. This is vital in accelerating your progress towards closing the gap between where you are and achieving your dreams, as you are able to take the appropriate actions.
Furthermore, it connects to the idea of confidence. I have mentioned in past weeks that confidence is the ability to see when something is not working, and then using your flexibility and knowledge to ADAPT and FIGURE IT OUT.
This can only happen when you do not cloud the FACTS with opinions. Thus, allowing you to see the correct information, and take the appropriate actions.
So be aggressive to separate FACT from opinion, so you can accelerate your progress towards closing the gap between where you are and achieving your dreams!

Top three activities that move me forward?

1. Listening to life coach podcast...so many lessons on how to be a better mate!

2. Listening to and capturing notes in workflowy about Psycho Cybernetics. Powerful.

3. Disciplined to n90 program. Increased energy, clarity, and EIGHT kilos lost!

Biggest lessons and learnings? 

Be aggressive to separate FACT from opinion to take the appropriate actions and accelerate your progress!

What are you grateful for?

Being able to publish a book. It is an incredible feeling and words can not expres how grateful I am for being disciplined to this process!

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PLANNING (Implementation Intention):  You will follow through 2X to 3X more likely to complete your weekly task than you normally would just by filling in the following statement.

I plan to complete the weekly task [day] at [time] in [location]. 

A reminder you might have to use multiple Implementation Intentions in order to follow through.

EXECUTION (strategies used):  From week to week, I use a combination of many strategies. There are always some which are used more than others depending on what comes up, but I wanted to offer a link to all them at once. 

My advice is to identify the I CAN'T statement you tell yourself during the most. Then find a strategy below the statement which resonates with you, and then start using it. 

Enjoy!