Often the biggest challenges we face while seeking a meaningful life are the obstacles that we create ourselves to avoid discomfort. This is a striking truth I uncovered while perusing TED talks to discover a unified theory of meaning. Setting goals in the pursuit of purpose involves facing challenges, and skills are how you thrive. Life presents challenges regardless of whether we seek them or not, and skills are needed simply to survive. To deal with DISCOMFORT and GET PREPARED for the challenges, learn and develop skills with the following books and TED talks. Amazon affiliate links provide a small commission that helps support the Daily PlanIt at no additional cost.
In the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie, Indy must navigate several trials to get to the Holy Grail. The final trial is to cross an apparantly impassable ravine. It requires taking a leap of faith and discovering there is actually an invisible bridge across that is hidden by perspective. Is it possible that your biggest obstacle is YOU? Can you learn to deal with discomfort?
Discomfort is a feeling of uneasiness that can be interpreted as a red flag to trigger avoidance, but discomfort can often be a signal that you are experiencing something new, challenging, or unfamiliar rather than facing actual, imminent physical harm. Our brains are wired for survival and often equate “unfamiliar” with “unsafe.” This results in elevated heart rates, tightness in the chest, or sweaty palms, which the brain’s prediction system quickly sees as threat. However, these are frequently just normal bodily reactions to stress, anxiety, or change, and not a sign of real physical peril. Discomfort can be a sign of development and progress when we step outside of our comfort zone to learn, grow, and change.
Overcome the Obstacles – Deal with DISCOMFORT The Discomfort Zone by Farrah Storr, TED talk The discomfort zone
- Distractions Irresistable by Adam Alter, TED talk Why our screens make us less happy [Distractions and defaults]
- Indecision Making Comparisons Count by Ruth Chang, TED talk How to make hard choices
- Stress The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal, TED talk How to make stress your friend (Hans Selye)
- Change The Other Side of Change by Maya Shankar, TED talk Why change is so scary – and how to unlock its potential [Navigating change]
- Overwhelm The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin, TED talk How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed
- Mistakes The Setback Cycle by Amy Shoenthal, TED talk How to turn setbacks into success [Resources for goals]
- Fear How to Find Flow by Cameron Norsworthy, TED talk Fear or flow: how to create an optimal experience [Conquer Fear]
- Obliviousness Insight by Tasha Eurich, TED talk Increase your self-awareness with one simple fix [Creating Clarity]
- Resistance The Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins, TED talk How to stop screwing yourself over
- Triggers What’s Our Problem by Tim Urban, TED talk Inside the mind of a master procrastinator [Procrastination triggers]
- Self sabotage 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin, TED talk The secret to becoming mentally strong [Habits]
The biggest self-created obstacle may be our inner deceptions – limiting beliefs that hold us back. Learn more at the Power of Belief.
GET PREPARED
We can learn how to deal with discomfort and stop creating obstacles for ourselves. Develop strengths and skills to prepare for challenges with the books below and TED talks at Pinterest pathways for overcoming obstacles and development.
- Growth mindset Mindset by Carol Dweck, TED talk The power of believing that you can improve [Change your mindset]
- Expand awareness Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook by John Forsyth, TED talk Why it’s hard being human
- Take control Just the Good Stuff by Jim Vandehei, TED talk 5 practical ways to take control of your life
- Persist with grit Grit by Angela Duckworth, TED talk The power of passion and perseverance [The wimpy person’s guide to grit]
- Resilience Resilient Grieving by Lucy Hone, TED talk Three secrets of resilient people [6 Rs of Resilience]
- Experimental mindset Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Lecunf, TED talk How tiny experiments can set you free
- Practice to build belief Master Your Code by Darren Gold, TED talk The secret to an extraordinary life [Power of Belief, What the Brain Wants]
- Agency The Power of Agency by Judith Katz, TED talk The courage to create the life for you [Develop agency]
- Realistic optimism The Optimism Bias by Tali Sharot, TED talk The optimism bias
- Emotional intelligence Dealing With Feeling by Marc Brackett, TED talk Emotional literacy [Emotional intelligence, Power of a pause, Manage Emotions, Emotional intelligence TED talks]
- Develop competence You Got This by Ivan Joseph, TED talk The skill of self-confidence
Find more pathways and TED talks by speakers who are also authors at TED Talk Book Discussion. Find more Great Reads Pathways at Pinterest.
I seek to create order from the chaos of complex information. Join me at the Daily PlanIt to gain insights, inspiration, and information to increase skills for a better life. I unlock the power of teaching reading with phonics in the pursuit of literacy at www.phonicspow.com. In my spare time I explore books and movies, often choosing titles available on both screen and page.
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