December 2023 – MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Why You Might Want to Toss Out Your Trophies

Three takeaways:

The author shares the story of a friend, a major CEO: despite past successes, his recent career struggles have led him to consider removing the trophies of past successes from his office. He feels they mock him, highlighting the downside of holding onto past accolades for too long.

Trophy-keeping can be an example of what Brooks calls invidious intertemporal autocomparison–an unhappy comparison with a former self. Research shows that the more people champion/covet their past existence, the lower their well-being will be in the present.

The effort to immortalize our accomplishments is often futile. Triumphs decay with time. However, we can use past achievements to a) celebrate and remember what truly matters in life and to b) guide our paths into the future.

While you don’t need to erase totems to your past completely, there are three quick ways you keep only the trophies that bring you joy—and that never mock you.

Get the time frame right: Remember that you are not the person you were when you received your trophy, and that we are always evolving. Golfers who always compare that day’s score to their best score ever forget that each game is part of the overall progression of their skill, and that their progress is what should be celebrated.

Commemorate what matters: Hold on to trophies from the moments of personal satisfaction, not external validation. Trophies that remind you of the important moments and concepts in life: love, family, overcoming extreme hardship, will remind you that victories in life are not about momentary validation but propelling you in the right direction.

If the trophies mock you, toss them: The second a physical object brings you anything but joy/pride, toss it. This will bring you into the present, feeling lighter and more in command of your direction.

From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Harness the Power of Suggestion for Your Happiness

Three takeaways:

While the placebo effect in medicine has been proven to be a falsity, the strategic use of placebos in life might be an indispensable tool for your own wellbeing. You can apply “placebo” to happiness as well.

You can use the power of suggestion to implement a placebo effect on your own mental attitudes when confronted with a negative situation. Here are three simple tips to doing so.

Invent your own unhappiness remedy – you can break a negative cycle of thought or feeling with a trusted source of comfort. A familiar poem, song, walking route, or a favorite piece of gum can remind us that we are not controlled by destructive emotions.

Avoid human “nocebos” – a “nocebo” would be someone or something that reinforces negative mental results. Don’t expose yourself to overly harsh or critical people – many of whom can be found on social media or cable television. If you notice that certain things make you feel worse, avoid them.

Dispense the placebo to others – give that placebo effect to everyone around you, through encouragement, laughter, and other forms of kindness. Doing so will in turn make you happier.

Negative events are always going to take place, and negative emotions are an appropriate response. However, excessive negativity makes situations worse. Self-managing emotions aids in navigating life’s challenges effectively. A homespun placebo now and again can help.

From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Three Paths Toward the Meaning of Life

Three takeaways:

Psychologists have shown in experiments that having a clear sense of your “true self” or “essence” strongly predicts a feeling of meaning in life than it does a positive emotion and/or high self-esteem.

Acquiring that sense of one’s true self can take different forms. Some prescribe to the “discovery theory” of life– that our essence exists permanently, and that life is about discovering it – or the “creation theory“, which is the belief that our essence is something we cultivate and build throughout the course of our life.

The stances can be distilled to three views:

Essence precedes existence: Your essence is ordained before you are born. This is a view shared by many religions, including Christianity, as well as evolutionary psychology, which posits that our essential mission is to survive and reproduce. Thus, it becomes your life’s work to discern and embrace that preordained essence.

Existence precedes essence: This is a view held by more existentialist philosophers, and states that we must create our essence to lead a fulfilling and responsible life.

There is no essence: There is no meaning or purpose in life. This view defies human experience, and the view of life as an enterprise of self-creation.

If your essence already exists and precedes your existence, you must discover it. You read books, take classes, and learn throughout your life. If you believe that there is no true essence, you are liberated from the duty of building a self but may lack purpose in life as a result.

If you believe that existence precedes essence, you must choose a set of desired qualities and embody them. You must grow into the person you wish to become.

Both the “discovery theory” and “creation theory” boil down to a clear message: choose a life of conscious action. Search for and find your essence through action and learning.

From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Four Ways to Be Grateful—And Happier

Four takeaways:

Gratitude has been shown in study after study to have positive effects on one’s happiness in both the immediate and the long term.

However, humans naturally have a “negativity bias,” an evolved tendency to focus more on adverse events than on positive ones. So, to practice and reinforce gratitude means working against our natural impulses—much like getting off the couch and lifting weights.

Four ways one can increase their own sense of gratitude are:

Make thankfulness an interior discipline: Writing down the good things in your life and then making a habit of checking the list has been identified as a tool that may reduce depressive symptoms.

Make it an outward expression: Research has shown that expressing gratitude to others, whether in person or in a thank you note, has an even greater positive effect than privately listing the things you are thankful for.

Make it a sacred duty: George Washington noted that “Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected,” in 1789. To look at gratitude as a moral duty gives it a sense of purpose in your life. This can enhance gratitude’s effects.

Make it into words of worship: Even if you are not traditionally spiritual, committing to a practice of mantra or meditation that centers gratitude will help incorporate it into the way you relate to the world around you.

From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Monthly Archives: December 2023

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