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What Your Emotions Are Really Trying to Tell You
Justin Mecham
September 09, 2024
In partnership with
Hey Full Potential Zoners!
Are emotions controlling you? Time to take back control:
Emotions aren't just feelings -
They're the drivers of our actions.
We often treat emotions as something to manage.
But what if we could understand them better?
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My infographic highlights the dual nature of emotions.
It shows how opposite feelings coexist.
Recognizing these intersections is key.
It helps you gain clarity, build resilience, and improve your interactions.
Today we are going to help leaders master this by using:
‘The Truth About Emotions'.
Let’s dive in!
Powerful Ways to Balance Emotions
Bittersweet
Focus on one positive aspect of the situation, then allow yourself space to process the sadness.
Journaling can help clarify these mixed feelings.
Anticipation
Break down the event into smaller tasks.
Prepare for potential challenges while focusing on the exciting opportunities that come with it.
Assertiveness
Practice using “I” statements when communicating your feelings.
Combine your message with empathy for the other person’s perspective.
Caution
When feeling cautious, take small steps toward exploring the unknown.
Build confidence by preparing for potential outcomes while leaving room for curiosity.
Realization
When confused, take a step back.
List out your thoughts or questions, then focus on finding answers one at a time, allowing space for new perspectives to emerge.
Determination
Set clear goals and break them into smaller steps.
Remind yourself of past successes and take consistent, focused action toward your objectives.
Skepticism
Evaluate the situation by gathering facts.
Challenge your assumptions with open-ended questions and be willing to adjust your perspective based on new information.
Grief
Allow yourself to sit with your feelings without rushing the process.
Connect with trusted individuals or seek support from a professional to help manage the emotions.
Balance
Identify areas where pride or humility might be affecting your decisions.
Reflect on feedback from others and adjust your approach for more balanced actions.
Redemption
Take responsibility for past actions and acknowledge any wrongdoings.
Offer genuine apologies and make an effort to change your behavior moving forward.
Burnout
Identify areas in your life that are causing fatigue.
Set boundaries, take regular breaks, and prioritize activities that recharge your energy.
Courage
Take small steps outside of your comfort zone.
Each time you push through vulnerability, you build confidence for bigger challenges ahead.
Contentment
Focus on appreciating what you have.
Practice gratitude daily by writing down three things you're thankful for, even if they are small.
Resilience
Develop a mindfulness routine.
Practice breathing exercises or meditation to stay grounded when uncertainty arises.
Excitement
Channel your energy into planning or taking action on the thing that excites you.
Make a to-do list and focus on the next step that keeps you moving forward.
Resilience
A team I worked with was struggling after a major project failed to meet deadlines, causing frustration, burnout, and low morale.
They were dealing with an uncertain future due to budget cuts and the possibility of layoffs.
Stress levels were high, and team members felt overwhelmed, unsure how to bounce back from the failure.
I introduced resilience-building techniques to help the team regain focus and manage the ongoing uncertainty.
First, I encouraged them to adopt a mindfulness practice—starting each meeting with a short breathing exercise to help them center themselves.
We then broke the overwhelming tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, allowing the team to achieve small wins and regain confidence.
I also led them through reframing exercises, where we looked at the failure not as a roadblock but as an opportunity to learn and improve.
This shift in mindset helped ease their fear of failure.
Finally, I facilitated open discussions about the uncertainty, emphasizing that while we couldn’t control budget cuts, we could control our response to them.
We made a plan to focus on what could be done instead of dwelling on what might happen.
By implementing these resilience strategies, the team learned to focus on the present, take one step at a time, and find meaning in setbacks.
As they built their emotional resilience, they regained motivation, productivity improved, and the anxiety around uncertainty decreased.
They could see challenges as learning opportunities rather than obstacles, which led to a more positive team dynamic and renewed focus on future projects.
How you can do it too -
Start Small:
Break large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps to regain confidence.
Shift Perspective:
Reframe setbacks as learning opportunities to ease the fear of failure.
Stay Grounded:
Practice mindfulness to stay present and calm in moments of uncertainty.
Focus on Control:
Instead of worrying about things outside your control, focus on the actions you can take today to move forward.
Here's how you can make it real over the next 4 days:
Day 1: Identify the Situation
Choose one of the lessons you want to work on this week.
Spend time reflecting on the emotional lesson you chose and identify one area in your life where this lesson shows up the most (e.g., work, personal life, relationships).
Write down one specific instance where you’ve recently felt the emotion tied to your lesson.
This helps you become more mindful of it.
ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Help me identify where and when I experience [insert emotion related to the lesson chosen] most in my life. I want to become more aware of how it affects me and why it shows up in those situations.”
Day 2: Practice Awareness
When you experience the emotion today, pause and notice how it feels physically and mentally.
Are you tense?
Do you feel anxious?
Just observe without judging yourself.
Take a 5-minute break when you feel the emotion arise.
Use this time to breathe deeply and calm your body before you respond.
ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "When I feel [insert emotion], guide me through how to pause and notice my physical and mental reactions without judgment. I want to become more aware of the sensations in my body and thoughts in my mind when this emotion arises."
Day 3: Take Action
Choose one small action today that aligns with the lesson you’re working on.
If you chose Assertiveness, speak up in a meeting.
If you chose Resilience, tackle one thing on your to-do list that you’ve been avoiding.
Keep the action small and achievable, like making a quick decision or addressing a minor issue.
Success builds confidence.
ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Suggest a small, actionable step I can take today that aligns with the lesson of [insert lesson] I’m working on. Suggest something that helps me face a small challenge head-on."
Day 4: Reflect and Adjust
At the end of the day, reflect on your progress.
What worked well?
Where did you struggle?
What could you do differently next time?
Write down one thing you’ve learned about yourself and one thing you’ll try differently next time.
ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Help me reflect on my progress with [insert emotion] over the last three days. What worked well? What didn’t? Give me one suggestion on what I can do differently moving forward."
You are not just one emotion, you are many, all at once.
By allowing yourself to feel fully, you allow yourself to live fully.
The most difficult emotions teach us the deepest truths about ourselves.
When you honor the full spectrum of what you feel, you honor yourself.
In that truth, there is strength, clarity, and the potential for real growth.
Until next week and with lots of love,
Justin
This Week’s Growth Recommendations
Book To Read:
"Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ" by Daniel Goleman (see it here)
TED Talk to Watch
"You Aren’t at the Mercy of Your Emotions – Your Brain Creates Them" by Lisa Feldman Barrett (see it here)
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