I've been enjoying the book, The Obstacle Is The Way, by Ryan Holiday this week. And as someone who tends to blow things out of proportion (first step is acceptance), I found the chapter on controlling your emotions especially fascinating.
The author talks about certain jobs, like pilots for example, that have mastered the skill of keeping an even strain, fighting the urge to panic and staying focused on what they can change. So basically if the oven catches on fire, maybe my first reaction shouldn't be to start screaming. OK, GOT IT.
Loved his conversation around seeing yourself objectively, but there was one line of questioning that really stuck out to me:
As Gavin De Becker writes in The Gift of Fear, when you worry, ask yourself, what am I choosing to not see right now? What important things are you missing because you chose worry over introspection, alertness or wisdom? Does getting upset provide you with more options?
I'm cackling at the thought of asking George Banks these questions during the hot dog scene of Father of the Bride. I am George. He is me. I'll be saving these questions in my back pocket for the next time I encounter “superfluous buns.”
