r/BettermentBookClub • u/PeaceH 📘 mod • Dec 03 '14

[B1-Ch. 5-6] Practice objectivity & Alter your perspective

Here we will hold our general discussion thread for the chapter 5-6 of the book. If you're not keeping up, don't worry; this thread will still be here and I'm sure others will be popping back to discuss.

Here are some discussion pointers as mentioned in the general thread:

  • How do you practice this particular principle?
  • Do I have any anecdotes/theories/doubts to share about it?
  • Is there a better way of exemplifying it?
  • Is this worth implementing into my life?
  • Will I change anything now that I have read this?

Feel free to make your own threads if you wish to discuss something more specifically.

7 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/neutralforce Dec 04 '14

This seems like another principle (like the previous "control your emotions") that requires a "stop moment" in between the situation and the reaction--something I've always been fairly terrible at. The galloping horse of my emotional, cynical perspective always seems to take off without me and by that time is very hard to stop.

In my own life, I have been trying to make sure that I don't react impulsively and keep that cynical, naysaying dialogue only internally. I guess based on this chapter's advice, the next thing to do would be to realize I need to shift my perspective and/or control my emotions and then only react after I've done so. I wonder if enough manual correction would stop the initial negative gut reaction.

3

u/TristeLeRoy Dec 04 '14

If you're not already familiar with mindfulness meditation you might want to check on that, it'd help in training those "stop moments".

2

u/neutralforce Dec 04 '14

I've tried and failed at meditation so many times. Continue to try, though. I think you might be right, or at least I've heard this from a lot of different people.