Don't Believe Everything You Think
Shift from fear-based stories to fact-based choices.
Why do we so often assume the worst?
This shows up in my own thinking. I am a pretty optimistic person, yet I can spiral into thinking: “That email sounded short, they must be upset” or “I said the wrong thing, this will end badly.”
I see the same pattern in my executive and leadership coaching. Smart, capable leaders who default to worst case, play it on loop in their heads, then feel stuck.
In Positive Intelligence terms, this is our Saboteurs doing their thing, convincing us that catastrophizing keeps us safe, when it usually just keeps us small.
One of the core ICF competencies is Evoking Awareness. For me, that often means slowing the story down and asking questions that separate facts from fear.
Here’s a powerful question that use often with clients:
“What do you know about this to be true?”
Not what you fear.
Not what you’re imagining.
What you actually know.
From there, we can explore:
What else might be true here?
If you assumed the best instead, how would you show up differently?
What evidence do you have that you can handle this, even if it is hard?
Very often, nothing external has changed. The power shift is entirely in the story.
If you catch yourself assuming the worst this week, pause and ask:
What do I know about this to be true, and what new story do I want to choose instead?
#executivecoach #leadershipcoaching #whatistrue
