This week has been my happiest week all year, and it honestly had very little to do with what social events I was participating in. I really began making an effort to “self-coach” on Monday and felt like I was arguing with myself and simply suppressing my thoughts for much of the day. It felt extremely fake and forced all the way up until Wednesday. However, at some point I suddenly realized that I was cracking jokes and laughing and having fun almost effortlessly simply because of the incessant seemingly-overboard positivity, and afterwards understood just how much control I had over what I felt over the course of the day. By Wednesday, anytime I felt a certain way from some minor awkward event (i.e., said “Hi” to someone in the hall but they didn’t hear me or somebody I don’t know too well being slightly awkward towards me talking to them, etc.), the self-coaching would switch on almost instantly and after 10 seconds I would be right back feeling comfortable and in the zone. I learned that a simple “I know you can do it” affirmation was all I really needed to be sociable in those situations. Today I didn’t do much mental bracing before talking to people at all, yet still felt completely comfortable and was able to socialize much more freely than I’ve ever been able to before. It was amazing how people that hadn’t talked to me much/initially tried to talk to me but then eventually became cold prior to this week were all of a sudden warming up to me simply because I was being friendly and talking to new people. I feel free. It’s a very strange but rewarding feeling.
Thank you for powering through. This is the first major social breakthrough that I’ve made in the past 10 months, and I have to say that your coaching ideologies helped tremendously. Thank you for being a wizard.”
