Backwards Thinking, Yo! (Or Oy!)

Wow, is it Octber already?!? This means that fall, my favorite season, has definitely fallen!  :))))

Last Saturday I was asked to do a workshop at the Drongo Language Festival in Utrecht. I was asked, unlike other years, not to talk about languages this time, but to talk about (finding your) passion and sharing it on stage. Since I had never done a workshop like this before, I knew I could not fail. And guess what? I didn’t.

One of the things we worked on together was identifying what you’re good at (which many people truly underestimate), what brings you joy, what you find meaningful, and where your talent lies. We then connected the dots, and disconnected some of the other dots by learning to let shit go. So many people have been beating themselves up about things they are not good at, but these things,even if they could be done to perfection, would not increase their joy in life. For example, I suck at reading a map. I used to get so upset about it- I felt like a failure every time I got lost. However, once I learned that reading a map would not increase my true joy in life, I learned to let it go and embrace the fact that I now have spent years talking to attractive strangers on the street who are happy to show me where to go.

Another concept we worked on together was that of backwards thinking. I’m a huge fan of this and use it for every new project I work on (and at the moment, there are 4 Fabulous Projects brewing in Buffiland….watch this space!). I always start by thinking of crossing the finish line first. Wow! What a wonderful feeling to start with! Then I break it down. I think of the last step that I need to take before crossing that finish line – what is the last step that needs to be done before the book launch? Before standing on the stage at Lowlands? Before releasing a new online course?

And then I think of what needs to be done to reach that step. And then what needs to be done to reach the step before that. And so on, and so on. I break something which sometimes seems so insurmountable down into the smallest possible parts. Backwards. And then I always end with the same question – ‘What needs to be done right now in order to make the first step happen?” And then I do it. One small step.

What is a big, scary goal you’re working on right now?
What do you need to get done in order to make that happen? What tiny step can you take today to get it started?

Take that step.
And then take the next one.
Each one brings that finish line just a bit closer.

With love and a confetti cannon,

X buffi

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