Most of us are time travelers. The problem? We only ever visit the “Pain Points.”
We revisit old mistakes, replay the hurt, and stir up the same bitter emotions we felt years ago. We aren’t just remembering the past; we are bleeding that memory into the present.
Logically, it’s a losing game. You can’t change the script of a movie that’s already been filmed. You can only change how you watch it.
If there are particular memories you need to learn from, you don’t just recall those memories “as is” and re-live any negative emotions associated from them.
The Strategy to learn is to use “The Director’s Cut” Technique
Next time you need to review a past memory or mistake without the emotional baggage, use this script:
“I am watching this memory on a screen. I am the observer, not the actor. The emotion stays behind the glass. I am here only for the data.”
Your Quick Win Task:
Pick one memory that has been “bugging” you this week. Spend 2 minutes visualizing it on a black-and-white TV screen across the room. Watch yourself from the third person.
- Pick one memory that has been “bugging” you this week.
- Spend 2 minutes visualizing it on a black-and-white TV screen across the room.
- Watch yourself from the third person point of view.
What did you learn that you couldn’t see when you were “in” the emotion?
Don’t relive it. Review it.
Think how you could have done anything differently as a learning point and then turn the TV off! Don’t go back again! You can’t change that memory, just use the learning from it for the future!
