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Hi, reader!

Do you ever find yourself feeling stuck? It's usually got more to do with the story you're telling yourself than the situation itself.

Martin Seligman, in his excellent book 'Learned Optimism', explored three elements that make up our "explanatory style" - that is, the story we tell ourselves about what we are experiencing.

Handily, each element begins with the letter "P", so it's become known as the 3Ps:
  • pervasiveness (to what extent is your life affected)
  • permanence (how long this will stick around for)
  • personalisation (how much it is your fault)
Each "P" is like a dial that you can turn up or down, depending on how you write your story.
An image of three dials, labelled "Pervasive", "Permanent" and "Personal"
The most optimistic people consider negative events to be specific, temporary and externally-caused, and positive events to be universal, permanent and driven by factors internal to them.

The most pessimistic people, on the other hand, view negative events as universal, permanent and driven by factors internal to them, and positive events as specific, temporary and externally-caused.

So, the 3 simple questions to get yourself unstuck are:
  • How pervasive is this event?
  • How permanent is it?
  • How personal are the causes?
Read more about the 3Ps here, including how to use the three simple questions to get yourself unstuck.

Auckland Executive Club - an invitation for women

If you're a woman based in Auckland and you're looking for a positive and supportive networking group, please consider this your personal invitation to visit the Auckland Executive Club.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 15th March, and our speaker will be Sarah Page, CEO of Kindness Collective. She's a woman on a mission to make New Zealand the kindest place on earth! Sarah will share the Kindness Collective story of how it has evolved from a few people donating Christmas presents, to an organisation responsible for investing over $1.2 million in Kiwi families and communities in need.
Sarah Page Photo
You can book your ticket for the meeting here (sales close 9th March). I look forward to seeing you there!

What story are you telling yourself?

Is your story helping or hindering you? Take time to work through the 3P questions and look for opportunities to craft a story that supports you to work towards your goals.

If you're finding it difficult, have a chat with a supportive friend, family member, or colleague. Or, if you want to turbo-charge your change efforts, get a coach.

A coach is able to help you see things from a new perspective, and then challenge and support you as you re-write your story and take action to get yourself unstuck.

If that sounds like what you need, let's talk! I offer a free, 30-minute discovery call where we can chat about what you are working towards, and how I can support your development. Book your no-obligation call below.

Recent articles

I regularly write posts and articles to give you tools, tips, and strategies to make the "human stuff" a bit easier. They range from ways to increase your self-awareness and self-compassion through to ideas about how to make work "work" better for everyone.
Check out some of my latest articles below, or head over to my blog to look through the back-catalogue.

How To Find The Sweet Spot For Your Strengths

Closeup photo of doughnuts
The key to getting the most out of working with your strengths is knowing how to find the sweet spot for each strength. This article will teach you five simple strategies for finding your sweet spot, so that you can enjoy better results. A quick strengths primer If you aren't familiar with how I define strengths, here's a quick rundown. …

Read more

Get Yourself Unstuck With 3 Simple Questions

woman in red t shirt looking at her laptop
When you feel stuck, it's hard to imagine how you will ever get yourself unstuck. Stuck sucks! But stuck is usually a mindset issue - and the good news is that you are in control of your mindset. With the three simple questions in this article, you can challenge and refresh your thinking, getting yourself unstuck and moving again. The …

Read more

Do You Know What Time It Is?

A white analogue clock with a stylised map of the world in rainbow colours
Time. Despite the English language's love of pillaging other languages for rich and varied vocabulary, it forces this one tiny word to cover two very different concepts. In contrast, the ancient Greeks had two words where English has only one: chronos and kairos. And the distinction between these two types of time provide a powerful insight that you can use …

Read more

Quote:

The only thing that’s keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself


Tony Robbins

Did you enjoy reading this newsletter? If so, I'd love for you to share it with someone else who might like it. If not, I'd love to hear how you think it can be improved. Drop me a line at daria@dariawilliamson.com
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