Chris Williamson on Getting Over The Fear of Criticism, Making Sure Your Friends DON'T Suck and The "I'll Be Happy When" Fallacy! (From The 2021 Archive)

This Episode first aired on 25th January 2021. Are you enjoying the podcast? Please leave a rating and a review. Chris is the host of the Modern Wisdom podcast, owns an events company in the UK and is a life coach who specialises in helping people to get more out of life. His platforms talk about how to live a good life, finding your purpose, maximising human performance, productivity, fitness and psychology. His passion lies in learning about himself and the world around him. Today's episode was a very enjoyable conversation that focuses heavy on the mindset side of things. Key Points Finding your purpose, quite obviously, is not an overnight process. Many find it elusive and don't even know where to start. Chris gives us the very first step in uncovering your purpose, and that's by asking yourself: "Do I look forward to getting out of bed every morning?" If not, you're probably heading in the wrong direction. Seek out other voices, whether in podcast/video form (i.e. Jordan Peterson) or face-to-face support. Once you can easily answer the question, "What do I want to want?" (writing down your ideal life is an excellent practice), you're on your way. When it comes to choosing your circle of friends, given the choice between honesty and acceptability, you need to choose honesty. As social creatures, we naturally desire to be accepted in our group, even if we have to put on a persona—or at least restrict what we say or who we are—just to maintain our place in the circle. As quickly as possible, find a way to cut out those "friends" that make your life actively worse and find new ones with whom you can truly be yourself so that you get empowered to become the person you really desire to be. Don't focus solely on the goals you want to achieve because most people will burn out or lose interest along the way, especially if it's a long-term goal. Instead, set a goal and define it well, then immediately put your energy into the day-to-day, week-to-week process that will get you to that goal. "Your outcomes in life," says Chris, "are a lagging measure of your daily habits." This applies to every aspect of life, from fitness to finances to education. Detach your sense of being from the achievement of the goal and find fulfilment in the journey.