We’ve invented a new index. We use it often. You can too.
We call it the Unpleasantness Index. UI for short.
It has many applications.
When the UI is high, it’s essential that you re-connect with the “why” of what you’re doing. It has to really matter. Without a sufficient “why,” the UI will stop you in your tracks.
“Today I will do what others won’t so tomorrow I can do what others can’t,” Jerry Rice once said.
Push through the UI
I love the idea of the UI. It really has merit from a psychological standpoint. I think that when the “U” is happening, if you can stop for a moment to acknowledge it and give it a rating, it allows you to validate your feelings and, in that moment, it can distract you just long enough to maybe step back and determine what will make things better. In my coaching for mindfulness, I teach a concept I invented, which I call the “thought makeover”. Who doesn’t like a good makeover!? When negative thinking sneaks in (which it does, because it’s habitual), the strategy is to have a few positive visuals, past positive memories, or something humorous in your back pocket that you can pull out, in the moment, to replace the negative thought and keep you on track. Quips from my grandkids works for me. I’m def ‘gonna try the “UI”!