I prefer, instead of tricking myself into believing what I want to believe, to change things until I naturally believe the truth, or put processes in place to help me.
If I have trouble sending invoices, I make something send them for me. Isn't that what most accounting software does anyhow? You set up everything and it bills on the appropriate date?
If I have no confidence in my ability to find another job, I do things to help that confidence. Update my portfolio and resume, review my skillset, go to job interviews... There are plenty of things I can do to prove to myself I have the ability to find another job that don't involve just blindly telling myself that.
If I did blindly tell myself that, I'd have a new worry. I'd worry that I was one of those people who apply for jobs and don't have the skills, but think they have them. I've interviewed many of them and never understood why they thought they had the required skills. These techniques could be why.
No, despite all my insecurities and doubts, I'll stick to reality and actually improve my situation instead of brainwashing myself about it.
Anybody who can run a business can send invoices. It's not hard. So if you have trouble doing it, the question is why? If, like in the article, you have to get drunk to do it, then there's something going on inside. Sure, you can hire somebody to do it for you. But that just hides the problem. Brain tumor? Try aspirin!
I've never tried the affirmation thing, but I wouldn't knock it. Many, many good people lack confidence because they've been told over and over that they're bad, wrong, dumb, etc. It's not crazy to say that telling themselves something good and truthful might help.
Your proposed solutions would work on a reasonable person, but if we were always reasonable, the world wouldn't need psychiatrists and therapists.
Some things are worth correcting the 'proper' way. Others can be fixed much more easily with a hack. I'll let the computer send the invoices for me and spend my time on things I love, instead. I'll likely never be completely free of the problem anyhow.
If I were to fix the invoice problem in me, it wouldn't be by brainwashing. Instead, I'd figure out why I felt that way and attack that, instead. Maybe it's a fear of rejection. Maybe it's a belief that money is bad. Maybe it's something else entirely. That other thing doesn't go away if I just attack one of the symptoms. In fact, it hides it, and makes other problems harder to diagnose.
Even reasonable people need shrinks sometimes. Not every problem can be fixed without help. I've never been to one, but I'm guessing they'd attack the actual problem, too, instead of just curing symptoms. At least, the good ones. The quacks will just prescribe the latest wonder-drug and collect their fee.
Sure. And the sorts of emotional realities that therapists deal with are the kinds of things that exist whether you believe in them or not. Which is why I think people shouldn't ignore them just because they find them inconvenient or aesthetically incompatible with how they would like humans to work.
If I have trouble sending invoices, I make something send them for me. Isn't that what most accounting software does anyhow? You set up everything and it bills on the appropriate date?
If I have no confidence in my ability to find another job, I do things to help that confidence. Update my portfolio and resume, review my skillset, go to job interviews... There are plenty of things I can do to prove to myself I have the ability to find another job that don't involve just blindly telling myself that.
If I did blindly tell myself that, I'd have a new worry. I'd worry that I was one of those people who apply for jobs and don't have the skills, but think they have them. I've interviewed many of them and never understood why they thought they had the required skills. These techniques could be why.
No, despite all my insecurities and doubts, I'll stick to reality and actually improve my situation instead of brainwashing myself about it.