Card 6: Everything is hypnosis

What do you think of when you hear the word hypnosis?

A mustached man waving a watch before someone's eyes while chanting "You're getting sleepy"?

A hackneyed stage show where participants cluck like chickens or repeat stupid phrases while the audience laughs?

Or maybe you picture someone laying on a couch as a professional "puts them under" to help them quit smoking or lose weight?

Yes, it's those, but it's also part of everyday life.

It's what your parents told you when you were young, stories you see in the news, or what you read on LinkedIn—even this post.

Everything is hypnosis.

We hear things and believe them to be facts without thinking. Hypnosis.

An "expert" says resumes must be 1 page...or 2 pages...or not more than 2 pages and we rush to adjust ours. Hypnosis.

We hear, "You MUST tailor your resume to every job," and we feverishly search for the hottest AI tool to assist us. Hypnosis.

There's no actual evidence that these things work, but everyone says it's true. 𝗛𝗬𝗣𝗡𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗦.

And if having other people in our heads wasn't bad enough, we're also very, very good at self hypnosis, telling ourselves stories, and they're mostly negative ones.

Stories that lead to panic and anxiety. Stories about failure that justify not trying.

Stop blindly listening to the noise, and consider... are you falling prey to hypnosis?

Are you doing something because it's expected or because you choose to? Does the "best practice" work for you or would a different approach, your unique approach, empower you?

If you decide to follow conventions or advice you read online, that's cool. But let it be a mindful decision and not hypnosis.

Can you rid yourself of damaging negative thoughts and reframe disappointment into learning? Turning "I'm not good enough" into "I need to challenge myself and improve."

Break the spell and use positive hypnosis to improve your attitude and your outlook!

Years ago I was introduced to Oblique Strategies cards. They're a deck of cards created by Brian Eno, each with a simple change in perspective meant to help one break out of a creative rut.

To use them, you pull 3 random cards from the deck and use the statements on the cards to prompt a different way to solve a problem or make a decision.

Throughout the year, I'll share a version of these cards, one per week. By the end of the year, you'll have a full set of well... strategies.