The Coué method is certainly not always the right way to motivate yourself, but it must be said that in these uncertain and turbulent times, it can be a good antidote to the prevailing gloom.
All the information reported by the media is alarming or unlikely to make us laugh nothing seems to work anymore, whether it’s the climate and nature, geopolitics and democracy or health and the essentials of life.
At the same time, some people are deluded by social media, finding thousands of friends and positive opinions generated by algorithms whose transparency is matched only by their perversity. Living in this artificial bubble is not a solution in the long term, even if it probably provides an escape from these anxiety-inducing times.
So, we’re left with the good old-fashioned Coué method, which at least allows us to be positive without second thoughts or shame. The word is out: be positive!
In tense professional environments masked by facade attitudes, we can read a form of spite, weariness and discouragement. While there are perfectly objective reasons for these attitudes, we must recognise that for the vast majority, there is a form of self-ignition or self-flagellation. Here again, we need to be positive!
Irrespective of the fact that a form of negative spiral sometimes sets in with colleagues, it’s important to be able to point to the “glass half full”, not out of naivety or complacency, but because seeing solutions and opportunities becomes salutary and a necessity for mental hygiene.
The professional world has always been tough and complicated for many people, and that’s not going to change over the next few decades. What is changing is resilience and the ability to withstand challenges.
The new generation entering the labour market is particularly exposed. This generation faces many challenges and is discovering a method and approach to work that is no longer their own. What’s more, their willingness and/or ability to put up with constraints and demands seems to be weaker than that of previous generations.
What is the cause of this? Let’s leave the detailed analyses to the specialists and just mention one feeling: the immediacy of things has given rise to desire, but also to frustration. Generation Z can satisfy (almost) all their desires in a timeframe that previous generations have never experienced: one clicks, and it’s done!
The good thing about waiting is that it gives you time to think, but also to look forward, to wait, to imagine what the result will be. And the higher and more difficult the step, the more satisfying the success. Positivism means enjoying the present moment but also imagining tomorrow and the day after as opportunities, new discoveries and encounters.
If everything is immediate, this ‘adrenalin of waiting’ disappears and so does the positivity of things. So, it’s healthy to take things one step at a time, and enjoy each one, rather than wanting everything straight away.
Many people, things and events can disappoint us, but resilience and positivity help us to overcome obstacles and disappointments. While it’s good to plan, it’s also healthy to savour the present moment and the successes achieved along the way. It keeps you positive and, above all, makes you feel better. So why give up on the Coué method when it’s necessary and beneficial?
Have a good start to the summer, enjoy your projects, happy reading and see you soon.