Drama

Separate the numbers and facts from the story that keeps you spinning.

A number appears on a bill, a goal, or a price tag. Your mind immediately supplies a story.

“That is impossible.” “I could never earn that.” “This means everything is going wrong.”

The number and the story are different things. Separating them can make a problem much easier to work with.

I call the extra collection of thoughts mind drama. It creates an emotional response that can distract you from the actual work.

Begin with the facts

Suppose you want a business to generate $10,000 in monthly gross revenue. If a service costs $1,000 per month, ten paying clients would produce that amount of revenue.

That is the arithmetic. It is not a guarantee that ten clients will sign up, and gross revenue is different from profit.

But the calculation gives you a specific business question to examine: What service are you offering, to whom, and what work will help you reach potential clients?

“No one will ever pay me” is another question entirely. It is a prediction about yourself and other people. Treating it as a fact can prevent you from testing the offer.

Notice where the drama begins

An amount that feels ordinary to one person may feel overwhelming to another.

Start with a goal amount that does not create much reaction for you. Increase it gradually and notice the thoughts that appear.

At what point do you start thinking it is impossible, unreasonable, or not available to someone like you?

The exercise is not a demand to choose the biggest number. It helps you identify beliefs you might otherwise leave unexamined.

Write the thought, the feeling it creates, and the action that follows. Does the thought help you investigate the goal, or end the conversation before you begin?

Replace vague alarm with specific information

Mind drama often uses broad statements: everyone is upset, nothing is working, everything is falling apart.

Ask for specifics.

Who is upset? What exactly was said? What happened? What needs to be addressed?

You may still discover a real issue. Now you have information you can respond to instead of a sweeping conclusion that makes the situation feel unmanageable.

Use the same approach with your own mind. “I am bad with money” is vague. An unpaid bill, a spending decision, or a revenue shortfall is something you can examine.

Take responsibility without adding a catastrophe

Imagine you make a mistake that causes an expense. You can acknowledge it, gather the relevant information, and decide how to handle it.

You do not also have to make it mean you are incompetent or that your entire life is off track.

Removing drama does not dictate the decision. You might pay a bill, question an estimate, or seek advice. The aim is to make the choice from the facts rather than from an escalating story.

Accountability and emotional agitation are not the same thing.

Do the work behind an investment

If you choose to invest time or money in learning, distinguish purchasing information from applying it.

A program or a coach does not do your actions for you. Ask what you are willing to implement, how you will measure progress, and what you expect to learn.

You can consider the cost thoughtfully without making it a judgment about your worth. You can also decide an expense does not fit your priorities. Both decisions can be made clearly.

Turn a story into an inquiry

Choose one financial or business situation. Make two columns: facts and thoughts.

In the first, put the actual amounts and observable events. In the second, put your interpretations, predictions, and judgments.

Then ask what action the facts call for and what thought would support taking it.

Thoughts create feelings, which drive actions and results. When you see the drama as thinking, you can work with it instead of letting it obscure the next useful step.