2014 • I’d like to thank Josh for inviting me to speak, I appreciate the opportunity to be here and to talk about a topic that is very close to my heart. • I’d also like to thank Eamon at Engineyard, who is championing this, and other mental health stories, through an organisation called Prompt.
get started, I’d like to recommend a little light reading. • In addition to my work as a writer and designer, I’m an educator, so you won’t be surprised to see a list of key texts that inform my thinking.
condition of ‘status anxiety’ that I believe many people face. Anxiousness about how others perceive you. Anxiousness about whether or not you’re ‘good enough’.
powerful book, which focuses on the principles of managing oneself, managing your relationships with others, and how - when you do that - you can become a more effective person.
a low point and I was so overwhelmed with work, that I tried to kill myself. I was lucky to get out the other side. The experience changed my life. • How and why could something like this happen?
was managing at the time: • Two startups (Get Invited, Tiny Books); • Three conferences (Industry, Kerning, Crafthouse); • Two books (FSS; Smashing Book #4); • Two articles (8 Faces, .net); • 100+ students across two different courses; • A new course….
do we find ourselves in these situations? • I embarked on research and, being an academic, I went to the source, speaking with psychologists, and reading a great deal. This offered me some insights into how the mind works, so I could manage my mind more effectively. • What follows are some of the things I discovered.
Anxiety’, the philosopher Alain de Boton explores a growing concern with Status Anxiety, a worry about how others perceive us and how this shapes our relationship with the world.
We all long to succeed and fear failure. We all suffer – to a greater or lesser degree, usually privately and with embarrassment – from status anxiety…” “ • De Boton states…
mentioned directly: an anxiety about what others think of us; about whether we’re judged a success or a failure, a winner or a loser.” — Alain de Boton “ • This resonated with me and encouraged me to explore the culture we now find ourselves working in.
‘favourites’ and other measures it can be crippling to get anything done. • You can find yourself perpetually worrying: How will others perceive your work, and how will others perceive your value.
to describe the fear that one is not as smart or capable as others think. People who feel like fakes chalk up their accomplishments to external factors such as luck and timing, or worry they are coasting on charm and personality rather than on talent.” — Leigh Buchanan “ • This resonated with me. • Others who feel this way, include: Meryl Streep, Maya Angelou, and Mike Myers… All incredibly talented people, all filled with crippling self-doubt.
introduce a mind model for teaching people to understand how the mind works in practice; ‘The Chimp Model’ focuses on everyday personal mind management. It’s a powerful tool.
with the British Cycling team and Team Sky. • A noted sports psychologist he’s worked with Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Ronnie O’Sullivan and many others.
limbic, ‘chimp’ brain. • It can then, if you manage a mind, be passed on to the frontal, ‘human’ brain. • Certain tasks can be handled unconsciously by the parietal, ‘computer’ brain.
quickly, it’s fight or flight. • Learn to control the chimp, which has a propensity to react on instinct with little or no rational thought. • The rational brain, on the other hand, takes things a little more slowly.
the School Subcommittee on Entrepreneurship, it reports to the wider Faculty Subcommittee on Entrepreneurship, which reports to the University Committee on Entrepreneurship.” — Anonymous “ • What’s your reaction? If you’re like most people, it’s: “Oh no, another thing on my plate.” • It doesn’t have to be.
that wonderful opportunity, unfortunately I’m already overloaded with other tasks, which include: A, B, C, D, E…” — Chris “ • A rational and measured response. Control the chimp.
titled ‘You Are What You Eat’. You should read it. • In it he talks about breakfasts. He states: “28,616 breakfasts… based on estimated life expectancy, that’s how many morning meals the average US citizen has to look forward to.” • He urges us to put those breakfasts to good use.
news, for me, is that the average UK citizen gets quite a few more breakfasts. (The bad news is my lifestyle isn’t too healthy.) • I’ve used 16,087 of my 31,025 breakfasts so far, and I’m officially in the second half of my life. • Knowing that is sobering. It’s important to make every day count.
doesn’t matter. They need you to risk everything for them.” — David Hieatt “ • Looking back on my experience in May 2013, I refocused my goals considerably to focus on the things that matter.
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