1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,376 Your worth as a human is based on what you do and how much you help others. 2 00:00:04,564 --> 00:00:07,864 if you heard a friend describe themselves like that, you'd be quick 3 00:00:07,864 --> 00:00:09,844 to tell them that that's nonsense. 4 00:00:09,844 --> 00:00:13,665 But we seem to find it very easy to believe it of ourselves. 5 00:00:13,965 --> 00:00:16,995 As healthcare professionals or people in high stress, high stakes jobs. 6 00:00:17,055 --> 00:00:21,945 Our roles and even our identities are wrapped up in this idea of being helpful. 7 00:00:22,335 --> 00:00:26,115 And when we are in a team, sometimes that can look like taking on too 8 00:00:26,115 --> 00:00:29,595 much responsibility or rescuing other people for fear of what 9 00:00:29,595 --> 00:00:31,125 other people might think of us. 10 00:00:31,578 --> 00:00:36,973 This week Dr. Sarah Coope, former GP, team coach and specialist in conflict 11 00:00:36,973 --> 00:00:40,475 and mediation joins us again to look at ways we can use our natural 12 00:00:40,475 --> 00:00:43,235 curiosity about our own responses. 13 00:00:43,474 --> 00:00:47,212 She's got a great tool to help you identify your default programming and 14 00:00:47,212 --> 00:00:51,682 work through how you automatically react when people make unfair demands of you, 15 00:00:51,742 --> 00:00:57,562 so that you can identify and then start to change this deeply inbuilt programming 16 00:00:57,562 --> 00:01:02,482 and deliver a no that's compassionate and ultimately protects your boundaries. 17 00:01:04,453 --> 00:01:08,503 If you're in a high stress, high stakes, still blank medicine, and you're feeling 18 00:01:08,503 --> 00:01:13,959 stressed or overwhelmed, burning out or getting out are not your only options. 19 00:01:14,190 --> 00:01:18,120 I'm Dr. Rachel Morris, and welcome to You Are Not a Frog. 20 00:01:21,971 --> 00:01:23,241 Hello, so I'm Dr. Sarah Coope. 21 00:01:23,261 --> 00:01:26,501 I'm a former GP, I'm a conflict coach and also a trained mediator. 22 00:01:26,921 --> 00:01:31,331 And I'm working alongside you, Rachel, as the CEO of Shapes Toolkit, which is really 23 00:01:31,331 --> 00:01:36,598 exciting and really love helping people, beat burnout and also resolve conflict 24 00:01:36,598 --> 00:01:38,488 so that they can, yeah, work happier. 25 00:01:38,693 --> 00:01:39,983 It's wonderful to have you, Sarah. 26 00:01:40,193 --> 00:01:45,230 I wanted to get you on the podcast in an official interview, uh, context because 27 00:01:45,740 --> 00:01:51,320 I wanna pick your brains about our hardwired programming, this unconscious 28 00:01:51,590 --> 00:01:56,300 programming that we have, which means that we find it very, very difficult 29 00:01:56,300 --> 00:02:02,260 to either shed responsibility to say no or not just default to doing everything 30 00:02:02,260 --> 00:02:04,960 for everybody all, all the time. 31 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,290 Because I've noticed that doctors, senior healthcare professionals, people 32 00:02:08,290 --> 00:02:15,505 in these high stress, high stakes jobs, we often see delegating or not 33 00:02:15,505 --> 00:02:20,245 paying perfect or not finishing stuff off, or not being able to help people. 34 00:02:20,845 --> 00:02:25,135 We often just cannot say no to that, and we see, um, being asked to do 35 00:02:25,135 --> 00:02:26,755 something as an impossible choice. 36 00:02:26,755 --> 00:02:29,215 So it's either I do it or I let other people down. 37 00:02:29,395 --> 00:02:32,395 Either I protect myself or I protect my team. 38 00:02:32,635 --> 00:02:36,565 We see things in a very binary way, which means that, of course, we default to 39 00:02:36,775 --> 00:02:40,585 protecting our team and not letting people down just because of the way I think we've 40 00:02:40,585 --> 00:02:42,535 been groomed and programmed and hardwired. 41 00:02:42,625 --> 00:02:45,235 And, and quite a lot of the time anyway, these choices that we think are very 42 00:02:45,235 --> 00:02:48,595 binary, they aren't anyway, there's, there's many different options, but 43 00:02:48,595 --> 00:02:51,955 I thought it would be really good to explore some of this programming. 44 00:02:52,405 --> 00:02:56,995 In the background that doctors and other people in these high stakes jobs have. 45 00:02:57,355 --> 00:02:59,185 Now, I'm gonna start by getting a bit personal. 46 00:02:59,185 --> 00:03:03,145 What, what, what programming have you noticed that, that you've had that's 47 00:03:03,145 --> 00:03:07,725 made it hard for you to sort of lose some of this default responsibility? 48 00:03:07,992 --> 00:03:11,635 So I think for me, myself, I certainly can recognize, and I think this 49 00:03:11,635 --> 00:03:16,972 is a contributing factor, ending up in Burner was a sense of, I 50 00:03:16,972 --> 00:03:18,682 think a lot of it's around shame. 51 00:03:18,802 --> 00:03:22,732 A lot of it's around the fear of failure, the fear of what people think 52 00:03:22,762 --> 00:03:25,552 if I don't do that or if I say no. 53 00:03:26,272 --> 00:03:28,492 There's a sense of I should be able to do it all. 54 00:03:28,582 --> 00:03:31,372 So there's this sort of unrealistic expectation, um, 55 00:03:31,372 --> 00:03:33,382 that I really can identify with. 56 00:03:33,952 --> 00:03:37,192 I think there's often a lot of assumptions made. 57 00:03:37,972 --> 00:03:39,202 Both, both ways. 58 00:03:39,202 --> 00:03:42,352 So I think for me, I had a lot of assumptions that people, what people 59 00:03:42,352 --> 00:03:47,992 would think, but also perhaps, um, you know, maybe because if, if, if I appear 60 00:03:47,992 --> 00:03:51,862 to be capable, other people will think that I'm able to do all of that and more. 61 00:03:52,612 --> 00:03:55,672 I think that those sort of programming can be really. 62 00:03:56,082 --> 00:03:57,852 What's the word, sort of formative in many ways. 63 00:03:57,852 --> 00:03:59,052 And it's often unconscious. 64 00:03:59,382 --> 00:04:00,642 It's, it is often underneath the surface. 65 00:04:00,642 --> 00:04:03,762 It's not something that we're, we're sort of telling ourselves consciously, 66 00:04:04,212 --> 00:04:08,022 but those sorts of patterns, and they go quite deep as I know from doing 67 00:04:08,022 --> 00:04:11,262 a lot of exploratory work, but also through coaching and, and other, and 68 00:04:11,262 --> 00:04:13,782 therapy and other, other modalities. 69 00:04:13,782 --> 00:04:16,512 It takes a lot of unpicking to find those things at the bottom. 70 00:04:16,715 --> 00:04:19,235 Yeah, that definitely rings true for me and it rings true 71 00:04:19,235 --> 00:04:20,795 for lots of people I work with. 72 00:04:21,140 --> 00:04:24,560 Would you say that that's a universal thing, though, wanting to appear 73 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,710 competent, or do you think it's particularly for people that are 74 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,070 working in professions and sort of knowledge based industries? 75 00:04:31,513 --> 00:04:33,043 Or is it just a human nature? 76 00:04:33,493 --> 00:04:35,743 I think that's a, it's a really big question, isn't it? 77 00:04:35,743 --> 00:04:37,243 Because I think it depends. 78 00:04:37,603 --> 00:04:39,283 I think it's very prevalent in doctors. 79 00:04:39,283 --> 00:04:42,043 I think it's very prevalent in female doctors as as well. 80 00:04:42,043 --> 00:04:44,953 I think there's a lot of conditioning that goes on that 81 00:04:45,103 --> 00:04:47,563 that sort of drives for many of us. 82 00:04:47,563 --> 00:04:50,473 And maybe it's the generation, this generation, I dunno, but I think that 83 00:04:50,473 --> 00:04:56,317 drives the, the self expectation, perhaps the other expectation as well, um, and 84 00:04:56,317 --> 00:04:59,737 needing to prove, you know, sometimes it's that if there's any elements of 85 00:04:59,737 --> 00:05:01,597 like low self-esteem, for example. 86 00:05:01,627 --> 00:05:06,127 Or just a sense of measuring one's self-worth about what 87 00:05:06,127 --> 00:05:07,837 we do and what we achieve. 88 00:05:07,837 --> 00:05:09,367 So I'm not sure if it's universal. 89 00:05:09,367 --> 00:05:12,382 I think there's various, probably some personality traits. 90 00:05:12,382 --> 00:05:15,112 I think there's gonna be various, obviously a lot of historical factors. 91 00:05:15,112 --> 00:05:18,142 I think it depends on the environment around oneself, you know, what the kind 92 00:05:18,142 --> 00:05:22,672 of messages are in the culture, what the messages are, um, perhaps in one-to-one 93 00:05:22,672 --> 00:05:24,562 relationships within the team as well. 94 00:05:24,952 --> 00:05:28,462 I think it also probably depends on what kind of support one has 95 00:05:28,492 --> 00:05:29,572 and what messages receiving there. 96 00:05:30,472 --> 00:05:34,327 But a lot of it does come from that deeper programming that sort 97 00:05:34,327 --> 00:05:37,597 of sticks within probably from childhood patterning or you know, from 98 00:05:37,597 --> 00:05:41,677 medical school as well, the sorts of messages we received, received then. 99 00:05:41,707 --> 00:05:44,197 I mean, you can look at other tools around the Enneagram. 100 00:05:44,197 --> 00:05:48,757 So I'm an Enneagram three, which is the achiever, achiever type. 101 00:05:48,817 --> 00:05:51,757 And I think, you know, that obviously, obviously plays a part. 102 00:05:52,417 --> 00:05:56,737 And I think also, you know, for medics, I think, you know, we often 103 00:05:56,737 --> 00:06:02,272 have been those people who have achieved and have succeeded in so 104 00:06:02,272 --> 00:06:03,712 many ways that that becomes the norm. 105 00:06:03,712 --> 00:06:06,619 And there's almost, um, it's hard to imagine failing. 106 00:06:06,619 --> 00:06:11,239 It was hard to imagine not, not actually doing so well in something 107 00:06:11,689 --> 00:06:12,739 and what would that look like? 108 00:06:12,739 --> 00:06:16,669 So I think there's, there's those, the fear of the unknown sometimes. 109 00:06:17,126 --> 00:06:23,591 But also perhaps there can be a sense of overvaluing achievement, and therefore 110 00:06:23,831 --> 00:06:29,804 an undervaluing, not lack of achievement, but undervaluing just kind of good 111 00:06:29,804 --> 00:06:32,747 enough at times and what that feels like. 112 00:06:33,108 --> 00:06:37,578 I remember I was coaching someone once, um, um, a very senior consultant. 113 00:06:37,578 --> 00:06:39,888 And I was just practicing coaching at the time. 114 00:06:39,888 --> 00:06:44,028 I just, I was, I was training, and I had this model, which was the performance 115 00:06:44,028 --> 00:06:48,613 di diamond where you rated yourself on, um, how much you were achieving 116 00:06:48,613 --> 00:06:52,093 on your achievement in your job, your enjoyment of your job, your purpose 117 00:06:52,093 --> 00:06:53,923 in your job, and your recognition. 118 00:06:54,223 --> 00:06:56,593 So those four dimensions, and he was putting, you know, 119 00:06:56,593 --> 00:06:58,003 rating himself out of 10. 120 00:06:58,423 --> 00:07:02,823 And, um, he was achieving, did like 8, 9, 10 out of 10. 121 00:07:03,183 --> 00:07:04,143 Um, his enjoyment. 122 00:07:04,528 --> 00:07:07,948 It was about three or four, um, I can't remember what the others 123 00:07:07,948 --> 00:07:10,648 were, but then we sort of did an exercise, well, okay, you're at 10. 124 00:07:10,648 --> 00:07:11,848 What would you like to be at? 125 00:07:12,118 --> 00:07:13,588 And he put his achievement. 126 00:07:13,588 --> 00:07:15,808 He said, I only want to be achieving five. 127 00:07:16,168 --> 00:07:17,398 I was like, why is that? 128 00:07:17,398 --> 00:07:20,428 He said, well, because that will put my enjoyment up so much more. 129 00:07:20,898 --> 00:07:24,528 'Cause that, that when we joined up the two points on the diagram, 130 00:07:24,828 --> 00:07:26,178 it was like they were linked. 131 00:07:26,178 --> 00:07:29,898 The higher his achievement, he said it just pulled the enjoyment down 132 00:07:29,898 --> 00:07:34,008 and the higher the enjoyment, maybe the slightly less on the achievement. 133 00:07:34,008 --> 00:07:37,161 Now, all the theory about working happier seems to say the opposite. 134 00:07:37,161 --> 00:07:37,461 Actually. 135 00:07:37,461 --> 00:07:40,851 If you are enjoying yourself, you probably will be achieving more, but I guess it 136 00:07:40,851 --> 00:07:42,591 depends what we mean by achievements. 137 00:07:42,591 --> 00:07:46,701 And I think for him it was, you know, all these very important roles, you 138 00:07:46,701 --> 00:07:50,211 know, producing lots of reports and articles and journals, plus doing 139 00:07:50,211 --> 00:07:54,261 a really busy shift work pattern and all, all those sorts of things. 140 00:07:54,261 --> 00:07:58,311 So I, I think we've mainly been conditioned to achieve 141 00:07:58,311 --> 00:07:59,691 in, in certain ways. 142 00:08:00,306 --> 00:08:04,986 So the achievement being never failing, like you said, but also rising to the 143 00:08:04,986 --> 00:08:11,736 top of the Royal Colleges or, or, or, or joining committees or being, you know, a 144 00:08:11,736 --> 00:08:18,266 big name, a big cheese as we, as we get more important in our jobs, potentially. 145 00:08:18,694 --> 00:08:22,059 Which, at the end of the day, often I see people aren't enjoying 146 00:08:22,059 --> 00:08:24,729 themselves that, that much when they're, they're doing all that. 147 00:08:24,729 --> 00:08:28,389 It's just another, the walls, the ladders against another wall to climb 148 00:08:28,449 --> 00:08:29,889 once you sort of get to the top there. 149 00:08:29,889 --> 00:08:34,119 But that is just sort of hard wired into us, that, that your, your 150 00:08:34,119 --> 00:08:36,549 position and status, I think a bit. 151 00:08:36,736 --> 00:08:37,486 Yeah, I agree. 152 00:08:37,486 --> 00:08:41,266 And I, we sometimes talk about the equation or the, the pathway, hard work 153 00:08:41,266 --> 00:08:43,512 leads to success, leads to happiness. 154 00:08:43,512 --> 00:08:44,772 And then we ask the question, does it? 155 00:08:45,162 --> 00:08:48,342 And I think we've often been conditioned to believe that that's true. 156 00:08:48,612 --> 00:08:51,792 So we work hard, we'll then be successful, then we'll be happy. 157 00:08:52,362 --> 00:08:56,682 And that's, we know that's not always true as the example you've just given. 158 00:08:57,012 --> 00:09:01,767 But also I think, and I dunno if it is just me that I thought I didn't 159 00:09:01,767 --> 00:09:03,747 deserve to enjoy my job almost. 160 00:09:03,747 --> 00:09:07,557 There was a sense of, you know, I had to work hard and I almost couldn't 161 00:09:07,557 --> 00:09:11,727 expect to enjoy it because hard work was kind of meant to be hard. 162 00:09:12,267 --> 00:09:16,797 And I, and I think that it was a real revelation when I started my portfolio 163 00:09:16,797 --> 00:09:22,197 career actually doing bits of other pieces of work that I found I was really enjoying 164 00:09:22,197 --> 00:09:24,027 and it almost didn't feel like work. 165 00:09:24,357 --> 00:09:29,367 And I think that's quite a, a fixed, or quite a common pattern as well from 166 00:09:29,367 --> 00:09:33,207 other people I've spoken with, that they almost didn't realize they could enjoy 167 00:09:33,537 --> 00:09:37,437 hard work, and therefore that type of hard work is very different, isn't it? 168 00:09:37,437 --> 00:09:40,977 That's probably less focused on achievement, more focused 169 00:09:40,977 --> 00:09:43,617 on on purpose, I think. 170 00:09:43,859 --> 00:09:48,294 Yeah, I think that is a hardwiring we have that, yeah, work has to be difficult. 171 00:09:48,444 --> 00:09:51,234 Work has to be hard, and work has to feel like a chore. 172 00:09:51,824 --> 00:09:53,714 And I know where that came from for me. 173 00:09:53,714 --> 00:09:55,214 I mean, I was doing all these A levels. 174 00:09:55,214 --> 00:09:59,264 I didn't wanna do chemistry A level, inorganic chemistry A level. 175 00:09:59,534 --> 00:10:00,254 Oh my goodness. 176 00:10:00,254 --> 00:10:03,254 I remember just sitting there and it was like kryptonite for someone with 177 00:10:03,254 --> 00:10:08,104 ADHD I tell you, just list in a very cold room listening to the headmaster 178 00:10:08,104 --> 00:10:09,784 droning on about inorganic chemistry. 179 00:10:09,784 --> 00:10:10,744 No interest whatsoever. 180 00:10:10,799 --> 00:10:14,944 It, it was absolutely painful, but that's where I internalized if 181 00:10:14,944 --> 00:10:20,374 you want to achieve, you have to actually suffer along along the way. 182 00:10:20,374 --> 00:10:23,134 Otherwise, it's not really properly achievement 183 00:10:23,563 --> 00:10:26,052 And suffering through the, you know, the junior doctor years where 184 00:10:26,052 --> 00:10:29,202 you've got absolutely no sleep or suffering through the, I just work 185 00:10:29,202 --> 00:10:30,462 really hard through all these exams. 186 00:10:30,462 --> 00:10:33,102 You know, I've got 20 exams in one week, but then we can party really 187 00:10:33,102 --> 00:10:34,692 hard until we have to suffer again. 188 00:10:34,962 --> 00:10:36,102 Not very healthy is it? 189 00:10:36,282 --> 00:10:40,302 it's not, but I think, again, repeated exposure to those kind of patterns and 190 00:10:40,302 --> 00:10:44,534 internalization of that as a belief which then can be like, this is what, 191 00:10:44,594 --> 00:10:47,954 yeah, almost like what I deserve or this is what I have to tolerate at the 192 00:10:48,044 --> 00:10:52,664 cost of, or in order to, in order to gonna get where I think I want to get 193 00:10:52,664 --> 00:10:54,074 or other people are saying I should get. 194 00:10:54,644 --> 00:10:57,794 I think that's what probably stops us saying no, because we 195 00:10:57,794 --> 00:11:00,884 think that's, well, that's just, that's just what we have to do. 196 00:11:00,884 --> 00:11:02,204 So it's those kind of words, isn't it? 197 00:11:02,204 --> 00:11:03,752 Like I just have to do this. 198 00:11:04,044 --> 00:11:07,897 And so we almost have to suffer a bit to be a good doctor, to be paid a good 199 00:11:07,897 --> 00:11:09,637 salary and all that sort of thing. 200 00:11:10,111 --> 00:11:13,831 But I've got a bit of a theory that that medics, because you know, 201 00:11:13,831 --> 00:11:15,751 everybody wants status in society. 202 00:11:16,111 --> 00:11:16,561 They do. 203 00:11:16,561 --> 00:11:19,471 And there's this brilliant book by Will Storr called The Status Game. 204 00:11:19,471 --> 00:11:20,551 I'd recommend it to anybody. 205 00:11:20,551 --> 00:11:22,891 He's a journalist that looks at these different types of status and 206 00:11:22,891 --> 00:11:24,031 how it's changed through the ages. 207 00:11:24,031 --> 00:11:26,371 But you can get status in different ways. 208 00:11:26,371 --> 00:11:30,781 You can get status by being utterly beautiful, utterly gorgeous, you 209 00:11:30,781 --> 00:11:34,051 know, but physi, you know, the Greek, the Greek Godlike status, you know, 210 00:11:34,051 --> 00:11:37,141 the, the, the sports stars that we just think are amazing or whatever. 211 00:11:37,141 --> 00:11:41,701 Now, there are some medics like that, but not many of us medics are the sort 212 00:11:41,701 --> 00:11:44,611 of Greek Gods, Greek God physique. 213 00:11:44,611 --> 00:11:47,971 So if we haven't got that available to us, then the next type of status you 214 00:11:47,971 --> 00:11:53,371 can have in society, money, finances, being really, really rich, right? 215 00:11:53,371 --> 00:11:56,401 So that just, I mean, a lot of us, I think would go, oh, 216 00:11:56,401 --> 00:11:57,571 that's a bit crass, isn't it? 217 00:11:57,571 --> 00:11:59,071 You know who, who cares about? 218 00:11:59,071 --> 00:12:00,571 But you know, you can see that, can't you? 219 00:12:00,571 --> 00:12:04,441 All the, the tech bros and the, you know, loving the millionaires 220 00:12:04,441 --> 00:12:05,461 and all this sort of stuff. 221 00:12:05,461 --> 00:12:08,611 So you can, you can see it all around you, but often medics, 222 00:12:08,611 --> 00:12:09,491 you know, these day and age. 223 00:12:10,021 --> 00:12:11,401 We're not the most rich people, are we? 224 00:12:11,401 --> 00:12:15,361 Because, you know, salaries aren't, haven't kept up with et cetera, et cetera. 225 00:12:15,361 --> 00:12:21,031 So then you've got another type of status, which has been altruistic, you 226 00:12:21,031 --> 00:12:24,901 know, and we saw that with, with Mr. Tom, you know, the, the walking, you 227 00:12:24,901 --> 00:12:29,191 know, in his garden in COVID, and people that do really good things for people. 228 00:12:29,191 --> 00:12:32,941 Yeah, and Mother Theresa, you know, people that have done lots of things for charity. 229 00:12:32,941 --> 00:12:35,521 We, we think these people are absolutely wonderful and, and that's good. 230 00:12:35,521 --> 00:12:36,671 And you can see why. 231 00:12:37,101 --> 00:12:43,041 It's beneficial to a society to elevate people who are very altruistic and stuff. 232 00:12:43,041 --> 00:12:48,681 But I think that doctors have then started to look on their status as being the good 233 00:12:48,681 --> 00:12:50,451 ones, being the people that always help. 234 00:12:50,811 --> 00:12:53,721 And then, you know, it doesn't matter about how much money you've got or 235 00:12:53,721 --> 00:12:56,751 how good looking you are, 'cause actually you are the professional, the 236 00:12:56,751 --> 00:12:58,251 one who's always there and helping. 237 00:12:58,251 --> 00:13:01,201 So what does that mean for your status when you say no? 238 00:13:02,041 --> 00:13:05,041 Or you say I'm not doing that anymore, you give the responsibility back. 239 00:13:05,041 --> 00:13:08,881 So it's not just that, that threat of rejection 'cause you might 240 00:13:08,881 --> 00:13:12,691 upset someone by saying, no, you are actually giving away some of 241 00:13:12,691 --> 00:13:14,221 your power and some of your status. 242 00:13:14,253 --> 00:13:15,783 as you were saying, that I was thinking yes. 243 00:13:15,783 --> 00:13:20,450 So therefore, the achievement for, for people who, maybe it's not about achieving 244 00:13:20,450 --> 00:13:24,500 a status which is relating to looks or finance, but more around altruism or 245 00:13:24,500 --> 00:13:27,325 doing good, if that's the driving force. 246 00:13:28,025 --> 00:13:30,935 Then actually, it's really hard to not do that, isn't it? 247 00:13:30,935 --> 00:13:34,805 Because that's where one gets one's worth or even identity. 248 00:13:34,835 --> 00:13:37,985 And I think another thing that that's important to 249 00:13:37,985 --> 00:13:39,095 think about is, you know what? 250 00:13:39,125 --> 00:13:40,235 What makes up your identity? 251 00:13:40,235 --> 00:13:41,345 Who, who are you? 252 00:13:41,765 --> 00:13:44,015 And sometimes when I'm doing a workshop, I'll go around the room and just say 253 00:13:44,015 --> 00:13:46,295 to people, just introduce yourself and then we'll get halfway around the 254 00:13:46,295 --> 00:13:49,475 room and I'll just say, just stop and just think, what has everybody said at 255 00:13:49,475 --> 00:13:51,005 the beginning of their introduction? 256 00:13:51,005 --> 00:13:52,355 And they've all said, I am. 257 00:13:52,790 --> 00:13:56,590 I am a GP, I am a emergency medicine consultant. 258 00:13:56,650 --> 00:13:57,760 It's the I am. 259 00:13:57,760 --> 00:13:59,230 And I'm not saying that that's wrong. 260 00:13:59,530 --> 00:14:03,460 I guess I just highlight that to people because is your job and which 261 00:14:03,460 --> 00:14:06,250 is what you're talking about, the status, which has a lot of implications 262 00:14:06,250 --> 00:14:07,520 to it, is that really who you are? 263 00:14:08,170 --> 00:14:09,640 Who are, you know, who else are you? 264 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:15,910 And as some of this, some of this can be really helpful to recognize that actually 265 00:14:15,970 --> 00:14:20,470 it's, our status doesn't come, I say all from one part of our lives or all from 266 00:14:20,470 --> 00:14:25,539 one role, which I think helps to make it maybe a little more comfortable when 267 00:14:25,539 --> 00:14:28,125 we do need to set limits, around that. 268 00:14:28,762 --> 00:14:30,742 it's an interesting one, this, you know, I, yeah. 269 00:14:30,742 --> 00:14:31,552 I am a doctor. 270 00:14:31,552 --> 00:14:35,002 'cause when people ask me what do you do these days? 271 00:14:35,602 --> 00:14:36,322 Often? 272 00:14:36,562 --> 00:14:38,602 My first response is, well, I used to be a doctor. 273 00:14:39,262 --> 00:14:39,982 Bizarrely. 274 00:14:40,177 --> 00:14:42,772 I mean, but I would still, you know, I'm still, I'm still a doctor. 275 00:14:42,772 --> 00:14:45,772 I'm working in a different field, but I feel the need to say, well, I 276 00:14:45,772 --> 00:14:48,322 used to be a GP, partly 'cause people don't really understand what I do. 277 00:14:48,322 --> 00:14:52,432 If I say, well, I do a podcast and we do training, people like, oh really? 278 00:14:52,432 --> 00:14:55,252 What on earth that, you know, what that does that entail? 279 00:14:55,762 --> 00:14:59,467 But yeah, there is something about, I just sort of want to put a bit of credibility 280 00:14:59,467 --> 00:15:04,777 in there, perhaps, you know, I am worth something in society, sort of, you know. 281 00:15:04,777 --> 00:15:07,417 And this thing about having to be worth it, having to contribute 282 00:15:07,417 --> 00:15:12,457 and contribution is a, a very noble thing and it's very worthy. 283 00:15:12,457 --> 00:15:16,507 And I've just read a, a book about Adlerian psychology that talks about 284 00:15:16,507 --> 00:15:20,197 actually that the, the highest thing that somebody can do is contribute 285 00:15:20,497 --> 00:15:22,117 just by sort of being who they are. 286 00:15:22,758 --> 00:15:24,438 But we really feel it. 287 00:15:24,708 --> 00:15:29,388 I think as, as doctors and medics, this thing about having to contribute so 288 00:15:29,388 --> 00:15:34,398 much so that we contribute when it's not even necessary, we over contribute, and 289 00:15:34,398 --> 00:15:36,828 we will always just take on the task. 290 00:15:36,828 --> 00:15:39,648 I, I don't know whether it's a particularly doctory thing that. 291 00:15:40,413 --> 00:15:45,393 When someone asks you to do a task in a surgery, for example, I had plenty of 292 00:15:45,933 --> 00:15:49,623 of other healthcare professionals saying to me, no, I can't, I can't do that. 293 00:15:49,623 --> 00:15:50,403 No, it's not my role. 294 00:15:50,403 --> 00:15:51,153 No, I won't do that. 295 00:15:51,153 --> 00:15:51,953 I'm not comfortable. 296 00:15:51,953 --> 00:15:56,297 But I never had a doctor saying, no, I can't do that, or I won't do that. 297 00:15:56,737 --> 00:15:57,907 And why do you think that was? 298 00:15:58,273 --> 00:15:58,973 Well, I think there is. 299 00:15:59,458 --> 00:16:05,008 This training that we have, that if no one else can do that task, then we can do it. 300 00:16:05,548 --> 00:16:10,918 And partly it's the different role roles in that doctors 301 00:16:11,338 --> 00:16:13,408 by and large are prescribers. 302 00:16:13,408 --> 00:16:15,508 They can do lots of different, different things. 303 00:16:15,508 --> 00:16:18,238 They can do procedures as long been taught properly and stuff, whereas 304 00:16:18,238 --> 00:16:22,588 in, in other, in other roles, you have to get certified to do things. 305 00:16:23,188 --> 00:16:24,718 I remember when I was a junior doctor, the. 306 00:16:25,363 --> 00:16:29,833 The nurses on CCU just decided that their phlebotomy certificates had run 307 00:16:29,833 --> 00:16:32,923 out, so they just bleeped me and I had to come do the whole blood round. 308 00:16:32,923 --> 00:16:35,943 'Cause it, it was literally anything in the hospital defaulted 309 00:16:36,343 --> 00:16:37,993 to the, the lowest junior doctor. 310 00:16:37,993 --> 00:16:42,343 And that conditioning runs really deep and it just became your 311 00:16:42,343 --> 00:16:46,123 responsibility and anyone could bleep you at any time to do anything. 312 00:16:46,123 --> 00:16:50,131 And there was, I didn't ever feel like I could say no or it wasn't 313 00:16:50,131 --> 00:16:52,021 my job or my responsibility. 314 00:16:52,441 --> 00:16:55,411 I would just have to say, even if I didn't have time, I'd say, well, I'll, I'll put 315 00:16:55,411 --> 00:16:58,891 it on my list and then I'll come round and do it, and I'd get an awful lot of 316 00:16:58,891 --> 00:17:03,211 criticism for not doing it, you know, if you were agency that you were busy 317 00:17:03,211 --> 00:17:04,861 somewhere else with another patient. 318 00:17:04,861 --> 00:17:09,451 And so there's a lot sort of shame, internalized that I couldn't get round 319 00:17:09,451 --> 00:17:13,466 to do anything that I'd been asked to do, even though I, it wasn't really my job 320 00:17:13,466 --> 00:17:17,851 and I couldn't possibly have the time to do it, but I took that on as my fault. 321 00:17:18,571 --> 00:17:19,531 And that fits, doesn't it? 322 00:17:19,531 --> 00:17:23,461 With what I said earlier around, often it's other people's expectations 323 00:17:23,461 --> 00:17:24,991 that you should do it all. 324 00:17:24,991 --> 00:17:26,641 It's all your job to do. 325 00:17:26,641 --> 00:17:32,338 And so that example of being a junior doctor and both the expectation but 326 00:17:32,338 --> 00:17:35,818 also the internal and the conditioning was, I, well, I just have to do 327 00:17:35,818 --> 00:17:39,778 it, I think that's what then makes it much harder further on down the 328 00:17:39,778 --> 00:17:41,368 line, because it's always been that. 329 00:17:41,878 --> 00:17:44,008 Our job to do everything. 330 00:17:44,458 --> 00:17:45,448 The book stops with us. 331 00:17:45,448 --> 00:17:51,208 And in some ways, yes, it, it does, but I think what we, we see a lot of, 332 00:17:51,208 --> 00:17:54,478 and we've experienced ourselves as well, but what, you know, that's not 333 00:17:54,478 --> 00:17:57,028 sustainable and, and the cost of that. 334 00:17:57,448 --> 00:17:59,788 And we, I suppose the question we, we are really looking at is what 335 00:17:59,788 --> 00:18:04,937 makes it so, so difficult to say no in those, you know, in at work. 336 00:18:05,308 --> 00:18:09,238 And I think it's often because of all, of, all of the experience, whether 337 00:18:09,238 --> 00:18:11,908 it's in childhood and the attachment style, whether it is, like I said, 338 00:18:11,908 --> 00:18:15,388 GCSEs and A levels you particularly want to do, but you know, you, you, 339 00:18:15,388 --> 00:18:19,768 you are on that, that conveyor belt as I've often felt, of this is the path 340 00:18:19,798 --> 00:18:24,688 you should take or you've chosen, but you should take it and just keep going. 341 00:18:24,688 --> 00:18:29,788 And then it does become like, this is who I am and that belief of I need to, this 342 00:18:29,788 --> 00:18:33,208 is what I need to do in order to have. 343 00:18:33,613 --> 00:18:36,733 You know that that's whatever it is, I, and then I'll be happy. 344 00:18:36,943 --> 00:18:38,053 And I've talked a bit about that. 345 00:18:38,053 --> 00:18:41,503 Like what is it we have, we think we have to, we have to do in order to, 346 00:18:41,563 --> 00:18:43,603 in order to have, and then we'll be. 347 00:18:43,603 --> 00:18:49,063 Whereas I really think focus on, you know, who do I need to be first? 348 00:18:49,063 --> 00:18:53,923 And when I focus on that, which is a lot, bit of it is around internal 349 00:18:53,983 --> 00:18:58,873 state, who do I need to be in order to then do out of that sense of 350 00:18:58,873 --> 00:19:01,694 being, then I'll probably have. 351 00:19:02,234 --> 00:19:03,884 What it is I, I really want. 352 00:19:03,884 --> 00:19:06,374 But that's a huge upside down shift, isn't it? 353 00:19:06,854 --> 00:19:10,334 Um, but I think that makes, that example you've just given there 354 00:19:11,084 --> 00:19:13,934 really brings home those expectations. 355 00:19:13,934 --> 00:19:17,042 And then what, what choice did you have in that moment? 356 00:19:17,411 --> 00:19:18,341 Well, I mean, it's interesting. 357 00:19:18,341 --> 00:19:20,801 I had the choice that I could have just said, no, don't do it. 358 00:19:20,801 --> 00:19:25,061 But then my brain was telling me, if you don't do it, those patients are 359 00:19:25,061 --> 00:19:28,226 all at risk, because they wouldn't have had their blood test taken. 360 00:19:28,226 --> 00:19:31,237 You know, nowadays I would've said, well no, I'm not doing it. 361 00:19:31,237 --> 00:19:33,877 You need to find something else, you need to find somebody else to do that. 362 00:19:33,877 --> 00:19:36,007 Let's report it to the phlebotomy service, blah, blah, blah. 363 00:19:36,337 --> 00:19:36,907 But I think, 364 00:19:36,952 --> 00:19:37,522 but back then. 365 00:19:37,948 --> 00:19:40,738 Back then, yeah, however many years ago. 366 00:19:41,278 --> 00:19:43,843 Because we're constantly asking, and I heard someone talk about these three 367 00:19:44,083 --> 00:19:45,043 questions we're asking ourselves. 368 00:19:45,043 --> 00:19:46,323 Number one is, am I safe? 369 00:19:46,805 --> 00:19:48,509 So my amygdala's saying am I safe? 370 00:19:48,989 --> 00:19:50,159 Are people accepting me? 371 00:19:50,159 --> 00:19:52,589 Are, are people thinking well of me? 372 00:19:52,822 --> 00:19:54,742 Is there gonna be any bad consequences? 373 00:19:54,742 --> 00:19:57,022 And we always extrapolate the bad consequences. 374 00:19:57,022 --> 00:20:01,343 So, you know, if I don't do that blood rind on CCU, then they might 375 00:20:01,343 --> 00:20:05,243 die of hyperkalemia essentially, and then I won't be safe 'cause 376 00:20:05,243 --> 00:20:07,403 I'll be reported and et cetera. 377 00:20:07,883 --> 00:20:11,453 Um, the next question people wanna ask is though, am I accepted? 378 00:20:12,743 --> 00:20:14,423 Do people around here accept me? 379 00:20:14,423 --> 00:20:20,453 And saying no to someone, or, you know, not taking on that default responsibility 380 00:20:20,453 --> 00:20:22,133 might mean that they don't accept me. 381 00:20:22,133 --> 00:20:24,863 And I would love to be able to say to all our listeners, oh, don't worry, 382 00:20:24,863 --> 00:20:26,423 people will accept you if you say no. 383 00:20:26,915 --> 00:20:28,055 But I, I can't. 384 00:20:28,085 --> 00:20:31,895 'cause there are some really real consequences of, of saying 385 00:20:31,895 --> 00:20:33,485 no, people might not accept you. 386 00:20:33,485 --> 00:20:35,195 They might criticize you. 387 00:20:35,945 --> 00:20:37,775 They might not as well, but they might. 388 00:20:37,865 --> 00:20:38,435 They might do. 389 00:20:38,435 --> 00:20:41,435 But it's like you said, and we can say as much as we want oh, it doesn't 390 00:20:41,435 --> 00:20:44,075 matter what other people think about you, it's what you think about yourself. 391 00:20:44,075 --> 00:20:47,015 But in, in reality that that is really, really hard. 392 00:20:47,675 --> 00:20:50,352 And the other thing we want to answer is, am I okay? 393 00:20:50,749 --> 00:20:51,919 And I think that's a big one. 394 00:20:51,919 --> 00:20:52,999 And by, okay. 395 00:20:52,999 --> 00:20:55,294 I think we mean am I good? 396 00:20:55,984 --> 00:20:57,124 Well, I mean, am I good? 397 00:20:57,124 --> 00:20:58,176 Am I a good person? 398 00:20:58,427 --> 00:20:59,777 Do I have integrity? 399 00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:01,500 Am I helping other people? 400 00:21:01,500 --> 00:21:05,790 Because when I was brought up, it was all about am I good or not? 401 00:21:05,970 --> 00:21:08,970 There was a lot of talk about sin and all that sort of stuff. 402 00:21:08,970 --> 00:21:10,140 So have I been sinful? 403 00:21:10,140 --> 00:21:11,160 Have I been bad? 404 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,020 And you know, I'm absolutely terrified of that. 405 00:21:13,020 --> 00:21:16,050 It's hardwired into me, you know, have I been good or not? 406 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,940 And obviously that is such a subjective interpretation, but I think a lot 407 00:21:20,940 --> 00:21:22,710 of doctors, we want to be good. 408 00:21:23,338 --> 00:21:28,408 and I think the way I've shifted that a bit has been do I respect myself? 409 00:21:28,888 --> 00:21:29,695 And I suppose. 410 00:21:29,894 --> 00:21:30,794 It's similar, isn't it? 411 00:21:30,794 --> 00:21:32,444 But the, have I been good? 412 00:21:32,474 --> 00:21:34,724 It's almost where's the judgment measure? 413 00:21:34,724 --> 00:21:38,534 Like who's, who sort of yardstick are we comparing that to? 414 00:21:38,564 --> 00:21:42,053 Whereas the question, and I was talking about this when I was, um, doing a 415 00:21:42,053 --> 00:21:45,593 talk on difficult, having boundaries of difficult people, was actually 416 00:21:45,593 --> 00:21:49,643 we have to hold the, our own sort of yardstick against it for ourselves. 417 00:21:49,823 --> 00:21:51,923 Do I respect myself in this moment? 418 00:21:51,923 --> 00:21:53,843 So, and this is the hard thing, isn't it? 419 00:21:53,843 --> 00:21:57,166 Even if other people is a sense of rejection from them because 420 00:21:57,166 --> 00:22:02,956 of, of your decision or your no or whatever it is at the end of the day. 421 00:22:03,646 --> 00:22:06,316 So like, can I live, can I live with that decision that I've made? 422 00:22:06,826 --> 00:22:08,926 And that's gonna be different for different people. 423 00:22:08,926 --> 00:22:12,046 And of course, you could spend a long time in picking like, what makes you say yes? 424 00:22:12,046 --> 00:22:13,039 What makes you say no? 425 00:22:13,343 --> 00:22:13,913 I like that. 426 00:22:13,913 --> 00:22:15,413 Can I, can I live with that decision? 427 00:22:15,413 --> 00:22:18,803 Actually, someone else also recently said to me, actually, 428 00:22:18,803 --> 00:22:20,753 let's ditch the good and bad. 429 00:22:21,203 --> 00:22:22,643 I said, okay, well what about helpful? 430 00:22:22,643 --> 00:22:24,353 She said, no, let's ditch helpful and unhelpful. 431 00:22:24,353 --> 00:22:27,428 Let's just do does that behavior work or doesn't it work? 432 00:22:28,298 --> 00:22:29,138 The behavior that works? 433 00:22:29,138 --> 00:22:30,188 The behavior that doesn't work. 434 00:22:30,188 --> 00:22:33,278 So saying, no, well actually that does, that behavior does work for me. 435 00:22:33,578 --> 00:22:35,378 It might not work for you, but it, it works for me and 436 00:22:35,378 --> 00:22:36,938 it's really, really important. 437 00:22:37,688 --> 00:22:41,708 So there are things that you said we need to identify and understand ourselves. 438 00:22:41,708 --> 00:22:44,138 You've got the self-awareness, but then you have to unlearn the pattern. 439 00:22:44,138 --> 00:22:48,384 So how do you go about starting to unlearn these patterns, and this programming? 440 00:22:48,621 --> 00:22:50,546 I mean, it does all start with that awareness, doesn't it? 441 00:22:50,551 --> 00:22:52,491 It all starts with recognizing them. 442 00:22:52,491 --> 00:22:56,481 So I think for me, it was through having some coaching about 20 years ago before 443 00:22:56,481 --> 00:23:00,441 I did the coaching training myself and, and just, I spent a lot of time 444 00:23:00,441 --> 00:23:02,181 journaling and, and writing things. 445 00:23:02,181 --> 00:23:04,551 I had to bring some of these patterns into the light. 446 00:23:04,551 --> 00:23:07,868 So I would, I would do a lot of reflection, which is there's 447 00:23:07,868 --> 00:23:11,168 medics and I'm sure the other professionals, that's what we, we do. 448 00:23:11,228 --> 00:23:15,284 I would think about things that had happened and just try and reflect on it 449 00:23:15,284 --> 00:23:18,839 and think, okay, what was I. You know, what was I thinking at that moment? 450 00:23:18,839 --> 00:23:20,579 What was the underlying thought process? 451 00:23:20,579 --> 00:23:23,249 What was the, when you think of it almost like a, a software kind 452 00:23:23,249 --> 00:23:25,709 of program, it was really helpful for me to, to break it down. 453 00:23:25,709 --> 00:23:27,119 What wrong was the steps in that? 454 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:30,329 And it's not, people say, oh, that's so much naval gazing. 455 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:30,539 It. 456 00:23:30,539 --> 00:23:30,929 It's not. 457 00:23:30,929 --> 00:23:34,199 It's, it's about understanding oneself and this is all part of, say, compassionate 458 00:23:34,199 --> 00:23:38,759 leadership and other things that if we raise our awareness and can recognize 459 00:23:38,759 --> 00:23:40,829 these patterns, then we have a choice. 460 00:23:41,244 --> 00:23:43,644 And when we have that choice, it's so, so freeing. 461 00:23:43,644 --> 00:23:45,834 It's the Viktor Frankl kind of quote, isn't it? 462 00:23:45,864 --> 00:23:49,074 The, the between stimulus and, and response. 463 00:23:49,074 --> 00:23:50,124 There's a space. 464 00:23:50,408 --> 00:23:52,328 Uh, and in that space is our power to choose. 465 00:23:52,328 --> 00:23:53,558 And I, that's what I wanted. 466 00:23:53,708 --> 00:23:57,158 And I think this is what a lot of coaching and probably a lot of CBT 467 00:23:57,158 --> 00:24:01,268 and other therapies like that will do is let's, let's expand that space. 468 00:24:01,268 --> 00:24:03,128 And it might be that we need support to do that. 469 00:24:03,414 --> 00:24:06,294 But expand that space and really look okay, what's actually going on? 470 00:24:06,294 --> 00:24:08,364 And then the unlearning for me. 471 00:24:08,806 --> 00:24:11,146 Because a lot of those are unconscious, automatic. 472 00:24:11,146 --> 00:24:14,146 You've done it so often over time that you don't even realize you, it is 473 00:24:14,146 --> 00:24:17,266 happening and it takes, it does take some unpicking and go through the layers. 474 00:24:17,836 --> 00:24:20,596 I think a tool that I found really helpful for some of the unlearning was 475 00:24:20,596 --> 00:24:22,426 a tool called Ladder of Consequence. 476 00:24:22,456 --> 00:24:25,696 And I didn't invent this, but I cannot remember where I read it. 477 00:24:25,696 --> 00:24:28,756 So, um, I can't give credit apart from saying it's not mine. 478 00:24:29,139 --> 00:24:31,839 But a lot of consequence, and I've used this a lot in coaching, so 479 00:24:31,839 --> 00:24:35,259 I'll draw a horizontal line and just put a letter X next to it. 480 00:24:35,259 --> 00:24:38,799 Now, X isn't about treasure, X is for situation X. It is 481 00:24:38,829 --> 00:24:40,929 the triggering kind of moment. 482 00:24:40,929 --> 00:24:44,859 And I try and reflect and go, okay, what was, what was the trigger? 483 00:24:45,323 --> 00:24:49,433 I know I reacted in a way that I don't, I want to change. 484 00:24:49,493 --> 00:24:52,013 You know, maybe, maybe it was with my kids, you know, or maybe it 485 00:24:52,013 --> 00:24:53,693 was with a patient or a colleague. 486 00:24:54,293 --> 00:24:56,603 So I'd write down what was the situation X, and just write a 487 00:24:56,603 --> 00:24:58,343 headline on that horizontal line. 488 00:24:58,903 --> 00:25:01,993 And then I'd go and write a line underneath this these, so another 489 00:25:01,993 --> 00:25:02,923 horizontal line underneath. 490 00:25:02,983 --> 00:25:05,053 And I'd ask myself, and then what happened? 491 00:25:05,463 --> 00:25:08,253 And so I'd think, okay, so when situation hap, X happened, you know, 492 00:25:08,253 --> 00:25:11,043 the very beginning, the very first step of that might have been, you 493 00:25:11,043 --> 00:25:14,343 know, a child, you know, one of my children refusing to do something. 494 00:25:14,343 --> 00:25:15,663 But I'd ask them, that might be it. 495 00:25:15,963 --> 00:25:16,923 Then what happened? 496 00:25:16,923 --> 00:25:20,073 And it might have been that in my head I had a thought, oh, you 497 00:25:20,073 --> 00:25:21,303 know, I haven't got time for this. 498 00:25:21,994 --> 00:25:24,394 And then I'd ask for another horizontal line underneath. 499 00:25:24,394 --> 00:25:25,744 And then what happened? 500 00:25:26,104 --> 00:25:29,434 So it might have been, I had a, you know, a bit of an irritable, um, 501 00:25:29,584 --> 00:25:31,504 I, I spoke irritably to my child. 502 00:25:31,984 --> 00:25:32,944 And then what happened? 503 00:25:32,944 --> 00:25:35,254 The child got upset, and then what happened? 504 00:25:35,254 --> 00:25:39,634 And I just kind of take it down to really pull out the pattern of what, 505 00:25:39,844 --> 00:25:41,494 you know, the consequences were of that. 506 00:25:41,494 --> 00:25:45,324 And again, it was really, it's hard sometimes to do that, but it de, 507 00:25:45,324 --> 00:25:46,919 it definitely, it's very factual. 508 00:25:47,514 --> 00:25:50,214 And sometimes we don't clearly know what our thought was. 509 00:25:50,214 --> 00:25:53,604 So it's either a thought or a action that you had in that moment. 510 00:25:53,604 --> 00:25:56,004 It could be speech, you could have done something, you could have said something. 511 00:25:56,184 --> 00:25:59,454 So it's very clear that anyone observing it would see some of those on the outside. 512 00:25:59,454 --> 00:26:01,224 Some of it's internal only, you know. 513 00:26:01,734 --> 00:26:04,314 So taking it right down, lots of horizontal lines until you 514 00:26:04,314 --> 00:26:05,754 get to kind of the output. 515 00:26:06,157 --> 00:26:09,307 And the output would usually be ending up, you know, I might have 516 00:26:09,307 --> 00:26:13,567 felt, I might have got angry and then probably after I got angry I'd feel 517 00:26:13,567 --> 00:26:15,637 really guilty and then I'd be upset. 518 00:26:15,637 --> 00:26:17,527 And there's a bit of a downward spiral, isn't there? 519 00:26:17,527 --> 00:26:18,427 A downward ladder. 520 00:26:19,357 --> 00:26:23,287 And so what then I would do, and I'd do this in coaching with people when 521 00:26:23,287 --> 00:26:26,137 sometimes in the conflict coaching or I've coached a lot of people in sort 522 00:26:26,137 --> 00:26:29,197 of, who've been sent to coaching for anger management or other things, it's, 523 00:26:29,707 --> 00:26:31,897 which is a whole nother story about, you know, whether we could do that. 524 00:26:31,897 --> 00:26:34,465 But okay, let's take the same situation X. 525 00:26:34,772 --> 00:26:37,022 Draw a horizontal line above that. 526 00:26:37,022 --> 00:26:38,402 So now we're going the other direction. 527 00:26:38,402 --> 00:26:41,991 What would be the first new sort of pattern step? 528 00:26:41,991 --> 00:26:44,661 If you're thinking about writing a new software program, what would be the 529 00:26:44,661 --> 00:26:47,061 first kind of command in that program? 530 00:26:47,111 --> 00:26:51,731 And it's just often asking oneself what would the very first thought be? 531 00:26:52,094 --> 00:26:53,264 And often we don't know. 532 00:26:53,324 --> 00:26:57,164 So we'd have to say for someone else who responds differently in 533 00:26:57,164 --> 00:27:00,048 that very same moment, what do you think they tell themselves? 534 00:27:00,294 --> 00:27:01,914 And usually you can think of something. 535 00:27:02,334 --> 00:27:05,964 So say you're faced with a child who's refusing to do what you've asked someone 536 00:27:05,964 --> 00:27:10,464 who's able to respond calmly in that might think to themselves, okay, I wonder 537 00:27:10,464 --> 00:27:11,814 what's going on for them right now. 538 00:27:12,278 --> 00:27:15,812 And so you'd write down what you wanted to try as your new pattern and keep going. 539 00:27:15,812 --> 00:27:18,632 So if I told, if I thought to myself, I wonder what's going on for for them 540 00:27:18,632 --> 00:27:22,652 right now, then the next horizontal line might be a curious question. 541 00:27:23,142 --> 00:27:25,542 Or it might be an empathic statement like, oh, you seem 542 00:27:25,542 --> 00:27:27,522 hungry right now, or, you know. 543 00:27:27,672 --> 00:27:32,011 So, and then what happens is you kind of go to the next level until, you 544 00:27:32,011 --> 00:27:34,831 know, you cly, you can't predict what the other person's, um, reactions, 545 00:27:34,831 --> 00:27:38,731 but you are sort of just going through what your pattern would look like in 546 00:27:38,731 --> 00:27:40,981 that and where that then takes you. 547 00:27:41,041 --> 00:27:46,411 And so all of that sort of, that's the lower ladder bit is the unlearning and 548 00:27:46,411 --> 00:27:48,481 then the top ladder is the relearning. 549 00:27:49,156 --> 00:27:52,426 And I think, I think our lives are just constant unlearning 550 00:27:52,426 --> 00:27:54,106 and relearning from patterns. 551 00:27:54,406 --> 00:27:57,286 And what then I would encourage people to do, and I certainly did myself, 552 00:27:57,286 --> 00:28:01,816 was keep relearning that, that top pattern until that became the automatic. 553 00:28:02,206 --> 00:28:03,526 So it's like the override. 554 00:28:04,036 --> 00:28:08,236 And I really like the computer sort of for the software analogy, because we 555 00:28:08,236 --> 00:28:09,856 don't see that behind the scenes do we? 556 00:28:10,336 --> 00:28:11,716 We're so reliant on technology. 557 00:28:11,716 --> 00:28:12,196 We don't see that. 558 00:28:12,196 --> 00:28:13,126 We just see the output. 559 00:28:13,531 --> 00:28:15,721 And yet there's all of this going on. 560 00:28:15,721 --> 00:28:20,251 And the more aware we can be of, and the more choiceful we are about our, 561 00:28:20,612 --> 00:28:24,842 both our internal dialogue and then our behaviors, we've got so many 562 00:28:24,842 --> 00:28:26,672 options, there's so much we can do. 563 00:28:27,392 --> 00:28:30,302 And there'd be moments when I just realized, oh, I just did that without 564 00:28:30,302 --> 00:28:34,172 even thinking, you know, lots of moments where I didn't, but I still 565 00:28:34,172 --> 00:28:36,482 could learn and go, oh, where did I, where did I, where did that just 566 00:28:36,482 --> 00:28:41,162 not sort of go the way that I want, that I, I wished it had, and I don't. 567 00:28:41,327 --> 00:28:43,712 I, I found that such a powerful tool. 568 00:28:44,042 --> 00:28:47,492 And visually really, really helpful for me to sort of see it set out. 569 00:28:47,552 --> 00:28:52,142 And also I think it's something that anybody can do initially. 570 00:28:52,712 --> 00:28:56,372 There's deeper work to be done, so behind that pattern, I often say 571 00:28:56,372 --> 00:29:01,061 these patterns that we see, the, the below the line kind of patterns Are 572 00:29:01,061 --> 00:29:03,101 a bit like a tire on a bicycle wheel. 573 00:29:03,281 --> 00:29:05,921 They're sort of the bit that touches the surface or the bit that, you 574 00:29:05,921 --> 00:29:07,901 know, that other people experience. 575 00:29:07,901 --> 00:29:10,721 But beneath the tire and the bike wheel, you've got all the spokes 576 00:29:10,721 --> 00:29:11,831 that come down to the sensor. 577 00:29:11,831 --> 00:29:17,231 And all the spokes are a bit like, um, beliefs that we have as we talked earlier. 578 00:29:17,231 --> 00:29:20,111 And often at the core of that I think are some of the attachment 579 00:29:20,111 --> 00:29:22,271 kind of, um, experiences. 580 00:29:22,751 --> 00:29:26,338 So often what deeper coaching or other work would do would be look 581 00:29:26,338 --> 00:29:30,538 at these kind of patterns because we have lots of them, and identify, okay, 582 00:29:30,538 --> 00:29:32,158 where's the common denominator here? 583 00:29:32,381 --> 00:29:37,498 What's the underlying conclusion you might have drawn when you were younger 584 00:29:38,098 --> 00:29:44,531 from your experience that meant you then try to keep yourself safe by not doing 585 00:29:44,531 --> 00:29:45,791 certain things or doing certain things? 586 00:29:45,791 --> 00:29:50,218 And if you can identify that and then ask, okay, as an adult now, what do what? 587 00:29:50,263 --> 00:29:51,283 What works better for me? 588 00:29:51,373 --> 00:29:52,183 I like that question. 589 00:29:52,243 --> 00:29:54,373 What would work better for me instead of this? 590 00:29:54,981 --> 00:29:57,141 And again, that's some of the unlearning and relearning. 591 00:29:57,261 --> 00:29:58,011 There's layers of it. 592 00:29:58,191 --> 00:29:58,881 I say like an onion. 593 00:29:59,570 --> 00:30:05,189 I also think we need to remember other people's programming and I am guilty 594 00:30:05,189 --> 00:30:07,589 of making the assumptions that just 'cause I think one thing, I think 595 00:30:07,589 --> 00:30:09,869 everyone is gonna gonna think like that. 596 00:30:10,409 --> 00:30:13,810 And everything that obviously people say to me goes through the filters 597 00:30:13,810 --> 00:30:17,260 of my background, from my past of everything that's happened to me. 598 00:30:17,260 --> 00:30:19,184 It's funny, I was driving the other day. 599 00:30:19,184 --> 00:30:23,894 I saw a man walking along the road with a dog with a high vis vest on. 600 00:30:23,984 --> 00:30:28,397 And on this luminous yellow vest it said Reactive dog. 601 00:30:28,849 --> 00:30:30,919 I was like, wow, that is brilliant. 602 00:30:30,949 --> 00:30:37,177 Imagine if we walked along with like our internal monologue or, or our like 603 00:30:37,357 --> 00:30:41,677 reactive personality or, um, things that people have told us or the, the 604 00:30:41,677 --> 00:30:43,927 filter that we run everything past it. 605 00:30:43,927 --> 00:30:46,927 It made me laugh 'cause I think I did a podcast on our amygdalas 606 00:30:46,927 --> 00:30:49,627 being a bit like a Rottweiler and having to put your dog on a lead. 607 00:30:49,627 --> 00:30:52,957 You've got this reactive dog inside you, but what will it react to? 608 00:30:52,957 --> 00:30:57,922 And I think, uh, we've talked about, um, the fact that, you know, I have, 609 00:30:58,042 --> 00:31:02,362 I have a DHD and I always think I've grown up with people thinking I'm 610 00:31:02,362 --> 00:31:05,782 tactless or too much or whatever, and I have this sort of filter that I'm 611 00:31:05,782 --> 00:31:07,792 too much, or I, I've been tactless. 612 00:31:07,792 --> 00:31:11,862 So imagine if I had a high vis vest that says, you know, reactive dog 613 00:31:12,312 --> 00:31:15,742 Tactless You know, and that's, so everything that people ask me, I'm really 614 00:31:15,742 --> 00:31:19,342 worried that I'm gonna be tactless, or that's the filter I run things 615 00:31:19,342 --> 00:31:21,352 through of other people's disapproval. 616 00:31:21,352 --> 00:31:22,042 It's, you know. 617 00:31:22,435 --> 00:31:24,175 I think someone's disapproving of me. 618 00:31:24,175 --> 00:31:28,405 Therefore, my first reaction is probably defensiveness defensive dog. 619 00:31:29,785 --> 00:31:33,445 But what we're talking about is sort of almost changing that hives vest that we 620 00:31:33,445 --> 00:31:37,225 are wearing to, to going, well, we, I don't need to be a reactive dog right now. 621 00:31:37,225 --> 00:31:40,495 I could, I could change that first thought and that then 622 00:31:40,495 --> 00:31:41,875 might change everything else. 623 00:31:41,875 --> 00:31:42,355 Does that make 624 00:31:42,610 --> 00:31:43,390 It makes sense. 625 00:31:43,390 --> 00:31:44,260 It's about labels. 626 00:31:44,260 --> 00:31:46,900 I mean, I, I have a reactive dog, so I'm just thinking how great that would be. 627 00:31:46,930 --> 00:31:49,540 'Cause I end up saying to other people that's, I'm fa as I'm coming towards 628 00:31:49,540 --> 00:31:52,150 them saying, oh, he's quite reactive and I'll give you a wide birth. 629 00:31:52,990 --> 00:31:56,050 But I think, you know, I think for ourselves, yeah, often we are 630 00:31:56,080 --> 00:32:00,130 literally going around with, you know, with labels on our backs of 631 00:32:00,130 --> 00:32:03,760 what other people have spoken over us or what we've told ourselves we are. 632 00:32:04,180 --> 00:32:07,360 And I think then, because again, this is part of the focus on the wheel 633 00:32:07,660 --> 00:32:10,810 because we believe that to be true 'cause we've never really questioned 634 00:32:10,810 --> 00:32:14,530 it and unlearned it, we'd actually end up doing though I'm not saying you're 635 00:32:14,530 --> 00:32:17,140 not ous, Rachel, 'cause you've done a lot of work and you unlearned that. 636 00:32:17,140 --> 00:32:20,290 But I think, you know, I certainly went around with labels that weren't 637 00:32:20,290 --> 00:32:23,140 really true for me, but I thought that's what people thought, so 638 00:32:23,140 --> 00:32:24,610 actually then I behaved in that way. 639 00:32:24,610 --> 00:32:26,320 It's the self-fulfilling prophecy, isn't it? 640 00:32:26,620 --> 00:32:29,500 And often we're so careful with our children not to label them 'cause we 641 00:32:29,500 --> 00:32:33,410 don't want them to go around thinking I'm lazy or I'm whatever, because we, 642 00:32:33,830 --> 00:32:36,020 I certainly thought that will just make that, they'll live up to that. 643 00:32:36,410 --> 00:32:39,290 So, you know, there's something, you know, so I've certainly saying 644 00:32:39,290 --> 00:32:41,900 to my teenagers, yeah, I, you know, I really trust you on this. 645 00:32:41,900 --> 00:32:44,600 Whereas inside, sometimes I'm not sure I really did. 646 00:32:45,290 --> 00:32:45,650 No. 647 00:32:45,710 --> 00:32:48,830 But I wanted to kind of convey that to them so that they would go 648 00:32:48,830 --> 00:32:51,560 away thinking, okay, she trusts me, therefore they're trying, my theory 649 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:53,210 was they would live up to that. 650 00:32:53,270 --> 00:32:59,715 And I think we have within our zone of power, the ability to relabel ourselves. 651 00:32:59,745 --> 00:33:02,685 And this is about the self-respect, bit about what works for us. 652 00:33:02,955 --> 00:33:05,145 You know, what is it we, and this comes back to identity. 653 00:33:05,205 --> 00:33:06,255 Who are you, isn't it? 654 00:33:06,615 --> 00:33:07,515 Who are you really? 655 00:33:07,515 --> 00:33:09,515 Like what and who do you need to be? 656 00:33:09,515 --> 00:33:11,135 Who, who do you want to be? 657 00:33:11,585 --> 00:33:15,275 What almost is the jacket that you kind of wear that in a way is very 658 00:33:15,275 --> 00:33:21,323 validating and it gives you freedom and I think that's, there's so much in that. 659 00:33:21,562 --> 00:33:24,577 I was thinking wouldn't it be great if we could see other people's as well? 660 00:33:25,359 --> 00:33:27,759 You know, I can think of colleagues I've worked with, which who were 661 00:33:27,759 --> 00:33:32,799 absolutely lovely, but they were quite blunt and they would bark at you if 662 00:33:32,799 --> 00:33:34,029 you sort of caught them off guard. 663 00:33:34,029 --> 00:33:36,639 But if you knew them well it would be fine 'cause you, you knew they were 664 00:33:36,639 --> 00:33:38,559 like that and so you'd make allowances. 665 00:33:38,559 --> 00:33:40,479 But other people get really offended and upset. 666 00:33:40,479 --> 00:33:45,439 But, you know, they sort of needed a, a, caution, very blunt, but actually 667 00:33:45,439 --> 00:33:48,979 very lovely type thing so that other people weren't gonna get offended. 668 00:33:48,979 --> 00:33:52,714 And I was just imagining a saw being sat there with a high-vis jacket 669 00:33:52,714 --> 00:33:55,384 saying over responsible doctor on it. 670 00:33:55,504 --> 00:33:59,372 You know, so that when people ask you stuff that's not your role that you 671 00:33:59,432 --> 00:34:04,135 shouldn't have to take on, you can just look at that and go, okay, that's 672 00:34:04,135 --> 00:34:05,515 not the one I want to be wearing. 673 00:34:05,515 --> 00:34:11,281 Let's put the other one on of, of wise and, you know, safe and 674 00:34:11,438 --> 00:34:13,595 cautious and respectful of myself. 675 00:34:14,045 --> 00:34:17,225 And how would that ladder going upwards look, rather than the 676 00:34:17,225 --> 00:34:20,825 ladder going downwards of the over responsibility guilty doctor? 677 00:34:21,049 --> 00:34:24,319 And when you think about, you know, the, the person you said you tends to react in 678 00:34:24,319 --> 00:34:29,479 a blunt way, that could be your situation X, where someone reacts in a blunt 679 00:34:29,479 --> 00:34:30,979 way to you and then you have a choice. 680 00:34:30,979 --> 00:34:32,089 But how would you. 681 00:34:32,689 --> 00:34:33,619 Interpret that. 682 00:34:33,769 --> 00:34:38,449 So you can take yourself down a defensive ladder by telling yourself, oh, they're 683 00:34:38,449 --> 00:34:41,029 always so, so, sort of like short with me. 684 00:34:41,059 --> 00:34:43,759 They obviously don't like me that much would be another thought. 685 00:34:43,879 --> 00:34:47,059 And then react to them with sort of, um, a bit of a cutting remark. 686 00:34:47,329 --> 00:34:50,149 Or we can, I think the first step is actually the same 687 00:34:50,149 --> 00:34:51,229 probably for most patterns. 688 00:34:51,229 --> 00:34:53,689 It's I wonder what's going on for the other person. 689 00:34:54,319 --> 00:34:57,199 I mean, we've talked about this a lot in conflict resolution, haven't we? 690 00:34:57,199 --> 00:34:59,764 And other topics that we've discussed and I think. 691 00:35:00,649 --> 00:35:05,389 Where I found I was able to keep myself regulated in stressful situations 692 00:35:05,419 --> 00:35:09,019 was to put my attention on the other person first, rather than on my 693 00:35:09,019 --> 00:35:10,879 anxious state, which would be all no. 694 00:35:10,879 --> 00:35:13,819 You know, they, they, they dislike or there, there are some sort of threat 695 00:35:13,819 --> 00:35:18,792 and if I could hold myself in that way and ask, I wonder what's going on for 696 00:35:18,792 --> 00:35:23,987 them, doesn't excuse their behavior, but it just enabled me to step out of my, 697 00:35:24,017 --> 00:35:26,147 I think out of my head in that moment. 698 00:35:26,147 --> 00:35:28,937 So I think for many people, and I guess it's an invitation, is 699 00:35:28,937 --> 00:35:32,057 that first sort of next step going upwards is just that question. 700 00:35:32,087 --> 00:35:34,667 I wonder, I wonder what's going on for them. 701 00:35:35,385 --> 00:35:38,475 I was thinking if you did that, Sarah, with being asked to do something 702 00:35:38,475 --> 00:35:42,645 that you don't have capacity to do and often people's first default 703 00:35:42,705 --> 00:35:44,595 thought is, oh, I have to do it. 704 00:35:44,798 --> 00:35:45,608 That's just default. 705 00:35:45,608 --> 00:35:47,138 I have to, 'cause I've been asked to. 706 00:35:47,678 --> 00:35:50,348 And then the next thought is, I don't really want to, but feeling really 707 00:35:50,348 --> 00:35:53,138 guilty and then probably getting defensive, but feeling trapped. 708 00:35:53,138 --> 00:35:55,526 So what would your, what would the other programming be? 709 00:35:55,526 --> 00:35:58,376 What would be the, I wonder programming there instead? 710 00:35:58,814 --> 00:36:01,260 A question I sometimes ask is, what makes you ask that? 711 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:04,650 I dunno if that's the right question, but I'm just thinking of at home 712 00:36:04,655 --> 00:36:08,280 sometimes if, uh, you know, if, if sometimes it has to do something, 713 00:36:08,310 --> 00:36:11,535 I'm, I'm just thinking that sometimes I kind go just give me the context. 714 00:36:11,565 --> 00:36:16,245 'cause I think once we often understand the context behind it, behind the demand, 715 00:36:16,485 --> 00:36:20,445 it's sometimes it's easier than to, well, it gives us a slight bit of thinking 716 00:36:20,445 --> 00:36:24,405 space, but it also helps us to understand where that person's coming from. 717 00:36:24,405 --> 00:36:27,945 And even then, when we need to say no to it, we can empathize with 718 00:36:27,945 --> 00:36:29,475 the reason behind the request. 719 00:36:29,475 --> 00:36:31,065 So it's a very similar take. 720 00:36:31,365 --> 00:36:35,025 I think it's like, I wonder what's behind the request? 721 00:36:36,045 --> 00:36:37,185 I wonder what's really going on. 722 00:36:37,185 --> 00:36:41,265 And I think that way, again, it doesn't, rather than if I say straight away to 723 00:36:41,265 --> 00:36:44,835 myself, oh, I'm gonna have to do this, I tend to then be annoyed with that 724 00:36:44,835 --> 00:36:49,425 person for having asked me and, and I'm probably going to either get super, 725 00:36:49,485 --> 00:36:51,675 you know, overexplain or whatever. 726 00:36:51,675 --> 00:36:55,425 Whereas if I've thought, I wonder, yeah, I wonder where this is coming from. 727 00:36:55,860 --> 00:36:58,530 I dunno if that would always work because it might, people might be, 728 00:36:58,530 --> 00:37:01,110 well that's really obvious where it's coming from, but sometimes. 729 00:37:01,187 --> 00:37:03,197 Well, I don't, I think we assume though, it's like right, 730 00:37:03,197 --> 00:37:04,337 there's an emergency patient. 731 00:37:04,337 --> 00:37:05,207 Will you see them? 732 00:37:05,537 --> 00:37:06,437 Oh, I have to. 733 00:37:06,527 --> 00:37:08,645 Rather than, oh, I wonder why it's an emergency. 734 00:37:08,750 --> 00:37:10,280 or why I'm, why, why I'm being 735 00:37:10,523 --> 00:37:13,670 Why I'm being asked, I'm, I'm wonder why, I wonder where the request from. 736 00:37:13,670 --> 00:37:15,560 I wonder what makes it emergency. 737 00:37:15,950 --> 00:37:19,430 I wonder if there's any other way of doing, of, of meeting this need. 738 00:37:19,821 --> 00:37:21,441 I wonder is a great question. 739 00:37:21,441 --> 00:37:24,081 Or I wonder what it is that the person asking me really needs. 740 00:37:24,511 --> 00:37:26,671 Like, mom, will you take me into town? 741 00:37:27,427 --> 00:37:30,060 I wonder do they want to spend time with me? 742 00:37:30,060 --> 00:37:31,080 Do they just need a lift? 743 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:32,910 Do they not have any money for the train fair? 744 00:37:32,910 --> 00:37:34,040 You know, it's that, is that. 745 00:37:34,665 --> 00:37:36,615 It's that request rather than the default. 746 00:37:36,675 --> 00:37:38,955 I have to because I've been asked. 747 00:37:39,210 --> 00:37:43,275 Or an assumption made that it's coming from a negative place, which. 748 00:37:44,190 --> 00:37:45,930 I think it's just experimenting with this. 749 00:37:45,930 --> 00:37:49,080 There's a, there's a spaciousness that's created by being curious. 750 00:37:49,710 --> 00:37:51,965 Um, and it doesn't mean, you know, there's times when you could, you, 751 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:54,690 you just have, there's a sense of there isn't time to ask that question. 752 00:37:54,690 --> 00:37:58,230 But even if, say if it was an emergency, someone's collapsed in front and you 753 00:37:58,230 --> 00:38:00,270 are, you are asked to do it, you're probably not gonna say, oh, wonder, 754 00:38:00,330 --> 00:38:02,550 you know, why is it mean that's being asked you just dealing with, but you 755 00:38:02,550 --> 00:38:04,560 might, you might wonder afterwards. 756 00:38:04,995 --> 00:38:07,845 And just think, you know, was the, it's a bit like there's a reflection 757 00:38:07,845 --> 00:38:09,255 on, on a significant event, isn't it? 758 00:38:09,285 --> 00:38:12,225 Was there anything else that could have been done differently, for example? 759 00:38:12,615 --> 00:38:16,005 You know, I certainly know when I was, um, was working as a GP and I 760 00:38:16,005 --> 00:38:19,755 wouldn't say I wasn't the duty doctor, but I would be getting calls from 761 00:38:19,755 --> 00:38:22,065 reception, asking me to see patients. 762 00:38:22,065 --> 00:38:25,215 And I'm thinking, I wonder why I'm being asked when it's somebody else. 763 00:38:25,215 --> 00:38:28,230 And it was because that other person was being really, let's 764 00:38:28,230 --> 00:38:32,340 say let's, uh, let's say less than helpful to the reception staff. 765 00:38:32,370 --> 00:38:34,410 And so they didn't dare ask that person were coming to 766 00:38:34,410 --> 00:38:36,180 the path of least resistance. 767 00:38:36,570 --> 00:38:38,790 And so that then required a conversation. 768 00:38:38,790 --> 00:38:40,280 So I think there's something there. 769 00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:45,399 Even the question, I wonder why I'm having such a negative reaction to being asked. 770 00:38:45,799 --> 00:38:50,639 Because there's one thing I'm learning and that is to trust my emotions. 771 00:38:50,669 --> 00:38:54,659 Like not trust that they're off, they're right or anything, but trust that they're 772 00:38:54,659 --> 00:38:57,185 flagging up, that there's something wrong. 773 00:38:57,245 --> 00:39:00,725 There's, you know, when I'm feeling uncomfortable about something, I shouldn't 774 00:39:00,725 --> 00:39:01,895 just go, oh, I'm being ridiculous. 775 00:39:01,895 --> 00:39:02,825 I'm like, oh my right. 776 00:39:02,825 --> 00:39:07,055 I wonder why I am feeling uncomfortable about this situation. 777 00:39:07,421 --> 00:39:10,151 So even just, I wonder about then just assuming, oh, well that means that 778 00:39:10,151 --> 00:39:13,361 I've got to do, you know, or that means that this, actually, oh, I wonder, 779 00:39:13,361 --> 00:39:14,771 I wonder why I'm feeling like that. 780 00:39:14,801 --> 00:39:19,481 What boundaries being crossed, what doesn't feel quite right about this? 781 00:39:19,511 --> 00:39:23,371 What, you know, I'm not always blaming myself, not always going to that. 782 00:39:23,371 --> 00:39:23,701 oh gosh. 783 00:39:23,761 --> 00:39:24,391 I ought to do it. 784 00:39:24,421 --> 00:39:25,021 I must do it. 785 00:39:25,021 --> 00:39:25,501 I should. 786 00:39:25,501 --> 00:39:27,571 I ought, but, oh, I, I wonder. 787 00:39:27,855 --> 00:39:31,838 I wonder, I think it's such a great question because it takes away, the 788 00:39:31,838 --> 00:39:34,508 judgment, opens up possibilities. 789 00:39:34,781 --> 00:39:37,661 It helps with that sort of recognition of patterns. 790 00:39:37,905 --> 00:39:38,990 There's so much, and I think. 791 00:39:39,690 --> 00:39:42,840 And a lot of it is just notice what you notice, say with your feelings, isn't it? 792 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:45,690 Just notice what you notice and then ask yourself, what's 793 00:39:45,690 --> 00:39:46,650 that, what's that telling me? 794 00:39:46,650 --> 00:39:48,870 So I often ask a what question rather than a why. 795 00:39:48,900 --> 00:39:50,970 So if I ask myself know, why am I feeling like that? 796 00:39:50,970 --> 00:39:53,820 There's a always, for me, I'm a bit sensitive to the why question. 797 00:39:54,240 --> 00:39:56,070 I feel, you know, there's like judgment for myself. 798 00:39:56,070 --> 00:39:57,690 So it's like, what is that telling me? 799 00:39:58,055 --> 00:40:01,685 And I think just going back to when people make requests of us or feels 800 00:40:01,685 --> 00:40:05,195 like demands, I've been talking about this quite a bit, um, in, in other 801 00:40:05,195 --> 00:40:08,705 conversations to say we can't, it's out of our control whether people ask us to 802 00:40:08,705 --> 00:40:11,375 do stuff that's completely outta control. 803 00:40:11,375 --> 00:40:15,335 'cause sometimes I would find myself feeling annoyed that I was being asked. 804 00:40:15,433 --> 00:40:19,153 And then I started to realize I have no control over whether 805 00:40:19,153 --> 00:40:19,813 I'm asked to do something. 806 00:40:19,813 --> 00:40:23,413 What I have control over is whether I say yes or not. 807 00:40:23,713 --> 00:40:27,463 And even if I feel like I, I, I don't have a choice about whether I say yes or not. 808 00:40:27,463 --> 00:40:30,709 I still have control over how I think about the thing that I'm gonna do. 809 00:40:31,421 --> 00:40:33,954 So that really helped, again, gave me freedom. 810 00:40:33,954 --> 00:40:35,184 I can think about that thing. 811 00:40:35,184 --> 00:40:38,004 I can think about that person in a different way. 812 00:40:38,004 --> 00:40:42,354 It's not toxic positivity, it's about just recognizing I have control over how I'm 813 00:40:42,354 --> 00:40:46,044 seeing that and reframing, and then that impacts my emotions in a different way. 814 00:40:46,504 --> 00:40:49,894 And that's been really helpful to let go of that because yeah, let go 815 00:40:49,894 --> 00:40:52,834 of that frustration with, oh, why am I being asked to do even more? 816 00:40:52,864 --> 00:40:53,764 'Cause they don't know other people. 817 00:40:53,764 --> 00:40:54,629 Dunno what you've got on your plate. 818 00:40:55,178 --> 00:41:00,998 No, but I think that the less ability we have to say no, the more annoyed 819 00:41:00,998 --> 00:41:04,448 we get with other people for asking us things that we can't say no to. 820 00:41:04,658 --> 00:41:07,148 So how dare they ask me because I can't say no. 821 00:41:07,148 --> 00:41:11,348 Well, that's really unfair On the other person, they're just, they're 822 00:41:11,348 --> 00:41:15,998 just asking and I. Much prefer someone who can say no to me because 823 00:41:15,998 --> 00:41:17,798 it means I feel freer with them. 824 00:41:17,798 --> 00:41:21,518 If I'm having to second guess that person, and I know they'll always 825 00:41:21,518 --> 00:41:25,148 say yes because they feel obliged, then actually I ask them a lot less 826 00:41:25,148 --> 00:41:26,618 and the relationship really suffers. 827 00:41:26,618 --> 00:41:30,638 So bizarrely, we think the relationship's gonna suffer if we say no to that person. 828 00:41:30,638 --> 00:41:35,463 I think the relationship suffers more in the long term if we don't feel free to say 829 00:41:35,613 --> 00:41:39,693 a wholehearted yes or no, because then we can't be real or honest with that person. 830 00:41:39,693 --> 00:41:44,643 And, and also that is very patronizing, isn't it, to the other person. 831 00:41:44,643 --> 00:41:49,923 If imagine if I thought that you would never say no to me, you didn't have the 832 00:41:49,923 --> 00:41:54,333 ability to say no, then I would, I would just that, that's me controlling you. 833 00:41:54,333 --> 00:41:57,019 That's me saying, Sarah can't cope with me asking her for 834 00:41:57,019 --> 00:41:58,519 anything because she can't say no. 835 00:41:58,519 --> 00:42:02,260 And that's very parent child rather than adults who Adults isn't it? 836 00:42:02,530 --> 00:42:04,270 And that's the whole thing about boundaries, isn't it? 837 00:42:04,270 --> 00:42:05,950 That actually boundaries improve relationships. 838 00:42:05,950 --> 00:42:08,200 I mean, people don't always like a no, of course. 839 00:42:08,740 --> 00:42:12,130 However, there's usually, and I've talked about this as well, in a, in 840 00:42:12,130 --> 00:42:16,480 a, in with reasonable people, people either they don't like your, no, they 841 00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:19,540 will, they will respect you for that. 842 00:42:19,885 --> 00:42:22,075 And I think that's where we know when it's, when you're dealing with someone 843 00:42:22,075 --> 00:42:25,975 who's, who's not reasonable, that's when you get the sort of toxic response. 844 00:42:26,005 --> 00:42:29,125 But yeah, I mean, in, in our working relationship, we've very much 845 00:42:29,125 --> 00:42:31,915 given each other that sort of overt permission, haven't we, to do that 846 00:42:31,915 --> 00:42:35,305 because then we know where we are and we trust that the other person's adult 847 00:42:35,305 --> 00:42:37,645 enough to be honest with, with that. 848 00:42:37,795 --> 00:42:39,175 And I think that's so, so key 849 00:42:39,586 --> 00:42:40,966 Yeah, it's important for relationship. 850 00:42:40,966 --> 00:42:44,176 In our Permission to Thrive membership, we have a, a phrase, which I think 851 00:42:44,176 --> 00:42:45,946 came from Derek Sivers originally. 852 00:42:46,006 --> 00:42:49,066 He's a really good, sort of thought leader, philosopher, but it's, 853 00:42:49,156 --> 00:42:50,866 it's either a hell yes or a no. 854 00:42:51,196 --> 00:42:55,306 So if we could, our default could be no, rather than yes, and we only really say 855 00:42:55,306 --> 00:42:59,386 yes to something if it feels like a hell yeah, then that, that seems to be quite a, 856 00:43:00,076 --> 00:43:03,316 a good way of managing, well see some of the really big things we're asked to do. 857 00:43:03,436 --> 00:43:03,826 Yeah. 858 00:43:03,826 --> 00:43:06,166 I, I read something about having a slow yes. 859 00:43:07,051 --> 00:43:09,121 So faster no and a slow Yes. 860 00:43:09,121 --> 00:43:11,881 When, particularly if you're in a position of leadership, just because 861 00:43:11,971 --> 00:43:13,411 you will have a lot more requests. 862 00:43:13,981 --> 00:43:17,041 Um, so just have, yeah, just having that kind of, that balance. 863 00:43:17,041 --> 00:43:17,881 And it's not, yeah. 864 00:43:17,941 --> 00:43:20,281 I mean, of course you've gotta wave up, but sometimes it's better to 865 00:43:20,281 --> 00:43:23,581 do a, a fast no, and then you can always, you can always go back and 866 00:43:23,581 --> 00:43:24,841 say, I've been thinking about it. 867 00:43:24,841 --> 00:43:26,971 Actually, that is something I would be able to do. 868 00:43:27,241 --> 00:43:30,991 It's easier to do it that way than a fast yes. 869 00:43:31,051 --> 00:43:32,711 And the need to take that back, so. 870 00:43:32,959 --> 00:43:33,169 Right. 871 00:43:33,169 --> 00:43:36,465 On that note, Sarah, what top three tips would you have for someone who is 872 00:43:36,465 --> 00:43:40,605 really struggling with this programming that they've, you know, obviously 873 00:43:40,605 --> 00:43:44,625 been hardwired into them since, since they've been a, a child, which is really 874 00:43:44,625 --> 00:43:47,835 causing them just to take on too much and not be able to say no to things? 875 00:43:48,045 --> 00:43:51,694 I think I would start with just noticing what you notice. 876 00:43:52,839 --> 00:43:57,789 So almost that self observation, gentle reflection, just having a couple 877 00:43:57,789 --> 00:43:59,709 of questions just to ask yourself. 878 00:44:00,609 --> 00:44:03,819 And then even if you can just do that first step that takes you down 879 00:44:03,819 --> 00:44:06,669 the ladder and what's the first step that might move you up the 880 00:44:06,669 --> 00:44:08,829 way, it's just one shift, isn't it? 881 00:44:08,829 --> 00:44:10,779 And you will end up in a very different direction. 882 00:44:10,959 --> 00:44:12,354 And I think those are the three things, yeah. 883 00:44:12,459 --> 00:44:14,619 So just notice what you notice. 884 00:44:14,889 --> 00:44:16,929 See what you feel like you need to lean into. 885 00:44:16,989 --> 00:44:21,749 What would be one situation that you would love to be different, and then just, just 886 00:44:21,749 --> 00:44:25,379 to start thinking about what that first step down, so you've got the warning 887 00:44:25,379 --> 00:44:27,449 sign and what might be the first step up? 888 00:44:27,579 --> 00:44:27,910 Brilliant. 889 00:44:27,910 --> 00:44:28,750 That's so helpful, Sarah. 890 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:30,430 I love that ladder of consequence. 891 00:44:30,830 --> 00:44:31,990 Really, really helpful. 892 00:44:32,240 --> 00:44:36,830 And, uh, Sarah is a regular guest on our Monthly hot topics podcast, 893 00:44:36,830 --> 00:44:39,710 which is there in our FrogXtra and FrogXtra Gold membership. 894 00:44:39,710 --> 00:44:43,580 So if you wanna hear, um, lots more from Sarah on a monthly basis, uh, in 895 00:44:43,580 --> 00:44:46,190 conversation with me about the things that have been coming up for us every 896 00:44:46,190 --> 00:44:48,050 month, then do think about joining. 897 00:44:48,457 --> 00:44:52,717 Sarah, if people wanna find out more about your work, um, about, um, the Shapes 898 00:44:52,727 --> 00:44:53,652 Toolkit training, where can they go? 899 00:44:53,882 --> 00:44:57,362 Yeah, so on our websites, that's wildmonday.co.uk and have a look 900 00:44:57,362 --> 00:44:58,772 at the training that we offer. 901 00:44:59,162 --> 00:45:02,822 And also you can find me on LinkedIn, so Dr. Sarah Coope on LinkedIn and 902 00:45:02,990 --> 00:45:06,230 it's lots, lots of resources that you can also download from our website. 903 00:45:06,492 --> 00:45:08,502 Yeah, and, and we run stuff on conflict. 904 00:45:08,502 --> 00:45:12,162 We run stuff on, you know, how to even have those conflict conversations, 905 00:45:12,192 --> 00:45:15,732 um, how to say no and deal with pushback, all those sorts of things. 906 00:45:15,732 --> 00:45:20,922 So just, um, drop an email, get in touch, book a call with Sarah to discuss how 907 00:45:20,982 --> 00:45:22,332 uh, she can come and help your team. 908 00:45:22,332 --> 00:45:24,852 So Sarah, thank you so much for being on the podcast. 909 00:45:24,852 --> 00:45:25,297 We'll speak to you soon. 910 00:45:25,397 --> 00:45:25,787 Thank you. 911 00:45:27,529 --> 00:45:28,459 Thanks for listening. 912 00:45:28,559 --> 00:45:33,019 Don't forget, you can get extra bonus episodes and audio courses along with 913 00:45:33,109 --> 00:45:37,939 unlimited access to our library of videos and CPD workbooks by joining 914 00:45:38,019 --> 00:45:42,479 FrogXtra and FrogXtra Gold, our memberships to help busy professionals 915 00:45:42,479 --> 00:45:45,449 like you beat burnout and work happier. 916 00:45:45,822 --> 00:45:49,342 Find out more at youarenotafrog.com/members.