OG Tuesday Issue #128

YOU DO YOU

Hater-proof your confidence

We know that all you readers are glorious, intelligent, remarkable people. But we totally understand that you may not always know it — that you may sometimes experience dips or crises of confidence.

Many of you have written in, asking how to keep your confidence up when casual daily slights from your co-workers, peers, and even friends get you down.

We’re here to help you get through it with an assist from Regina Bonds, THE Confidence Coach herself. All this guidance is based on her masterful teachings.

Get regular fixes of her confidence know-how by following her on Instagram or listening to her podcast.

The scenario: Someone in your life says some variation of this zinger: “But you’re just an admin.”

What would Regina say?
What Regina actually says is: “When you learn to go within, you will never go without.”

She’s talking about building your inner confidence, the kind that is deeply ingrained and can’t be rattled by others’ careless comments. One quick method she recommends for building this inner confidence is saying aloud, each morning, all the positive things that you are. (Example: I am powerful.)

The scenario: A close friend or associate says something like, “I couldn’t possibly meet for coffee/dinner/drinks. I’ve just been so busy since I got promoted.”

What would Regina say?
Your gut reaction might be to compare your accomplishments to your friend’s. A more confident course would be to consider if you even want what your friend accomplished. Then, reflect on your own unique journey, your personal progress toward the things you want.

As Regina advises, you have to be clear about what you want, not only so you know how to work towards it, but also so you’re not struggling with “comparisonitis” about accomplishments that sound good on paper but aren’t truly important to you.

The scenario: Someone makes a comment about how “hard” or “impossible” something you want might be.

What would Regina say?
Follow the expert advice paraphrased in this post: “Don’t limit yourself if you’re afraid; do it because you’re afraid.”

Each time you challenge your own doubts, or those of your naysayers, you’re building confidence. Focus on the empowering process of overcoming the negativity, not outcomes that may be beyond your control.

TOGETHER WITH MIRO

Don’t start from scratch — use a template

• Meeting Agenda Template
• Daily Standup Meeting Template
• Pros & Cons List Template
• To-Do List Template
• Stickies Packs Template
• Emotions Wheel Icebreaker Template

See all of Miro’s free templates

GET MORE SH*T DONE

Machine Learning 101

It’s safe to say that machine learning (ML) has gone mainstream.

So what is machine learning anyway?

The smarties at MIT have the perfect definition: “Machine learning is a subfield of artificial intelligence that gives computers the ability to learn without explicitly being programmed.”

Machine Learning Facts and Figures

• Experts estimate the machine learning market could be worth over $200 billion by 2029. [From Young and the Invested]
• Google has a machine learning tool that can detect breast cancer with 89% accuracy. [From G2]
• The top business cases cited for investment in machine learning are: cost reduction, insight gathering, and improving customer interactions. [From Young and the Invested]
• 94% of companies say artificial intelligence is “critical to success.” [From Deloitte]

Everyday Applications

TBH, you’re most likely already using ML in your daily life. If you use Netflix for example, you can thank ML for all those precise recommendations. Each time you unlock your phone using facial recognition, ML is making it possible to bypass entering a PIN or passcode.

Here are a few lesser-known ML tools to explore in your ultimate mission to make daily life as easy as possible.

• Salesforce Personalization Builder
• Fit Analytics
• NielsenIQ’s Label Insight

TOGETHER WITH SUNSAMA

Want to break bad habits in 2023? Start by building better ones.

LEVEL UP

Field Guide: Working with the Eternal Pessimist

Is the glass half empty or half full?

This question is a no-brainer for the eternal pessimist. These folks are wired to expect the worst. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing all the time; it’s just a facet of some personalities.

Here’s what you need to know about working and communicating with people who have this personality trait.

How to recognize a pessimist:

• They might remember, or discuss, only negative aspects of their (or others’) performance.
• They might structure their work in anticipation of the worst-case scenario. (Ex: Developing contingencies for losing a client because of a minor error.)
• They might give up when encountering minor setbacks.
• They might believe outside forces (and not their own actions) determine their successes and failures.
• They might neglect to pursue new opportunities and challenges, as they don’t believe any good will come from their efforts.
• They might expect the worst-case scenario from employees or colleagues. (Ex: Assuming people won’t meet the agreed-on deadline.)
• They might never allow themselves to hope they will land a promotion or earn a raise.
• They may worry a lot, and as a result, overthink or over-plan projects in an attempt to avoid potential negative outcomes.

Things to love about pessimists:

• They can have a balancing, harmonizing effect on ideas that could benefit from extra attention.
• Their tendency to take precautions can, at times, improve outcomes.
• They can be good at solving problems, as they worry about them more than most people.

Tips for working with pessimists:

• Suggest making pros and cons lists to help them challenge their automatic perceptions of positives and negatives.
• Channel your most sincere inner optimist when dealing with them to achieve balance.
• Yield a simple “why?” to make them pause and consider their default negative mindset.
• Point out instances where their actions led directly to positive outcomes.

Check out our sources for further reading on pessimists:

• GoodTherapy – Pessimism
• National Library of Medicine – The Neural Basis of Optimism and Pessimism
• Berkeley Well-Being Institute: Pessimism: Definition, Examples, & Characteristics
• GQ – Why Your Brain is Wired for Pessimism—and What You Can Do to Fix It

WATERCOOLER TALK

International Women’s Day is March 8

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SPILL THE TEA

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⭐ Answer here.