Have you seen Benjamin Zander? He is wonderful, and he has a life-hack that I’ve adopted. When something happens which is hard to grasp, perhaps really not something you wanted, or just out-of-the-blue odd, he throws his arms into the air, and exclaims How fascinating! When a colleague make a decision that is totally off, or you kid paints all over the new sofa with permanent markers. When you accidentally put a teaspoon of salt into the pot instead of sugar, or open the washing machine only to notice that in the white laundry a red sock was hidden, turning the entire load pink.
How fascinating!
This exclamation surprises me. It shifts the inner dialogue. It’s like an old-fashioned record-player, that jumps a song if you bump into it. Might scratch the record a bit at that, but you suddenly hear a new tune, and not the one you believed was coming. That’s what happens to me at least.
And I must say, using Benjamin Zanders wonderful How fascinating is a great way to become more gentle with yourself, especially in instances when you’re the one who messed up. When I was the one who loaded the washing machine. When I was the one making the dessert inedible. When I do something so stupid I don’t even want to own up to it.
How fascinating!
It changes the inner dialogue. Try it!
First published on my blog on July 17th, 2016: https://helenaroth.com/doing-gentle-27-how-fascinating/
Website: https://helenaroth.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/helenaroth
FB: https://www.facebook.com/HelenaRothChangeAgent
Audio production: Caspian Almerud
Photography: Anders Roos http://www.andersroos.nu/
Soundtrack: Olof Jennfors Ljudtjänst http://jennforsljud.se/