The Hidden Costs of Success: Nine Ways Inner Friction Holds Us B

I really enjoy Professor Ma Xin’s livestreams—he always speaks straight to my heart. Probably because our educational backgrounds, life experiences, and work journeys are quite similar, the way we look at problems is very much aligned. That’s why his guidance has been so helpful to me.

Recently, his main topic has been about “inner friction” (ANTS: Automatic Negative Thoughts), which includes nine psychological traps:

-- Iron Man (over-responsibility, carrying more than one’s virtue or strength can support)
-- Saintly Heart (over-worrying, carrying everyone’s burdens)
-- Fragile Glass Heart (over-sensitivity)
-- Blind Spot Under the Lamp (cognitive bias, needing to cultivate habits of gratitude and appreciation)
-- Jinxed Mouth (negative self-suggestion)
-- Superstitious Confusion (easily swayed by others, lacking inner steadiness)
-- Conditional Happiness (always postponing joy, even when everything is already in place)
-- Rigid Thinking (black-and-white mindset, lacking flexibility)
-- Constant Rush (chronic stress, lacking relaxation and ease)