Excerpt from 12 RULES OF LIFE by Jordon Peterson
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Rule Number 1:
Stand up straight with your shoulders back.
To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to open yourself up to the
world.
It’s the opposite of a defensive posture. This competent stance -head up, shoulders back – isn’t meant to be combative, but is designed to
help us feel and therefore be courageous.
Psychology has long recognized that good posture helps support good state of mind, and Peterson’s thoughts on this matter are consistent with that idea.
He writes –
“To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open. It means deciding to voluntarily transform the chaos of potential into the realities of habitable order … It means willingly undertaking the sacrifices necessary to generate a productive and meaningful reality.”
According to him, good posture can actually help us trick ourselves into the courage you want to have. Peterson believes people with good character often have good posture. He cites the military as a good example. And since character is everything, good posture is a good place to start.
Takeaway:
“So attend carefully to your posture. Quit drooping and launching around. Speak your mind … Walk tall and gaze forthrightly ahead.”
