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What personality type are you?

by Hope

5 hours ago

Rethinking Success: The Good News, the Bad News, and the Hidden Cost of Getting Good

by Hope

10 hours ago

...See more I want to start with a confession: the concept I’m sharing today is not something I grew up understanding. It is something I only came to realize after observing, reading, and learning about the lives of many people who managed to build truly exceptional things. When the reality of how success actually works first hit me, it was honestly a bit of a shock. It can even feel a little heartbreaking, especially for those of us who carry strong expectations for ourselves or naturally protect our egos. I’m sharing this here today for anyone who might still be holding onto the same old assumptions I used to have. If I had to summarize what I’ve learned, it comes down to a mix of good news and bad news. The Good News: Almost everything you hope to achieve, for the most part, is genuinely achievable. The path is not reserved for a chosen few. The Bad News: It is going to cost a lot more than you could possibly imagine. Not necessarily in money, but in time, repetition, discomfort, and your willingness to look foolish along the way. The Myth of the Natural Gift When we see someone achieve extraordinary things, we tend to assume there must be something fundamentally different about them. We tell ourselves they are uniquely talented, naturally disciplined, or gifted with some rare quality the rest of us simply lack. But the more I read about people who become exceptionally good at something, the more I notice a much less exciting pattern: they worked, a lot. While Malcolm Gladwell popularized the famous "10,000 hours" idea in Outliers, the broader point goes beyond a specific number. Becoming exceptionally good at anything requires an enormous volume of practice, repetition, experimentation, and time. And that points to a truth we don't talk about often enough: you have to be willing to be bad at something for a while. There is an old equestrian saying that captures this perfectly: “You can't learn to ride a horse if you are worried about how you look while sitting on one.” If protecting your image is your top priority, you will never give yourself the space to absorb the bumps, make mistakes, or ride through the awkward early stages. To eventually succeed, you have to be willing to fail, look foolish, put out mediocre work, face rejection, and repeat the process anyway. As writer Samuel Butler put it: “Everyone has a mass of bad work in him which he will have to work off and get rid of before he can do better.” Why Quantity Leads to Quality It takes the mystery out of achievement when you accept that a mountain of mediocre attempts lies between where you are and where you want to be. In her book Mindset, Carol Dweck references a photography class split into two groups. One group was graded solely on producing one perfect photograph, while the other was graded on the sheer quantity of photos they took. Surprisingly, the quantity group produced the highest quality images. While the perfection group spent all their time theorizing, the quantity group took risks, made mistakes, learned from their bad shots, and refined their craft through real practice. We often think quality comes first and quantity comes later, but quantity is usually how you arrive at quality. We see the final outcome: the peak athlete, the bestseller, or the thriving business. However, we rarely see the thousands of ugly attempts, missed shots, failed ideas, and frustrating sessions that preceded it. Exceptional people often aren't operating on magic. They simply kept producing, failing, and learning longer than most people were willing to. If you take 100 shots at something, you have 100 chances to get it right. If you only take five because you’re waiting until you feel ready or good enough, you’ve dramatically reduced your odds. Accounting for the True Cost of Entry This is where the idea gets uncomfortable: the cost of success is often much higher than we imagine. It may take three times longer than you hoped, require far more repetition, and involve way more judgment or self-doubt than you prepared for. Looking foolish for an extended period might simply be part of the cost of entry. Hard work doesn't guarantee success. Luck, timing, health, and resources always play a role. But there is comfort in knowing there is a path: doing the work, doing a lot of it, and continuing even when you don't have immediate proof that it's paying off. Sometimes, the main reason people don't reach their goals is simply that the price turned out to be higher than they were willing to pay. A Few Questions to Reflect On If you’re currently working toward a goal, here are three exercises to sit with. Feel free to reply with your thoughts below, or just jot them down privately: Look at someone you admire. Choose someone who has succeeded in an area you care about like fitness, writing, or business. Look past their finished result. What do you think their failure-to-success ratio actually was? How many hidden, terrible attempts came before the thing that finally worked? Count the true cost. What did their path cost them in terms of time, discomfort, rejection, and starting over? Have you realistically accounted for what your own goal might cost you if it takes 100 attempts instead of 10? Remove the fear of judgment. Imagine failure carried zero risk of embarrassment. Other people couldn't judge you, rejection didn't hurt, and setbacks didn't count against you. What would you actually pursue? What are you willing to risk looking like while trying to get it? As Jim Rohn famously said: “If you think trying is risky, wait till they hand you the bill for not trying.” Everything carries a cost. Trying is uncomfortable, but staying still has its own price tag. Recommended Reading If you want to explore these ideas further, here are two great books on the subject: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck: A foundational look at ability, effort, and how we respond to initial failure. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell: A great dive into how practice, timing, and opportunity intersect.

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by AffyAvo

1 day ago

What have you done to prevent burnout today? Preventing Burnout at 7 Cups

by Hope

1 day ago

Review the 7 Cups App and Earn a Badge! (Listener)

by Heather

1 day ago

Forum Guideline Refresher: Listener Boundaries & Utilizing Member Accounts

by Heather225

Monday

...See more Whether you are new to the community or a seasoned Listener, it’s always good to refresh ourselves on the guidelines that keep our platform safe. One topic that comes up often is Listener Boundaries (specifically Forum Guideline 7) and knowing when to use a Member account. The Golden Rule: Maintain the Listener Role When you are logged into your Listener account, your primary focus should be on giving support. If you are going through a tough time, need to vent, or are looking for emotional support for your own personal struggles, please switch over to your Member account. This ensures that anyone reaching out to a Listener is connecting with someone who is currently in the right headspace to help. ------------------------- Relating vs. Seeking Support It is totally natural to want to connect, but there is a clear line between empathizing with someone and accidentally reversing roles: * Okay (Relating): Briefly mentioning a past experience to validate a Member's feelings and show them they aren't alone. (e.g., "I hear you. When I dealt with anxiety, I felt really overwhelmed too.") * Not Okay (Seeking Support): Sharing your current struggles in a way that shifts the focus to you, which puts the Member in the uncomfortable position of having to comfort you. ------------------------- Keep Your Accounts Separate To protect everyone's boundaries, 7 Cups requires your Listener and Member identities to remain completely separate. * Please do not link your two accounts in your bio or username. * Avoid announcing, "I'm going to switch to my Member account now." Just log out and log back in! * Keeping these separate stops lines from blurring and prevents Members from feeling obligated to support a Listener they previously confided in. Listener Boundaries are enforced in Forum rule #7: "Users are expected to maintain a listener role if on a listener account. This includes not seeking emotional or personal support and following the expectations of a listener outlined in active listening. Please switch to a member account if necessary." Please note that violations of this guideline result in post removal. ------------------------- What About Listener Support? If you had a heavy chat and need to decompress about your listening experience, that is what Listener-only spaces, such as the Listener Support Room [https://www.7cups.com/chat/?c=2_2b554a18cf379d85bN8W7-fzi03rI51eauafmg], Peer Supporters [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2yFIiL6az6UEOc5LNqOOERpM7D0g8F49x0qjbIq7QwhJOBQ/viewform], and Mentors [https://www.7cups.com/listener/training/mentors/]are for! However, if you need to talk about your own real-life problems, please log into your Member account to get the dedicated support you deserve. Taking care of your own mental health is just as important as being there for others. By keeping these boundaries clear, we keep the community safe, organized, and supportive for everyone.

Follow us on social media!

by Hope

Sunday

...See more Hi everyone, I hope you all are well. Did you know you can follow 7 Cups on your favorite social media platforms? Social media can be a mixed place, on one end we can find accounts/pages related to all of our favorite things but on the other hand, it can make us compare ourselves to others and sometimes interact with less than positive content. On our social media accounts, we share positive content focusing on inspirational quotes, the great things happening in our community, and what's up in the mental health world with a little fun in between. Our aim is to provide you with content that is good for your mental health. Following 7Cups social media accounts not only makes a positive impact on your feed, but it also helps us reach more people. More people can know about our platform and can benefit from our mission. That's quite a win, win if you ask me! To acknowledge and show our appreciation for the support you show you and us! Everyone who follows the following social media accounts will receive the ‘Super Supporter badge' Instagram - @7Cups [https://www.instagram.com/7cups/] Twitter - @7Cups [https://twitter.com/7cups] & @7CupsTeen [https://twitter.com/7CupsTeen] Facebook - 7CupsOfTea [https://www.facebook.com/7CupsOfTea/] Youtube - 7 Cups of Tea [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYsco2bYgzQzUsLnaO899Qg] LinkedIn - 7-cups [https://www.linkedin.com/company/7-cups] You can also follow 7 Cups Academy on LinkedIn! 7-cups-academy [https://www.linkedin.com/company/7-cups-academy/] Step 1) Hit follow! (We understand that not everyone has accounts on all social media platforms so you can follow the ones that you have accounts on) Step 2) Reply to this thread and let us know that you have followed us!

Sexual Feelings and Sexx Chat

by GlenM

Sunday

Forum Post Count

by AffyAvo

Thursday

Review 7 Cups app and earn the iGrow badge! (Members)

by Heather

September 5th

...See more Hi everyone, When people look for help on the Web, they normally search for things like "I need someone to talk to" or "depression chat" in Google. Google then points them to 7 cups and we are able to help them. The Apple app store or Google Play store, unfortunately, does not do the same. It has a search box, but it is harder for people to find us there. One way we can help them find us and get help on 7 Cups is by providing a steady stream of reviews in the Google play store and Apple app store. In short, helping people through the app store is considerably harder than helping people on Google. How can we make it easier for people to find us? The more reviews we add each week, the easier it is for people to find us. Towards that end, we've created a new badge for anyone that provides a review in the Google play store or Apple app store. It is called iGrow. How do you get the badge? Simply leave us a review on either Google play or App store (depending upon whether you have an android or apple device) and then post here in this thread and we'll award the badge to you. Here are links to the app store: U.S.: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/7-cups-tea-free-emotional/id921814681 UK: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/7-cups-tea-free-emotional/id921814681 And for people in other locations, you can find your country abbreviation here: https://www.apple.com/choose-your-country/ [/www.apple.com/choose-your-country/] Here is the link to google play store: All: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sevencupsoftea.app Thank you! ﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎ Follow 7 Cups on social media Instagram - @7Cups [https://www.instagram.com/7cups/] | Twitter - @7Cups [https://twitter.com/7cups] & @7CupsTeen [https://twitter.com/7CupsTeen] | Facebook - 7CupsOfTea [https://www.facebook.com/7CupsOfTea/] | Youtube - 7 Cups of Tea [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYsco2bYgzQzUsLnaO899Qg] ﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎ Updated on May 29, 2020 by Hope

September 2026 Community Update!

by GlenM

September 4th

...See more Dear Community, Summer is winding down. 3 of my 4 kids are now in college. The last year for the twins, one just starting as a freshman, and 1 still at home as a freshman in high school. We’ve never had just one child in the home before, so this is new for all of us. I’ve been watching a lot of anime (Princess Mononoke and Castle in the Sky) and learning more about fashion. 2 things I never thought I’d be learning about! I also just got back from taking my dad on a bucket list trip. He is starting to slow down a bit. It was a rich experience that I’ll share more about soon. Things are moving ahead on the peer support credentialing program. We have just about all of the content and tests done and need to submit the curriculum for review soon. Hopefully they will think we did a good job! 50 listeners have been approached to participate in a Carnegie Mellon University study. Their team created a very robust training program. The bot acts like a fake member and gives your real time feedback on how much trust you have built, real time feedback on the interventions, and scores on competencies. Shout out to @jenna; @annasilverberg, and @soulfullyabutterfly for giving CMU key and insightful feedback! We anticipate good results. When we are ready we’ll release the training to the entire listener population. It should be very good! I’ve also been doing more work on the Way of the River series. Trying to carve out time to make shorter and more helpful videos! I have a couple of essays that I’ll be publishing soon too. I’ll drop the links here and in the comments tomorrow. Feedback is very welcome! Main Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/glen-moriarty_in-2021-headspace-merged-with-ginger-at-share-7500232716207144960-na4Q/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACeaMMBiMyoO9LlEjNcPrn7aNTWsHVNumI [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/glen-moriarty_in-2021-headspace-merged-with-ginger-at-share-7500232716207144960-na4Q/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACeaMMBiMyoO9LlEjNcPrn7aNTWsHVNumI] Part I: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-ai-keep-disrupting-mental-health-introducing-fit-part-moriarty-lspif/ [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-ai-keep-disrupting-mental-health-introducing-fit-part-moriarty-lspif/] Part II: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-vc-got-mental-health-wrong-understanding-fit-part-glen-moriarty-kbtkf/ [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-vc-got-mental-health-wrong-understanding-fit-part-glen-moriarty-kbtkf/] And, as noted by H below, Hope stepped away from her role as Dean of the Academy in August as she pursued a new opportunity which did not allow her to continue with 7 Cups. With some changes in circumstances, she’ll now be returning to 7 Cups and resuming her role with the Academy. She’ll be picking up her Academy responsibilities again, so you can begin reaching out to her regarding the areas she previously supported. We’re grateful to have her continuing to be part of our community and team. I appreciate you all! Best, GlenM H As you may know, our beloved Hope stepped away from her admin role in August to pursue a new opportunity that meant she could no longer continue with 7 Cups. We’re very happy to share that she’ll now be returning to her role with the Academy! Please feel free to reach out to Hope again regarding her usual Academy responsibilities. You can refer to this post [https://www.7cups.com/forum/siteupdates/General_2444/CommunityAnnouncementAdminRosterFarewelltoHope_388544/] for the updated list of Community Team contacts. Given my limited hours, I have been reaching out to the community for help with tasks. I am still in chats with folks and sorting assignments, but so far these are the wonderful community members who have stepped forward to take ownership of several key areas. In no particular order: @MeilleureAmie - Project Agent of the Community Beacon Campaign @Ivy229 - Academy Mentor Highlights @TovaCares76 - The Listener Community Room (LCR) Events Team @ChillingRain - Mentor Leader for the Verified Listener Program @AnnaSilverberg and @Rebekah have both stepped up to be more visible contacts to you on the site for safety and site questions, so feel free to message them The true strength of 7 Cups lies in our shared wisdom and willingness to support one another. I am endlessly grateful to everyone who is pitching in to share the load right now. Caring for our community is a collective effort, and it is a privilege to work alongside you. SoulfullyAButterfly The team has been planning regular monthly community events as well as new opportunities to connect in safe spaces such as group chats - we are excited to be launching a teen Huddle space soon! At the moment, you are welcome to apply to the re-launched LGBTQ+ Huddle [https://www.7cups.com/forum/groupmod/7CupsHuddles_2394/Announcingournew247LGBTQHuddle_387278/] and can also apply to the upcoming next batch of the Wellness Accountability Huddle [https://www.7cups.com/forum/groupmod/7CupsHuddles_2394/AreYouReadytoTackleYourGoalsJointheWellnessAccountabilityHuddle_374041/]. Bookworm4 ATL and Safety reports were timely processed as per our community guidelines. Please note that you can reach out to me directly for any concerns or questions Ambassador Highlights: Jenna We’ve been working hard on Peer Support [https://www.7cups.com/forum/ListenerLearningJourney_149/PeerSupport_397/ApplyToBecomeAPeerSupportInfo_298837/] outreach for the past month, with 14 applying for the team. We are working hard toward our goals to better equip the team with support and increase our quality. We are also working toward changing the quota for the team to bring more engagement into the listener rooms and showing availability to listeners who join the room and need our support. Rebekah The Safety Team has seen a *record-breaking* amount of flags and members joining! Since the beginning of this year, we have onboarded 22 users to Safety Patrol, and have achieved 1,535 flags. That is 🌞 phenomenal 🌞 and I am so proud of the team for achieving this! As always, we are looking for new members to join Safety Patrol! Feel free to read our guide [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vBXLvo7gLMewIM1lhnZ2g8MXAnq4sMwxqXgxzTJCDos/edit#heading=h.xy53ihg3emsp], make sure you meet the requirements, and then apply ✅

7 Cups for the searching soul book - Read and review to get a badge!

by Hope

September 2nd

...See more Hi everyone, I hope you are doing well. Some of you may be aware that we have our very own book! It's called the 7 Cups for the searching soul. There is even a training /self-help guide based on the same book. The book focuses on helping you understand your behavior better, provide you with tips and tricks to grow as a person, and provides in-depth information about how our platforms can support you with your journey of growth. We encourage everyone to read the book and reflect on its contents. The admin team and I have read the book and we have really enjoyed the overall experience. You can download your copy of the book on Amazon for free here [https://www.amazon.com/7-Cups-Searching-Soul-7Cups-ebook/dp/B01BFWMCXY] * Please note that the book is available in the following Amazon marketplaces: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Spain, France, Italy, Australia, and the Netherlands. Don't see your country listed? We've got you covered! Please find PDF and MOBI versions here [https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/611898]. To get the Soul Searcher badge please follow the following steps: Download the e-book from Amazon (if your country provides it) or use the second link and read it. Leave us a review on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/7-Cups-Searching-Soul-7Cups-ebook/dp/B01BFWMCXY] or Good reads [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28930126-7-cups-for-the-searching-soul?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=465CcxbNjk&rank=1]. Respond to this thread, let us know you did step 1 & 2 and tell us what were your favourite bits! We will appreciate your support in downloading and reviewing the book as more downloads/reviews help us reach and support more people.

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@Daniel99232

@colorfulSpace

@politeAcai3460

@HelenListens

@Psynan7

@SilverSmile004

@Smilesweetie

@hopefulDancer6708

@peacefulscorpion

@SimplyCompassionate

@Mandie108

@raphael86

@Bow64

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