Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg is my favorite self help book of all time and a great option for anyone interested in the small steps way of working habits into your life.
I think I mentioned this in one of your posts a while ago, but something he gets into in his book that I now see as conspicuously absent from other self help materials (Charles Duhigg's habit book comes close and is less practical about this but a better theoretical overview) is celebration. It took some practice and experimentation for me but since I've gotten good at not only finding the right tiny steps to begin something, but really feeling good when I do, it's given me a great edge at wiring in positive habits. It makes you feel excited and empowered to expand your new habits.
It's like when you have one manager who nothing is good enough for and who always points out what you did wrong and makes you feel bad, which makes you want to skate by and do the bare minimum. I've noticed when managers actually appreciate what I do I suddenly want to go above and beyond.
I tend to rely on my "won'tpower" rather than willpower. I decide what I'm not going to do. That's how I quit smoking and drinking years ago. I find won'tpower to be a lot easier than willpower. As they say, to each his or her own!
It's interesting to me how quickly willpower and energy can swing from one extreme to the other. A person can expend so much willpower resisting the urge to drink, but when they mentally concede and give in to their desire, that same person will be willing to walk through a hurricane to get to the liquor store. If only those mysterious reserves of energy could be utilized for positive things instead .
Thanks for the shoutout Michael! Just hit 7 years in a row doing my daily pushups. I do 250 every day now. It’s included in a daily 30 minute workout I knock out every morning. All started with one!
It's perhaps worth noting that the theory willpower is like a phone battery has been challenged, with some studies suggesting that will power is only limited in this way when people believe it is limited. See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20876879/ for an example of research challenging this belief.
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg is my favorite self help book of all time and a great option for anyone interested in the small steps way of working habits into your life.
I think I mentioned this in one of your posts a while ago, but something he gets into in his book that I now see as conspicuously absent from other self help materials (Charles Duhigg's habit book comes close and is less practical about this but a better theoretical overview) is celebration. It took some practice and experimentation for me but since I've gotten good at not only finding the right tiny steps to begin something, but really feeling good when I do, it's given me a great edge at wiring in positive habits. It makes you feel excited and empowered to expand your new habits.
It's like when you have one manager who nothing is good enough for and who always points out what you did wrong and makes you feel bad, which makes you want to skate by and do the bare minimum. I've noticed when managers actually appreciate what I do I suddenly want to go above and beyond.
I tend to rely on my "won'tpower" rather than willpower. I decide what I'm not going to do. That's how I quit smoking and drinking years ago. I find won'tpower to be a lot easier than willpower. As they say, to each his or her own!
It's interesting to me how quickly willpower and energy can swing from one extreme to the other. A person can expend so much willpower resisting the urge to drink, but when they mentally concede and give in to their desire, that same person will be willing to walk through a hurricane to get to the liquor store. If only those mysterious reserves of energy could be utilized for positive things instead .
I'm covering the topic of "energy" on Wednesday.
Thanks for the shoutout Michael! Just hit 7 years in a row doing my daily pushups. I do 250 every day now. It’s included in a daily 30 minute workout I knock out every morning. All started with one!
So awesome. Keep up the great work! It's inspiring.
It's perhaps worth noting that the theory willpower is like a phone battery has been challenged, with some studies suggesting that will power is only limited in this way when people believe it is limited. See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20876879/ for an example of research challenging this belief.
Thanks for flagging that! I'll read the study.
Change your environment - change your behavior. It's that simple - but so many people struggle with this
Bingo!