Each new blog entry has me promising myself to become more
disciplined in my writing and posting. As you can see from the dates, I fail.
So I changed from grandiose dreams of daily submissions to a more practical goal of
once a week. Procrastination trickles into my exercise schedule,
my Face Book management and other media posts. It even affects my
correspondence efforts. Does anyone else have this problem?
My days feel like there is just too much going on. As I reexamine my activities and what could cause the hours to vaporize, there are so many different interruptions and distractions that I don’t know which one to blame. Yet, the searching raises a reoccurring question. "Why is it easier to give-in to self-destructive behavior than it is to follow a sound, healthy, habits?
My understanding is that we invest the most time into the things from which we feel the greatest (immediate) benefit. An example of this would be in the case of a child that learns that misbehaving brings more attention than being good. This often re-enforcement causes the child to chose naughty behavior-even if the attention is painful. There is an endorphin release from every emotion whether it is pain or pleasure. After a while, our addiction to the chemical creates a 'scar;' something similar to a scratch on an old LP record or a rut in a road frequently traveled. It becomes something easy to fall into. I believe that when we feel there are not enough endorphins from happy or healthy habits we chose the other direction. It is illogical but satisfying.
Discipline is its own reward but I am trying to establish a baby step program that begins to erase the old behavior by giving me a new stimulus. A few years ago I learned a handy sales tool. It was to write a ‘5 Most Important Things’ list. It’s part of breaking a big goal down into baby steps. To do it, write a list of 5 things that you want to complete every night before going to bed. These should be things that will help move you toward your ultimate goal.
It helps to write the items in order of their priority. The next day give your attention to ONLY the first thing on the list. Draw a line through it as it is completed. The line drawing is a nice little neuro-chemical release in itself. When it is completed celebrate with a stretch, a glass of juice or some other short feel good reward. Working from a list helps keep you focused regardless of interruptions. If the list is not completed by the end of the day, just move any remaining item(s) to the top of the next day’s list.
My days feel like there is just too much going on. As I reexamine my activities and what could cause the hours to vaporize, there are so many different interruptions and distractions that I don’t know which one to blame. Yet, the searching raises a reoccurring question. "Why is it easier to give-in to self-destructive behavior than it is to follow a sound, healthy, habits?
My understanding is that we invest the most time into the things from which we feel the greatest (immediate) benefit. An example of this would be in the case of a child that learns that misbehaving brings more attention than being good. This often re-enforcement causes the child to chose naughty behavior-even if the attention is painful. There is an endorphin release from every emotion whether it is pain or pleasure. After a while, our addiction to the chemical creates a 'scar;' something similar to a scratch on an old LP record or a rut in a road frequently traveled. It becomes something easy to fall into. I believe that when we feel there are not enough endorphins from happy or healthy habits we chose the other direction. It is illogical but satisfying.
Discipline is its own reward but I am trying to establish a baby step program that begins to erase the old behavior by giving me a new stimulus. A few years ago I learned a handy sales tool. It was to write a ‘5 Most Important Things’ list. It’s part of breaking a big goal down into baby steps. To do it, write a list of 5 things that you want to complete every night before going to bed. These should be things that will help move you toward your ultimate goal.
It helps to write the items in order of their priority. The next day give your attention to ONLY the first thing on the list. Draw a line through it as it is completed. The line drawing is a nice little neuro-chemical release in itself. When it is completed celebrate with a stretch, a glass of juice or some other short feel good reward. Working from a list helps keep you focused regardless of interruptions. If the list is not completed by the end of the day, just move any remaining item(s) to the top of the next day’s list.
As human
beings, we often feel that we dance through our days in a "deep sleep." We believe that our
destiny is controlled by a higher power, when in truth, we are the
choreographers given full authority by the Creator.
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