More on Rhythms…
I've been writing about rhythms, patterns and habits quite a bit, lately… we all have them and most of us will "fall into" rhythms… they can be taught, created, programmed… and they can even be used to manipulate us by governments and corporations… mostly, though, it is about desire, understanding, and discipline. The desire to use what is really a part of our nature and to take control of it; an understanding and learning of HOW we can make patterns and rhythms consciously and to make them work for us; and finally, the discipline to do the work so that they become "auto-pilot" behaviors leading toward our objectives.
It starts with one day… one commitment… one pattern you want to create. It will take willpower, but only until you create a pattern / a habit… then the autonomic nervous system takes over.
Document it… before and after… set the expectation of a time and a place in writing… then come back to it.
Food journals… weight lifting journals… etc. - these all exist because they work… if you want to build a pattern and make it automatic, then you need to first use your will power to make it conscious and to make it happen… writing reinforces that behavior… the goal is to move from consciously making yourself execute the desired behavior to letting that become a part of your natural patterns.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
Rhythms...
Rhythms… patterns… habits… whatever you want to call them, we all have them.
Some are genetic… built into our DNA (think our link to a circadian lifestyle)… some are socio-cultural (types of meat we eat for breakfast or the length of our work day)… some are familial (my dad left for work at 6am and got home no later than 630pm… every day)… some are individual (I hit the gym no later than 530a every day… I write in my journal every morning before I hit the gym)…
It doesn’t matter - patterns and rhythms fill our days… by having these in our lives, our brains "move" these behaviors to the sub-conscious level to free our brains up for other activities. Have you ever been driving and then realized you started driving home on "auto-pilot"? That is your sub-conscious being triggered by something (common scenery, etc.), conscious mind being distracted (great song, phone call, kids in the back, thinking, whatever…) and you find yourself halfway home and going in the wrong direction from where you needed to go… happens to me all the time.
The thing is, I think the benefits outweigh the negatives… and, what is cooler, is that we can control, plan, and create these patterns. Unfortunately, and what is also a curiosity to me is that most people won't make the choice to actively choose and build these patterns In fact, that is what marketers and brands count on… they study our behaviors and our patterns… then spend billions of dollars to create products, ads, and techniques to pull us in, unconsciously, so that we can be "driven" on "auto-pilot". There have been tons of studies on this type of "manipulation" paid for and conducted by corporations and governments. That's fine… I don’t have anything against that, I think it is great to understand our wiring… knowing this, though, fuels my need to try to control it… HOW can I better understand my wiring and systems to "create" and control what I want to have happen vs. some corporation or government?
This is at the heart of change... creating the change that you are looking for in your life... your fitness... your business... at the heart of that change is knowing HOW you or your business is "wired" and the habits and patterns that exist...
Socrates instructed us to "Know Thyself"… it is important that you do… because someone will do it for you if you don’t pay attention.
Some are genetic… built into our DNA (think our link to a circadian lifestyle)… some are socio-cultural (types of meat we eat for breakfast or the length of our work day)… some are familial (my dad left for work at 6am and got home no later than 630pm… every day)… some are individual (I hit the gym no later than 530a every day… I write in my journal every morning before I hit the gym)…
It doesn’t matter - patterns and rhythms fill our days… by having these in our lives, our brains "move" these behaviors to the sub-conscious level to free our brains up for other activities. Have you ever been driving and then realized you started driving home on "auto-pilot"? That is your sub-conscious being triggered by something (common scenery, etc.), conscious mind being distracted (great song, phone call, kids in the back, thinking, whatever…) and you find yourself halfway home and going in the wrong direction from where you needed to go… happens to me all the time.
The thing is, I think the benefits outweigh the negatives… and, what is cooler, is that we can control, plan, and create these patterns. Unfortunately, and what is also a curiosity to me is that most people won't make the choice to actively choose and build these patterns In fact, that is what marketers and brands count on… they study our behaviors and our patterns… then spend billions of dollars to create products, ads, and techniques to pull us in, unconsciously, so that we can be "driven" on "auto-pilot". There have been tons of studies on this type of "manipulation" paid for and conducted by corporations and governments. That's fine… I don’t have anything against that, I think it is great to understand our wiring… knowing this, though, fuels my need to try to control it… HOW can I better understand my wiring and systems to "create" and control what I want to have happen vs. some corporation or government?
This is at the heart of change... creating the change that you are looking for in your life... your fitness... your business... at the heart of that change is knowing HOW you or your business is "wired" and the habits and patterns that exist...
Socrates instructed us to "Know Thyself"… it is important that you do… because someone will do it for you if you don’t pay attention.
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