Have you seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? It happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies. My childhood best friend Jaimee and I know every line + every song. Do you remember the awful Veruca Salt? Guess what? She’s the embodiment of our default brain setting. Yep. We evolved as a species to seek immediate gratification. Just like Veruca. Our brain isn't wired to give a hoot about our long-term health. It only cares that we survive long enough to get our DNA into the next generation (and get a Golden Goose). The journalist (and meditation student) Dan Harris summed this concept up beautifully in a recent episode of his 10% Happier podcast… “We are not naturally inclined to do things like exercise … [Read more...] about What’s the Rush?
Before You Try That Sexy New Fad Diet…
Do you sometimes feel like you’re putting a ridiculous amount of energy into trying to lose weight, but getting nowhere? Like a hamster spinning round and round on its wheel. You’re not alone. When we decide it’s time to lose weight, we want results and we want them NOW! And the fastest way to get results is to follow some “perfect” diet. Which is true – if you stick with that “perfect” diet long-term. But we don’t stick with those diets. Maybe we adhere to it for a few weeks or a few months before our willpower tank hits empty and we devour 47 cookies at Aunt Jane’s cookie exchange. And once we’ve “screwed up,” we inevitably say, “screw it!” See if this pattern looks familiar… Ooh, shiny new diet!Fail at shiny new … [Read more...] about Before You Try That Sexy New Fad Diet…
Disarming Discomfort
Let’s say you’re walking past a house on fire. Do you run inside, on the off chance that someone might be in there? Probably not. You know you’ll get burned. Instead, you call the fire department. But let’s say you arrive at the house and realize your baby is inside. You race inside the house, forgetting about your own discomfort, desperately searching for your child. When you find your baby, grab her, and bring her outside, you’re probably suffering burns and smoke inhalation. Do you care much? Not in that moment. You might not even feel the pain at all, your adrenaline is so high. All you care about is your child. Notice how you’re willing to tolerate discomfort in the service of a higher purpose - saving … [Read more...] about Disarming Discomfort
Is This Useful?
The human mind is uniquely brilliant. Our remarkable cognitive capacity has allowed us to develop cures for deadly diseases like smallpox and tuberculosis, build skyscrapers and land on the moon. But we humans have a tendency to misuse this wondrous capability. We imagine horrible outcomes that are unlikely to play out. We lie in bed at night and fixate on our to-do list or the stupid comment we made or the email we forgot to send. We overthink, we ruminate, we obsess, we worry. In short, we create a whole bunch of unnecessary suffering. Getting in the habit of asking a simple question, “Is this useful?” can help curb these behaviors. Whether we’re worried about the wording of an email or over-thinking the consequences of … [Read more...] about Is This Useful?