Note: I’m referring to being proud of things you’ve done, not being proud of your identity or things outside your control, such as the country you happened to be born in. There’s nothing wrong with that sort of pride – it’s just not what I’m talking about here. Would you rather feel pleasure or pride? Pleasure is certainly more tempting. It’s easily accessible, and it calls out strongly, begging for… Read More »Pleasure vs. Pride
Have you ever thought about the true meaning of the phrase, “on purpose?” In everyday language, doing something on purpose means you intended to do it – it wasn’t an accident. But the words hint at a deeper meaning. To do something on purpose means to act in alignment with your life’s purpose. To be on purpose means organizing your habits and your environment around the actions that serve your… Read More »Living “On Purpose”
Apparently, we’ve all been reading The Declaration of Independence wrong. In Happy for No Reason, Marci Shimoff explains what “the pursuit of happiness” actually meant: “Back in Jefferson’s day… the common usage of the word ‘pursue’ was not ‘to chase after.’ In 1776, to pursue something meant to practice that activity, to do it regularly, to make a habit of it.”1 So Jefferson meant that we should be free to… Read More »Don’t Chase Happiness, Practice It
The biggest obstacle to habit formation is inconsistency. Remember, creating a habit is like bushwhacking a new trail through the forest: If you don’t retrace your steps frequently, the path will quickly become overgrown and lost. The gold standard for overcoming this obstacle is to do the same thing, at the same time, in the same place, every single day. If you can do that, you’ll have a rock-solid habit.… Read More »The Two Kinds of Daily Habits