lbabauta's Blog

Hi guys ... just wanted to jump in here and put in my 2 cents regarding the heated discussion above.

First, I never get involved in religious arguments. I've rarely ever been involved in one that has changed anyone's mind or resolved any question. I've had some civil discussions on religious philosophy that went well, but once you start insulting someone's religion (or lack thereof), nothing good will come of it other than people being very angry at each other. So, while you guys are free to do as you wish, I suggest staying away from attacking another person's religion.

Second, I wanted to applaud Fekket for not deleting the post above, even if it offended her. She does a great job on these forums of stopping all the inevitable spam, and I want to thank her for that. I would never be able to do it, and without that job this forum would be useless. But in this case she held back on her first instinct to delete, because she believes in free discussions, as I do.

While I urge you guys not to attack each other, and to keep things civil, I hold most sacred your right to have a discussion, however heated. That doesn't mean you can just cuss at each other or flood this place with spam, but if you get angry at each other, or want to be rude, you should have that right.

Keep up the great work, Fekket!

Hi guys ... just wanted to let you know where I stand on the LOA, as asked here ... just remember that I'm just one guy, and this is just one guy's opinion, but since it was asked ...

I don't really believe in the Law of Attraction. I believe that it can work, but not for the reasons claimed in the "law" (which is not really a law or even a scientific theory, as it cannot be proven false).

The reason the Law of Attraction can work is because someone following it does the following three things:

1) Very specifically states what he/she wants -- something many people fail to do otherwise.

2) Constantly focuses on it.

3) Actually takes action to make it happen. This part isn't a part of LOA, but it naturally follows from 1 & 2.

The combination of those things will, more likely than not, make a desire or goal come true.

But not for the reasons that are stated in the Law of Attraction, as I've seen it stated. Most statements of the Law of Attraction (there are different definitions, which makes it hard to argue against it) use pseudo-scientific explanations for why LOA works, about how our thoughts go out into the physical world and influence it somehow. Various scientific phenomena, such as electromagnetism, are used in some of the explanations, but there have been no actual scientific studies done to support this theory, as far as I know. And as I said, the LOA cannot be proven false, and if a theory cannot be proven false, it is not scientific.

However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't take what is useful from LOA and put it into practice. If you can very specifically state what you want, constantly keep that goal on your mind (focus), and (this is important) take actual action to make it happen, you will have a great chance at achieving anything you put your mind to doing.

I'd love to hear more from others on what they think about this. Thanks for the great question, calande! I plan to repost this on Zen Habits, so thank you!

What new habit will you form this month? Use the power of the group to motivate you to success!

Remember:

1. One habit at a time is best.
2. Small goals are more successful in these challenges -- don't bite off too much at once.
3. If you post every day to this forum, you'll be more successful -- more accountability = better motivation.

Good luck everyone!

Looks like a lot of you are doing great in the beginning of this Challenge. I wanted to offer a couple tips:

The first few days can be the most difficult sometimes ... focus a lot of your energy on not allowing any exceptions during this time, and you'll get through it.

There are some other hurdles that will require your attention and energy and focus:

* After the first week, some people relax and allow exceptions to their habit.
* On weekends, because routines change, people often falter.
* After about three weeks, people often relax and sometimes falter.

It's better to know these obstacles in advance and focus on not letting them trip you up. While some people have faltered at these points, many have overcome them, so keep a positive attitude, and you can do it!

Remember to report daily, and have fun creating your new habit!

Leo

What's your challenge for January? Pick one habit to stick to for 30 days, and log in to report in the daily threads. This type of accountability will help you form you new habit.

Do the following:

1. Reply to this thread and post your challenge for January.
2. Make it a very accomplishable goal. Don't try to exercise every day for 1 hr. Try 5 or 10 minutes instead. Trust me, you'll be much more successful.
3. Those who post to the daily check-in threads every single day are much more successful. If you miss a day of reporting, you'll be fine, but the more consistent you are in reporting in, the better.
4. Keep a positive attitude! Expect setbacks now and then, but just note them and move on! No embarrassment in this challenge!

Good luck everyone!

Leo

Just to start things off, here's my challenge:

* Stick to new strength training plan ... just twice a week for November (will increase to 3x per week in December).
* Continue successful habits from previous months of daily exercise (with rest days as needed) and following my 2000 calorie healthy meal plan (with cheat meals each week).

I know a similar thread was started in the October Challenge forum, but let's start a new one to kick off this challenge:

What's your challenge for November?

A few guidelines:

* Choose just ONE habit to form for the month.
* Make it easily accomplishable, so you're more likely to be successful.
* Make it a daily habit if possible.
* Post your results in each day's Daily Thread, so you can be accountable to the group -- this will really help!

Good luck everyone!

My goal is to follow my new 2000 cal meal plan, and continue the habit of daily exercise.

I did great yesterday, until dinner, when I ate at my mom's house for my niece's birthday. I overdid it a little. Not as bad as in the past, though, so I'm making progress.

Still, I'm calling the day a success. Also did exercise in the morning.

So, 4-for-4!

The main thing is whether it's connected to a "trigger" ... something that immediately precedes the habit that triggers it. For example, if you habitually go running right after work, that can be a habit. And if you only work 5 days a week, the trigger only happens 5 days a week, and then so would the habit.

The connection between the trigger and the habit is what makes the habit strong ... if the connection isn't strong yet, the habit isn't strong.

I did well with my meal plan but blew dinner ... but I'm calling it one of my two cheat meals for the week, so I stayed on the plan. :)

I also did my morning exercise and then went running in the evening.

I'm 3-for-3!

I think most people report in the latest thread, adding their progress for yesterday (or today) and even previous days if they haven't been checking in. The most current thread is the one being read by most people, so that's where you want to be.

Glad you like the forum, Simple, and thanks for participating!

In the October Challenge forum, there is usually a daily check-in thread for each day ... just go to that thread, and hit the Post Reply button to add your report to the thread. If there isn't a thread yet for today's date, you can start a new thread, but be sure there isn't already one. Good luck!

I think I've already weighed in on this, but I'd like to add my answers:

1. Yes, they can be a part of a healthy diet ... in moderation. Too many eggs is unhealthy (more than 2 a day).
2. Eggs are not essential for a healthy diet. There are many good sources of protein and other nutrients, from plants for example.
3. There might be such a thing as cruelty-free eggs, but I doubt that they're available to most people. Most people don't know what happens to "free-range" chickens and eggs, let alone the regular kind.
4. Not really.
5. Very much so.

I'd like to hear your thoughts, Randy!

I've severely limited my blog and forum reading ... although I'm going to try to be more active on this forum now.

Read my Haiku Productivity post on Zen Habits for more on this ... basically, you have to restrict yourself ... just choose the top 10 blogs that are most valuable to you, and choose like 5-6 posts to read per day. Same thing on your forum ... just choose 5-6 posts to read and respond to, and mark the rest as read. You can't read everything! :)

My advice, based on trying to make this a habit myself recently:

Only do a very small amount of exercise each day. Don't try to resume your old workout, as it will be difficult and you will have a hard time forming the habit, and you are more likely to fail. Even 5-10 minutes is good for now, as you should focus on building the habit and not on how much exercise you're doing. After you do that for a month, you can increase the length or intensity, gradually.

Do it at the same time and place each day. Make it an appointment. Have a trigger for the habit (such as when you get off work), so you never forget. :)

I did this habit back in February ... it was excellent. Good luck!

What helped for me: write it down right away. Don't wait until the end of the day. Keep a small notebook, and write it as soon as possible. Really focus on this for a few days, and after that it'll become much easier. No exceptions!

I'm doing the same thing, Steve ... what helps for me is drinking water, and not staying up too late past dinner (or your blood-sugar level will be low and you'll have strong cravings). If you eat dinner too long before bedtime, plan a healthy snack a couple hours after dinner -- fruits or veggies.

@buzkie: My suggestions, based on my experience at Zen Habits:

1. Write at the same time every day. Instead of writing whenever you have time, dedicate a certain time for writing.

2. Make a list of post ideas, so you're never dry. Use inspiration from other blogs, magazines, books, people you talk to, and especially things you're doing in your everyday life.

3. Start with the headline, to keep yourself focused on one idea, so that you don't ramble ... keep the post concise and focused.

If you haven't read it yet, here are my tips:

http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/how-to-become-a-vegetarian-the-easy-way/

Did you read my early rising post on Zen Habits? It contains some tips for that problem (I used to do the same thing) ... most important, put the alarm far from you, so you have to get up to turn it off, and then just make it a habit to stumble into the bathroom. After being upright for a few minutes, you'll be fine.

I've been pretty consistent with following my meal plan. I did it yesterday (Oct. 2) and I'm feeling great! I'm 2-for-2!

Thanks, everyone, for participating. I hope to check in daily this month. :)

OK, guys, a day late, but here it is! What's your challenge for this month?

The only rules:

1. Choose only 1 habit. You might want to do more than 1, but it's pretty difficult.
2. Make it easy -- you want to be able to accomplish it. Don't make it too challenging.
3. Report daily, or as often as you can. Accountability is what makes this work.

That said, I'm going to try to participate this month. I didn't do it the last couple of months, but I have a new challenge for myself:

Stick to my meal plan each day (I've created a 2000-calorie meal plan) ... and continue my daily habit of exercise.

Sign up everyone!

I apologize, everyone, for my absence and for the delay with this Challenge. I've been swamped and my forum usage has dropped off the list of things I can do each day.

However, I consider my August Challenge (morning and evening routines) a success, even if I wasn't able to report my progress to you all.

I looked over the August Challenge, and it looks like some of you did great! Keep up the good work. Now I have a lot of other reading to do.

Anyway, I'm going to allow you guys to run the Challenge again this month, as I can't commit to daily posting. I'll try to keep up more, though.

So, although some of you have already started, please list your Challenge goal this month!

Remember, try to keep it to 1) a single habit for the month and 2) something very accomplishable!

Running. I've written about why on the Zen Habits blog recently, of course, but it's just a wonderful sport.

When I was younger, it was basketball. I haven't played in years, but I still love it.

OK ... sorry for the frustrations and the delay in response ... I try to stay away from the computer (and usually fail) on weekends. :)

Let me see if I can figure this out. It might be another problem associated with the move of the site and forums to a new server (it's why the forums were down yesterday). Thanks for your patience!