Creating positive behavior change in our own lives and in our communities and workplaces
To-do lists, checklists, scorecards can be great tools to keep us on track. But they can also seem like an overwhelming task themselves. Or worse yet, they can become yet another way that we judge our own abilities or self-worth.
In this episode, we will show you how to create a list that suits you and your goals. We will also explore how to structure that list so it can keep you on track without being a constant reminder of how much work you have to do.
Some of our goals or objectives require us to master a range of different skills. You’ll probably be naturally stronger in some areas than others. And sometimes, in order to reach our goals, overcoming or strengthening a weakness is essential.
But it’s not just about forcing yourself to work on the things that are hard for you. In this episode, we focus on identifying areas where you need more support–and seeking out resources that can help.
We all have cues in our lives that prompt us to carry out certain behaviors, like putting a seat belt on when we get in a car, grabbing snacks when we sit on the couch to watch a movie, or pouring a glass of wine when we change out of our work clothes.
Some of our cue responses are good (like seatbelts), and some are not so good (like snacks and alcohol). Many of them probably developed over time without our conscious intention.
We can, however, deliberately create cues in our lives to help us make decisions and perform behaviors that will benefit us. In this episode, we’ll teach you how to identify and dismantle unhelpful cues and also build some helpful ones.
Continue reading “Ep 42: Cues and Prompts”Having a firm grip on reality is usually seen as a sign of good mental health. But social scientists have discovered that happy and successful people routinely overestimate their skill, talent, and chances of success. In fact, that may be one of the secrets to their success.
In this episode, we explore why being overly optimistic is not a cognitive defect that needs to be overcome but a constructive trait that we can cultivate.
A year ago, virtually every aspect of our lives changed profoundly: How we eat, shop, work, socialize, exercise, etc. These weren’t changes we chose but changes that were forced on us. Now that we are beginning to imagine life returning to something more similar to pre-pandemic, we have some decisions to make. Are there new habits that we’ve adopted that we might want to keep? Old habits that we don’t want to return to?
What’s clear is that we DON’T want to do is miss this opportunity to make a conscious choice.
Continue reading “Ep 40: Changes We’d Like to Keep”Behavioralist Schlomo Benartzi defines a default as “what happens if you do nothing.“ If we’re too busy, distracted, or fatigued to make a choice or decision, the default wins the day. And because we’re often busy, distracted, or fatigued we want to be careful and intentional about which defaults are operating on our lives. In this episode, we’ll show you how to do that.
Continue reading “Ep 39: What’s Your Default?”In the last episode, we talked about deciding which thoughts deserve our energy. But once we’ve decided that a situation deserves our attention, we need to decide how we want to engage with it. The words we use to describe (even to ourselves) what’s going on in our lives or our heads can make a big difference.
Continue reading “Ep 38: How Do You Want to Engage?”Not all of our thoughts deserve our attention or energy. Some can safely be dismissed without further examination. But we often allow unworthy or unhelpful thoughts to take up a lot of real estate in our brains–and this can negatively impact how we feel, what we do, and ultimately what we accomplish. In this episode, we talk about why it’s so important to choose which thoughts you give your energy to.
Continue reading “Ep 37: Choosing Your Thoughts”We often feel like we have to make a decision, make a change, make a difference, or achieve a goal quickly. But if we want the benefits to be meaningful and lasting, shouldn’t we be willing to take our time? In this episode, we consider the downside of rushing into a decision to change without considering the realities of trying to create change in too much of a hurry. Then, we’ll explore some alternatives.
Continue reading “Ep 36: What You Gain by Slowing Down”Our current actions are creating our future reality. Sometimes, we have to choose between what we want right now and what we want for our future selves. Research shows that the more emotionally connected we feel to our future selves, the more likely we are to make choices that benefit that future self. In this episode, we explore ways to form a more intimate connection with your future self.
Continue reading “Ep 35: Your Future Self”