Blogs About Habits
Listen to an interview with the author about this article on the Better Humans Podcast. For the past five years, I’ve been obsessed with language and self-talk, and how they relate to emotion. This obsession grew out of the realization that self-talk and anxiety drove...
As a brain scientist studying addiction and mindfulness, I’ve been exploring habit formation for the past 6 years. What I’ve found is that old habits are hard to break, and new habits are hard to implement. This simple metaphor explains how this works in your brain. A...
Ever since I was a child, I was consumed by anxiety and tormented by my mind. As I got older, my anxiety got worse, and so did my urge to escape it. I began using drugs when I was 14 years old, and by the time I was 20, I was a heroin addict. I spent the next 15 years...
When reading the work of Thomas Jefferson, I came across a line that slapped me square in the face — “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” Having lost 15 years of my life to addiction, mostly through inaction, it felt...
For the past seven years, I’ve been obsessed with language and self-talk, and how they relate to emotion. This obsession grew out of the realization that self-talk and anxiety drove me toward a life of heroin addiction. Driven by childhood trauma, I was tormented by...
Everything suffers when you don’t set your intentions for the day The gun goes off with a crack. The guy to my right explodes out of the blocks. I stay put, preparing for the race ahead. It’s not my first race, and I’m good at 400 metres, so I stay calm and collected....
Your future tomorrow depends on the principles you use today “We control our actions, but the consequences that flow from those actions are controlled by principles” — Stephen Covey Self-made billionaire, Ray Dalio, attributes his success to a core set of...
If you want to follow your dreams, you have to step into the arena Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy is built on hard work, tenacity, and a willingness to put himself in the middle of the battle. In one of his most memorable speeches, Roosevelt captured his philosophy on...
When you follow your heart, life gives you a helping hand
Two young fish are swimming along when they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way. The older fish nods and says, “Good morning boys. How’s the water?” The two young fish smile, nod, and continue on their way. As they glide through the water in silence,...