Becoming A Hero

  I've set the above image of Hercules's choice to live a difficult life of virtue vs. an easy one of vice as one of my desktop backgrounds. Not only is it a beautiful painting, it's a great reminder that every moment is a choice point. We are always moving in one of two directions. Even if we aren't moving physically or mentally, we are moving temporally, and our lack of movement and the reason for it will determine if we are on the path of a thriving life or a shitty one. The picture I have set as the background on my other monitor is the ACT Hexaflex  - a visualization of the six core processes that help individuals develop Psychological Flexibility - "the ability to contact the present moment more fully as a conscious human being, and to change or persist in behavior when doing so serves valued ends." (via ACBS ). I first learned of choice points (at least in a concrete, something you can do about it way) from Dr. Russ Harris , an Acceptance and Commitment

Not a whole lot to report this week... except that I feel like I'm growing. Doesn't seem like enough to say, does it? Well, let's see... One thing that I realized is that one of the most painful things that I can experience emotionally is to feel stupid... even worse if I think other people think that I'm stupid. Because of this, I very seldom try new things, and if I do, I quit at the slightest difficulty. But I don't want to go for the easy things anymore. I want things to be hard. Android development is hard - it's easy to feel stupid while learning it. Because of this, I keep starting and quitting, starting and quitting. Not anymore. Bring on the difficulty. Bring on the feeling stupid! I'm not trying to  feel better . Not anymore at least. I'm trying... I AM taking action while feeling like shit. I'm done with the easier, softer way. Same with the last of my (major) addictions - bring on the cravings, the impulses, the desires! Every time they c

I almost didn't write this morning, but my Eudaimon (Mr. Optimus) said to after I flipped the switch and ran the ultimate Optimizing Algorithm . After I questioned him about it ("It'll take too long, I've got nothing to write"), he countered with "OK, how about you just open up Blogger and go from there." Look where I'm at and what I'm doing. I broke it down, made the only action I had to take "Stupid Small" (a la Stephen Guise ), and celebrated the win (a la BJ Fogg ). This week I've used something similar for actions that I plan on doing but never seem to actually do - specifically jogging after work. I'm using "Implementation Intentions" - styled after BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits prompts . And holy shit, it's working... mostly :-).  Still working on keeping the phone out of the bedroom. Remember - the work never ends , the perfect is the enemy of the good, and if it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly

Here are three actionable ideas that I've picked up over the past week as a member of the Optimize Coach program. 1. I don't remember exactly where this one was in the program - but the idea of the athlete as hero really struck me. I am not an natural athlete, but the idea of pushing myself harder and taking better physical care of myself, while working toward an athletic goal, really worked it's way (back) into my head. So... I've committed to running in the Baystate Marathon this year. I did a marathon once about 10 years ago... didn't do so great - but I did a fucking marathon. And now, I may be ten years older, but by October 13th, I'm going to be 10 times stronger than I was back then. 2. I've been contemplating "Forward into growth", "What I can be I must be" , and " What do I want ". I've combined these three ideas into a single question to ask myself while running the Optimize Algorithm - "Where's the plus

Week Ending 3/6/22 OK, sooooo.... the program doesn't officially start for another week. Doh! But access has opened up for the first Module (Module O), which is an overview of the program and an introduction to our Eudaimon and becoming a Hero - one who has strength for two. It contains some great exclusive videos and exercises, as well as a ton of links to related "plus ones" and philosophers notes by Brian (which, BTW, you can get for free right here ). My number one takeaway so far is The Ultimate Optimizing Algorithm - when the Eudaimon speaks (in a whisper, an inside voice, or a shout) - flip the switch, make contact with him (mine's a him, YMMV), and take action in a plus one direction. My personal approach to creating a flourishing life uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as it's blueprint - creating psychological flexibility through my observing self, acceptance, defusion, mindfulness, values creation, and valued action. The Ultimate Optimizing Algorit

I recently signed up for the most recent iteration of Brian Johnson's Heroic Coach program . I plan on using this blog as a weekly check in for myself - what I liked, didn't like, found useful, found to be bs... a Sunday review of my development into a Hero. There was a bit of trepidation in signing up. The super long sales page (without a price on it) and the ACT NOW discount (even after which the price was still high for my financial situation) - these are not a few of my favorite things. Despite these two issues, I almost pulled the trigger and dropped my credit card in the box on the spot. I've followed Brian's work for years, but had stopped because I needed to focus on specific areas, and the massive amount of information he creates can be overwhelming to me at times. I stopped myself from buying and decided to talk to someone about it first - my wife. She's my partner, my best friend, and knows me like no one else. She especially knows that I can get pretty m