Thought Distillery » Mind Body and Spirit

Following Through

Scott — Tue, 22 Jun 2004 06:21:40 +0000

Ok – I admit it: I am a procrastinator. Commitments to others are almost always finished at the last minute. Worse yet, commitments to my self are sometimes started and then shelved indefinitely. Some of you may know what I’m talking about – those piles of unfinished projects, half-baked ideas, and unrealized goals speak volumes. At the present I’m fed up with myself in this area, so I immediately snatched up a book that I saw in hopes to shed some light on this common shortcoming.

Following Through: A Revolutionary New Model for finishing Whatever You Start is the book, and I’m impressed with its contents. It covers two main areas. First it explores the whys of our tendency to not follow through. Second it describes several strategies that we can use to better act upon our intentions.

To answer the why question, the authors present a very original and compelling argument that a certain characteristic of human nature can actually preclude even the most strong willed and self-determined individual from accomplishing their intentions. I won’t steal their thunder, but it is refreshing to be reminded that there is more to accomplishment than simply the will and the guts to make something happen. After all, in reality very few things we commit to provide enough internal burning desire to compel us to see them through. If we didn’t have bosses or family members to prod us along, most tasks would never be accomplished!

The strategies presented are mostly things that we’ve heard before and some are common wisdom. However, placed within the context of the underlying follow through problem they take on a whole new light. Strategies such as “strike while the iron is hot” and “leading the horse to water” should sound familiar. Also what they call “willpower leveraging” is basically just acting in advance to make it more difficult for you to mess up later. (Like intentionally avoiding the cookie isle at the grocery to prevent any temptation) One of the more interesting strategies is the one they entitle “going too far”. A women who had problems laying off the donuts at work used this by saying to herself that if she wanted “just one” donut, then she had to eat at least two. Paradoxically, the commitment to over indulge was enough to curb her desire to indulge completely.

This entry touches on just a few of the insightful and useful ideas presented in the book. Already I’m putting a few strategies to work (striking while the iron is hot with the typing of this entry) and have scheduled times this week to begin using more. At this point, I’m not making a new commitment to anything – even these strategies. One very valuable piece of advice was to carefully consider any new intentions. Recklessly taking on new intentions just sets us up for failing to follow through with most of them. Like a string of broken promises, there is no credibility with an approach like that.

Young Coconuts!

Scott — Mon, 07 Jul 2003 06:59:17 +0000

Yummmm! I actually stumbled upon a stock of young coconuts at the eastside Marsh supermarket here in Bloomington. This super tasty rarity has only showed itself once to me in the last 6 years living in this town. Well, I’m definately taking advantage of it because its hard to say how long they’ll last. I feel like tropical royalty as I’ve started the last 3 days with a cool and refreshing glass of blended coconut water. If you ever see the circus tent like oddities in a market, pick one up and be sure to learn to open the thing properly. Stick in a straw, close your eyes, and you’ll instantly be whisked away to a tropical paradise!

Eating Nettles

Scott — Mon, 28 Apr 2003 06:05:20 +0000

It sounds unpleasantly strange doesn’t it? Well, the first time I heard of eating stinging nettles raw was from David Wolfe during one of his inspiring raw food lectures. I searched all over for others’ experience and found nothing. So with an open mind and a high tolerance for potential gastronomical pain, I set out to experiment…

Well the day happended upon me out of the blue whilst I was on a my spring Griffy Lake Wild Flower Adventure (click the link for some nifty photos!). Carefully I picked, rolled, and chewed thoroughly and amazingly enough – no stinging! No stinging on my hands, no stinging on my tongue, no stinging in my mouth just flavorful fun! Seriously though, the nettles were very tender and tasty – I will definately be going back for more. So for the adventurous out there, I present you the 3 step program to the pleasures of raw stinging nettle culinary. Just remember, they are good for me but your body and milage may vary!

After reviewing some pictures of adult nettles, now I’m not certain that the plants I’ve been munching are even nettles. They were very tasty, but I need to do a little homework to see just what I have been ingesting! Calling all experts: please feel free to check out this larger image and then add a comment to this posting.

The Eyes Have It

Scott — Tue, 01 Apr 2003 02:53:08 +0000

Last week I paid a long overdue visit to the optometrist – long overdue as in nearly 9 years since my last exam. The kind interns at the IU Eye Care Center made up all those years, however. For over three hours I was subject to the whims of the white jackets as they ran me through every test conceivable to mankind. After all was said and done, the conclusion was that my eyes were healthy and my prescription had changed by only a wink. (Pun intended as always) So with eyes as big as black frying pans due to my freshly dilated pupils, I stepped out into what was undoubtedly the brightest day I’d ever experienced.

On the walk back to work I pondered my super-low blood pressure reading. This wasn’t too surprising given the fact that I’ve noticably slowed my body’s metabolism down over the last year on my raw food diet. Its really amazing how all I need is 4-5 pieces of fruit and Monster Salad ™ to keep me energized day after day. But I digress…

Two days later and I returned for the new glasses. Now that the eyes have it, I wonder what part of me will get the next tune up?