"Everything is, and almost bursts with being so. "


Posts tagged with 'self-control'

Skydiving with grandad - twelve tips for a courage toolbox

10th June 2021

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” C. S. Lewis “Fear is the mind-killer … I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will …

Commitment contracts: they really can help us achieve personally difficult goals

22nd July 2012

Four months ago I wrote a post entitled "Commitment contracts: another good way of helping us reach our goals" where I introduced some of the recent research on how helpful making a "commitment contract" can be when we're trying to attain particularly challenging personal goals. I mentioned the website www.stickK.com …

Power objects, power postures, power clothes, power prayers: all ways to facilitate change (2nd post)

21st July 2012

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work" Thomas Edison In yesterday's post - "Power objects, power postures, power clothes, power prayers: all ways to facilitate change (1st post)" - I introduced recent research highlighting how we can use physical objects and …

Power objects, power postures, power clothes, power prayers: all ways to facilitate change (1st post)

20th July 2012

"I will love you like a wind, like a man stitching a skin together like a winter coat. Like a man sitting in meditation and repairing a cracking spirit. Like a man in love with a leaf, a cloud, a flame, a temple. Like a man on fire running in …

Commitment contracts: a personal example

23rd March 2012

(This post is downloadable as a Word doc or a PDF file). I've already written a couple of posts about commitment contracts - "Commitment contracts: another good way of helping us reach our goals" and "Orientation, practicalities & use as therapeutic tools". I'd like to illustrate some points about setting …

Commitment contracts: orientation, practicalities & use as therapeutic tools

22nd March 2012

(This post is downloadable as a Word doc or a PDF file). I wrote yesterday about "Commitment contracts: another good way of helping us reach our goals". In today's post I'd like to look a bit more at the practicalities of setting up and using commitment contracts. I'll illustrate this …

Commitment contracts: another good way of helping us reach our goals

21st March 2012

(This post is downloadable as a Word doc or a PDF file). In a paper - "Commitment contracts as a way to health" - published a little earlier this year in the British Medical Journal, the authors (Halpern, Asch & Volpp from the University of Pennysylvania "Center for Health Incentives") …

Learning MBSR: sixth evening of the course - making time for reflection, and the overlap between mindfulness & conscientiousness

11th November 2011

There was no MBSR class last week as our trainer was unavailable, but I wrote a fortnight ago on "Learning MBSR: fifth evening of the course - the value of 'difficult' practice sessions & of 'concentration'". This evening we were down to six out of the nine of us who …

"Naming emotions" is another useful self-regulation & mindfulness strategy

7th August 2011

(This blog post is downloadable as both a Word doc and as a PDF file). I was intrigued by a recent research paper - "Subjective responses to emotional stimuli during labeling, reappraisal, and distraction" - from the highly productive Professor Matthew Lieberman. His UCLA social cognitive neuroscience lab's website has …

Building willpower: the eight pillars

10th July 2011

(this post is downloadable as both a Word doc & as a PDF file.) In the earlier post "Self-control, conscientiousness, grit, emotion regulation, willpower - whatever word you use, it's sure important to have it" I described the extraordinary benefits achievable through increased self-control & willpower. I noted occasional downsides …