February 21st, 2017
Affirmation: I keep my word to others and myself.
Word of the Day: distaff (adj):
___
Choice Theory
It had been said that "you can't think your way into right action, but you can act your way into right thinking." Put another way, "you don't think your way into a new kind of living; you live your way into a new kind of thinking."
This notion is prevalent among behaviorists and much of the today's therapeutic community. Indeed, in the treatment of depression and addiction, clients are often urged to to practice "opposite action" - that is to say, to behave in ways that run counter to what they "feel like" or to what their present state or mood urges them to do or not do.
I recently read about choice theory, which was developed by psychologist William Glasser in 1996. Glasser asserted that human beings have direct control over the acting and thinking components of their behavior. In other words, in controlling how you action and thought, one indirectly influences feelings and physiology.
The four elements of acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology are always working together in dynamic interplay. If you alter one of them, the others respond and change accordingly.
So what does this mean in practical terms? Well, let's say your goal is to be able to run 1 mile without stopping but you are feeling emotionally and physically exhausted, Choice Theory suggests that actually doing something about it is the most effective course of action (i.e you are manipulating the "acting" element). So despite the exhaustion, choosing to, for example, walk one-mile as an initial step in achieving the goal could result in:
1. Increased positive thinking (i..e. I am proud of myself for taking a step to achieving my goal. I am proud of myself for implementing a difficult but worthy new behavior. I am proud of myself for following through), which leads to
2. Enhanced emotional state (i.e. feeling effective, accomplished, happy, and/or satisfied)
3. Better physical health (i.e. decreased blood pressure and cortisol level, increased endorphins, etc.)
This is all to say, that we have choice in what we think and do and our thoughts and actions impact how we feel as well as our physical state. The actions we choose produce our thoughts which in turn influence our emotional wellbeing or lack thereof.
When we make choices that bring us one step closer to accomplishing our goals, they lead to increased positive thinking and better emotional and physical health.
So, what is one small action/ behavioral choice you can make and take today in service of one of your goals? If your goal feels impossible or overwhelming, think about what the smallest, most concrete thing you can do is.
What is one thought you have right now that is not serving you and your goals? What purpose is holding onto this thought serving? What thought might you be able to replace it with?
I will leave you with these quotes:
Affirmation: I keep my word to others and myself.
Word of the Day: distaff (adj):
1. a) related
through a mother.
b) inherited or derived
from the female parent.
2. female.
Dark
Sweetness
The ground turns green. A drum begins,
Commentaries on the heart arrive in seven volumes.
The pen puts its head down
to give a dark sweetness to the page.
Planets go wherever they want.
Venus sways near the North Star.
The moon holds on to Leo.
The host who has no self is here.
We look into each other's eyes.
A child is still a child
even after it has learned the alphabet.
Solomon lifts his morning cup to the mountains.
Sit down in this pavilion,
and don't listen to religious bickering.
Be silent as we absorb the spring.
The ground turns green. A drum begins,
Commentaries on the heart arrive in seven volumes.
The pen puts its head down
to give a dark sweetness to the page.
Planets go wherever they want.
Venus sways near the North Star.
The moon holds on to Leo.
The host who has no self is here.
We look into each other's eyes.
A child is still a child
even after it has learned the alphabet.
Solomon lifts his morning cup to the mountains.
Sit down in this pavilion,
and don't listen to religious bickering.
Be silent as we absorb the spring.
___
Choice Theory
It had been said that "you can't think your way into right action, but you can act your way into right thinking." Put another way, "you don't think your way into a new kind of living; you live your way into a new kind of thinking."
This notion is prevalent among behaviorists and much of the today's therapeutic community. Indeed, in the treatment of depression and addiction, clients are often urged to to practice "opposite action" - that is to say, to behave in ways that run counter to what they "feel like" or to what their present state or mood urges them to do or not do.
I recently read about choice theory, which was developed by psychologist William Glasser in 1996. Glasser asserted that human beings have direct control over the acting and thinking components of their behavior. In other words, in controlling how you action and thought, one indirectly influences feelings and physiology.
The four elements of acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology are always working together in dynamic interplay. If you alter one of them, the others respond and change accordingly.
So what does this mean in practical terms? Well, let's say your goal is to be able to run 1 mile without stopping but you are feeling emotionally and physically exhausted, Choice Theory suggests that actually doing something about it is the most effective course of action (i.e you are manipulating the "acting" element). So despite the exhaustion, choosing to, for example, walk one-mile as an initial step in achieving the goal could result in:
1. Increased positive thinking (i..e. I am proud of myself for taking a step to achieving my goal. I am proud of myself for implementing a difficult but worthy new behavior. I am proud of myself for following through), which leads to
2. Enhanced emotional state (i.e. feeling effective, accomplished, happy, and/or satisfied)
3. Better physical health (i.e. decreased blood pressure and cortisol level, increased endorphins, etc.)
This is all to say, that we have choice in what we think and do and our thoughts and actions impact how we feel as well as our physical state. The actions we choose produce our thoughts which in turn influence our emotional wellbeing or lack thereof.
When we make choices that bring us one step closer to accomplishing our goals, they lead to increased positive thinking and better emotional and physical health.
So, what is one small action/ behavioral choice you can make and take today in service of one of your goals? If your goal feels impossible or overwhelming, think about what the smallest, most concrete thing you can do is.
What is one thought you have right now that is not serving you and your goals? What purpose is holding onto this thought serving? What thought might you be able to replace it with?
I will leave you with these quotes:
Action expresses priorities. - Mahatma Gandhi
Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it
to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your
own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively
waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to
make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth. - Bradley
Whitford
Successful people maintain a positive focus in
life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past
successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they
need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than
all the other distractions that life presents to them. - Jack Canfield
Know your priorities and identify the five
powerful action steps that you intend to take to move your initiatives forward
each day. If you go to a tree with an ax and take five whacks at the tree every
day, it doesn't matter if it's an oak or a redwood; eventually, the tree has to
fall down. - Jack Canfield
Take time to deliberate; but when the time for
action arrives, stop thinking and go in. - Andrew Jackson
When it is obvious that the goals cannot be
reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. - Confucius
Action is a great restorer and builder of
confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps
the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments
will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all. - Norman
Vincent Peale
Just remember, you can do anything you set your
mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears. - Gillian
Anderson
Concern should drive us into action and not
into a depression. No man is free who cannot control himself. - Pythagoras
A dream becomes a goal when action is taken
toward its achievement. - Bo Bennett
The path to success is to take massive,
determined action. - Tony Robbins
Revolutions are brought about by men, by men
who think as men of action and act as men of thought. - Kwame Nkrumah
Everyone designs who devises courses of action
aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones. - Herbert Simon
I love the way you have expressed the power of taking actions for your goals and start to act that way even if the thinking ( conscious and unconscious ) says otherwise
ReplyDeleteLoveD
Thank you! Easier said than done, I know!
ReplyDeleteGandhi rightly says' Action expresses priorities'. The first step is to define what your true priorities are (and to be sure they are not what someone else thinks your priorities should be no matter who that someone might be). Action aligned with your true priorities is the foundation for a successful life. Thanks for your amazing posts.
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for reading them - and yes, living based on others' priorities is a recipe for disappointment, regret, and untapped potential, fulfillment, and possibility.
Delete