How Much of Your Life Is On Autopilot?

Are you happy with the direction you're going?  If so, I hope your autopilot button is on and you reach your destination in good spirits.  If you're not satisfied, this is a great day to disengage the autopilot and make some course correction moves while there is still time.

I'm living proof you can teach an old dog new tricks if you're willing to do the work.  Doing the work means you are willing to change no matter what your chronological age happens to be.  Once the desired changes are implemented, that's the right time to turn the autopilot back on and proceed.

The manual override can be a bit bumpy at times.  If you consider your brain as the operating system, it really doesn't like it when you try to alter the pre-programmed controls that you set up as you were growing up.  Your brain will resist especially if you are implementing changes in your senior years.  

I'm writing this story before sunrise.  That's pretty much what I've been doing daily for fifteen consecutive years.  What's changing for me is my early morning routine that follows my daily blogging.  My manual course correction involves going outside at sunrise for a minimum of ten minutes per day in order to reset my circadian rhythms.  Today is day 2.  Should I turn the autopilot for my new morning routine on too soon, I risk reverting back to my old programming.  I need to turn off the autopilot every time I'm making a change.  This year I've been on manual mode for a record number of days.  

My hope for you is that you find the inspiration to go into manual mode and pursue something you once thought was impossible.  You see, when your brain convinces you something is impossible, it is tempting you to give up and go back to autopilot.  Challenge yourself to grow.  Challenge your brain to let go of outdated programming.  Plot a new course.  Have a great day.

First Sun Part of Revised Morning Routine

Andrew Huberman challenges his followers to go outside at sunrise for at least ten minutes.  I've been enjoying my time in the sun indoors through the windows until this morning when I decided to follow Huberman's advice.  He argues that certain frequencies are blocked when the sun is viewed through windows.  

As a new fan of habit stacking I did three things at once this morning at sunrise.   My wife looked at me like I'm an alien when I told her I needed to go outside.  How peculiar I must look with shorts on (it's cold this morning), my headphones in place and my cell phone set up on YouTube while holding my latest book I'm reading.  My cell phone is also my timer.  It's set for ten minutes before going outside to bask in the early morning sunshine.  Will this be a new morning routine?  Ask me in 30 days.  If I'm still doing all of these activities simultaneously I should be able to confidently state I'm well on my way to a newly revised permanent morning routine.

My pre-sunrise routine began at 5:00am when I woke up without an alarm.  I will need to be flexible with my morning habits as the sunrise varies throughout the year.  Viewing the sun as it rises daily will allow my body to adjust its time clock to be in harmony with Mother Nature.  

If you are not happy with your life as it is now, consider revising your early morning routine to give you an opportunity to enhance your sense of well-being.  I already know my brain is going to fight me when the temps fall below zero and I'm still following my early morning routine which includes ten minutes of viewing the sun outdoors, even on cloudy days or snow days.  These habits are what make me who I am.  Forcing myself to do things that are difficult only enhances the endorphins.  Yes, I may seem like I'm an alien in my wife's eyes but I can honestly say I'm a happy alien.  Check in 30 days from today and I'll let you know if the first sun habit is permanent.  Have a great day.

Sardines for Breakfast Today

People cringe when I tell them I eat sardines.  The truth is I cringe a bit as well.  After discovering that doing things you really don't like to do actually increases the size of your brain in the area known as the anterior midcingulate cortex, I'm doing my best to pursue activities I would much rather prefer to avoid.

I eat sardines because they are easy to consume when I'm on the road and there aren't any other good food choices.  Sardines can be eaten right out of the can.  There is no prep time.  Sardines are one of the healthiest food choices one can make.

When it comes to breakfast choices, sardines are probably last on my list.  Not this morning.  Too bad I can't measure the size of my AMCC.  All I can do is rely on my observations concerning all my experiments.  Some may argue that some benefits may be a placebo effect.   Whether all these positive changes are real or placebo, all I can say is I'm happy with the results of all my experiments.  Sardines aren't for everyone.  I simply choose to give my brain all the that it can get.  My body as well.  Have a great day.

Habit Stacking Makes New Habits Stick

I'm trying something new, pursuing multiple new goals simultaneously.  The pros suggest one goal at a time to nurture it until it becomes a habit before moving on.  I see the merit in this as I seem to do better with intense focus on one idea at a time.  There is a workaround that may make multiple new habits become a permanent way of life called habit stacking.

We are creatures of habit.  Good habits allow us to become a better version of ourselves while bad habits lead to stress, anxiety, and poor self esteem.  I'm experimenting with adding multiple new goals to existing habits in order to make all of them stick. 

Last week I started a gratitude journal.  It's part of my early morning stack of habits.  I also started reading every morning.  After finishing my morning routine and right before leaving for my day job.  My quest to find at least one new fifteen minute window of time each day is succeeding which is creating a block of time for reading.  That equals three new habits that are in the daily mix.  All three of these habits are bringing me joy, especially since the book I'm reading now is about happiness and how people incorporate it in their lives.  I don't want to leave out the new mantra I'm repeating daily which I plan to make permanent as the results are immediate.  This is a must do activity.  It goes like this..."I'm getting better at ________ (simply fill in the blank with whatever you want to get better at.

For those of you who think you don't have time to work on multiple goals at the same time, habit stacking is a hack that may change your belief system.  Try it when you are on auto pilot, like when you brush your teeth.  Every time you brush your teeth you work on another goal, like leg raises or stretching.  Brushing your teeth reminds you of the new habit you are forming.

Challenge yourself to use habit stacking for increased success with multiple goals and see what happens over the next 90 days.  Have a great day.

Can Speed Reading Increase Reading Comprehension?

 It's time for another experiment.  I'm curious about maximizing my reading time while paying attention to my reading comprehension.  There are two benefits I'm seeking – reducing the time allocated to daily reading while learning new ideas to help me become a better version of myself.  

There is a theory that when you read faster by pointing a finger at the sentences you are forcing your brain to focus on the material.  You aren't giving your brain any time to be distracted.  The only way I will know if there is any merit is to experiment with various reading methods.  While watching YouTube videos is my favorite way to learn, I'm planning on dedicating more time to reading.  The local thrift store has an abundance of books to choose from.  The target for 2025 is to read one book a month.  If the speed reading experiment is successful, perhaps I can exceed my own expectations.  The next 90 days will be dedicated to the speed reading/comprehension experiment.  Have a great day.

The 1% Better Challenge

 It's hard to believe, but Christmas is only 90 days away.  Most people will wait until the end of the year to set new goals.  I have a better idea.  It's called the '1% Better Challenge.'  It's more of a brain improvement strategy than a goal improvement idea.  Think about an area of your life you would like to excel at.  Imagine what your life would look like if you could make massive changes simply by improving 1% per day for 90 days.

My new mantra goes like this:  "Every day I'm better at _________ than I was yesterday."

Ask yourself what the odds are of hitting your targets when you set goals monthly as opposed to annually.  Ask yourself if your brain will respond when you begin using this mantra daily.  Keep in mind that 1% a day may not be a big deal today or tomorrow.  In my opinion, it will be a very big deal in 90 days when you wake up on Christmas morning with a new body, mind, and spirit.  

Ready or not, the next 90 days are going to pass.  Why not be 1% better each day and see what happens?  Have a great day.

The Science Behind Happiness

We visited our favorite thrift store last week during our date day and I found two books.  The purpose of reading these books is to experiment with my rate of reading and comprehension.  Every morning I'm reading one chapter of "The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People."  If I remain on target, that book will be completed before the end of the year.  If the experiment is successful, I will finish early and start the second book.  I'm excited about the material in the book because it's backed by science.  The studies are quoted in each chapter.  I have a hunch that if my comprehension increases while I'm reading about happy people, maybe my own happiness will increase.  Check back in 100 days and you can test me on this theory.

I'm discovering in my own life that happiness increases when I do certain daily routines backed by science.  The cold shower in the morning bumps up long-lasting supplies of endorphins.  The lunch-time outside sitting in my Tommy Bahamas chair barefoot while staring at the pond gives me a science-back boost of enough endorphins to get me through my busy day shift.  

If you are not happy, try doing science backed things that add brain chemicals guaranteed to increase your happiness.  Read about happy people.  Spend time with happy people.  Set goals that give you opportunities to visit places that will surely bring you happiness.  Have a great day.