The Science of Self-Help

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YEAR 2 IN REVIEW

It’s been a little over 2 years of continuous recording. Last year I did a summary of what I had learned so I thought I’d do the same again.

This past year I have:

1. Continued this project and picked up recording despite moving to Spain, traveling around Spain, traveling to India, and going on a trip around the world to the north and south of China, Vancouver, and up near the arctic circle in Churchill, Manitoba to cover polar bears in the wild for work.

2. Maintained and expanded my writing habit. Completed my first course in at least a decade on nonfiction book proposals, specifically for a book on this project. Also completed a NaNoWriMo book on this project in a record 10 days. Talked to two industry people, an editor and agent, who expressed interest in the subject.

3. Began more intense training in meditation and blew away any previous experiences with “hardcore” practices. My experiential and intellectual knowledge on the subject has increased exponentially, and I’ve guided several people on both single pointed and vipassana.

4. Established the fastest and “crispest” habit thus far, rowing.

5. Formulated a more robust view of self help incorporating willpower, endurance, and skill improvement, viewable as a three dimensional graph.

6. Attempted and scrapped a marketing habit, getting up early, another dynamic meditation habit, and another eating habit.

7. Discussed concepts like habit harmonics, taking weekends off, ratcheting, the progression dilemma in mastery, depletion and vortex forces, and mid-range planning

Whoo! I’ve also started migrating my blog to merge it with my main site. In the next year I hope to be able to start really nailing down pesky habits like diet and sleep regimentation. I also hope to have a book proposal down, and start cross publishing posts on self help to other websites and publications.

That’s a lot. But really, I remember when I used to have so many problems with even writing every day. To be able to see how I’ve duplicated my completion of NaNoWriMo, been able to easily form a rowing habit, or continue the project despite incredibly disruptive travel…well, it makes me hopeful.