Part of the reason for giving up alcohol was to determine whether or not I had created a habit change process that was robust enough to hold up in the face of a habit I thought I couldn’t break. It was. But. Many other things changed in my life at the same time. The process…
Day 52: Getting off the Nail
The Howling Dog Story There was a young man walking down the street and happened to see a old man sitting on his porch. Next to the old man was his dog, who was whining and whimpering. The young man asked the old man “What’s wrong with your dog” The old man said “He’s laying…
Happiness and Your Brain
Podcast Episode 25. Listen Here. Philosophers have been trying to answer the “What is Happiness?” question for millennia. It’s not a simple question. Back in Episode 2 I looked at the experience of happiness and whether we experience it more through pleasure or more through meaning. In this episode, I look at the brain chemicals associated…
Day 51: If happiness was a game
This week, I recorded a podcast about chemicals in the brain and how they impact our experience of happiness. There are 4 chemicals (strictly speaking, some are neurotransmitters and others are hormones but rather than spend ages on that side of the explanation, I figure it’s easier to stick with ‘chemicals’) – dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin…
Day 50: Ten lessons from the halfway mark
Fifty days behind me. Fifty days ahead of me. It seems the perfect day to stop and reflect on the things I’ve learned so far. Each of my past failures contributed something to this success. I learned a little each time and if I had spent more time working out what the lessons were, rather…
Day 49: Fight, Freeze or Flow Forward
This morning, whilst listening to “The Psychology of Performance” by Dr Eddie O’Connell, another piece of the habit change puzzle fell into place for me. If you’ve ever struggled with negative thinking, anxiety or limiting beliefs, this might resonate with you too. Start by imagining your goal as a thing, maybe a trophy a huge…
Day 48: Pausing for thought
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mahatma Gandhi Some days I experience harmony. Some days I don’t. What the last 48 days has taught me, though, is that I never experience harmony when I ‘medicate’ with something. Alcohol was a tool, a crutch, a habit,…
